Improving the Strategic Sustainability Management of large, Medium, and Small Businesses in the Depressed Regions of Russia

Abstract

This study1 presents a methodology for assessing the strategic sustainability of enterprises in Russian regions at the micro level as a part of assessing the strategic sustainability of the complex of enterprises in a region. The authors suggest directions for fostering the economy of the depressed regions ofRussiaby improving the management of strategic sustainability of the complex of large, medium, and small enterprises in a region. The recommendations developed for federal and regional authorities on how to improve the management of the complex of enterprises in the regions are based on the hypothesis proved in the study about the dependence of economic development indicators of a region on the strategic sustainability of the complex of enterprises operating in its territory.Aim. The study aims to suggest directions for improving the management of the strategic sustainability of large, medium, and small enterprises in the depressed regions of Russia based on the formation of regional profit centers.Tasks. The authors identify the peculiarities in the development of large enterprises in the depressed regions of Russia by calculating an integrated index of economic and financial sustainability of enterprises; conduct a comparative analysis of the activities of large enterprises in depressed and developed regions to prove the hypothesis about the dependence of the economic and financial sustainability of large enterprises on the region’s level of socio-economic development; develop recommendations for federal and regional authorities on how to improve the management of the complex of large, medium, and small enterprises, including a proposal on the formation of regional profit centers.Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of this study includes theories and concepts on the role of enterprises and entrepreneurship in the economic development of a region. The study uses general scientific methods: analysis and synthesis, comparative and statistical analysis, systematization, calculation of an integrated index, financial ratio analysis.Results. The economic and financial indicators of large businesses in depressed regions are comparable to those of large businesses in developed regions (including the development indicators of the largest enterprises included in the Expert 600 rating), with some indicators showing values that are even higher than in developed regions. This confirms the hypothesis that the level of socio-economic development of a region does not have a dominant effect on the sustainability of development of large enterprises. The level of development of regional economies depends on the regional business structure. The revealed patterns make it possible to propose directions for improving the management of strategic sustainability of enterprises in depressed regions to federal and regional authorities.Conclusions. The improvement of development management in depressed regions should be aimed at developing government support tools that facilitate the development of the complex of enterprises in the regions. It is necessary to integrate the sustainability management of the complex of enterprises in a region into the strategic management system at the federal and regional levels. Along with the implementation of national projects aimed at developing small businesses, increasing labor productivity, supporting innovation and development institutions, in depressed regions it is also necessary to implement projects aimed at developing large businesses and integrating them with medium and small enterprises based on cooperation roadmaps. A new approach to the development of depressed regions based on the formation of regional profit centers would facilitate the formation of the sustainability of the complex of enterprises in depressed regions, allowing rational use of national project funds. This study is a continuation of the article “Approaches to assessing the strategic sustainability of large, medium, and small businesses in the depressed regions of Russia” published in Ekonomika i upravlenie No. 10, 2019.