DIRECTIONS FOR INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF ENTERPRISES OF THE AIC BASED ON AN ADAPTIVE MECHANISM OF RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify and scientifically substantiate the main directions of increasing the competitiveness of agro-industrial enterprises based on an adaptive mechanism for responding to changes in the operating environment, which will ensure their stability, efficiency and ability to long-term development in the face of modern challenges. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study, aimed at revealing and substantiating the problem of increasing the competitiveness of agro-industrial enterprises in the face of adaptive response to changes in the operating environment, is a set of general and special scientific methods. In particular, the monographic method was used – for in-depth study of the essence of the problem; logical-theoretical – for the formation of conceptual approaches; statistical and economic-mathematical – for quantitative analysis of trends and relationships; visualization methods – for a visual display of the results obtained; systems analysis - for a comprehensive assessment of influencing factors; logical generalization and abstraction - for the formation of conclusions and proposals. The information base for the study was official materials of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, statistical yearbooks, as well as scientific publications and analytical developments of domestic and foreign scientists on the relevant topic. The results of the study showed that during 2020-2024, most enterprises in agriculture make a profit, and only a smaller number of enterprises have a loss from their activities. However, in 2022, the percentage of enterprises that have a loss increased from 11.3% to 21.5% compared to 2021. An analysis of the dynamics of the number of employed and hired workers at enterprises in agriculture in Ukraine for 2020-2024 allows us to conclude that there is a clear trend towards a reduction in the workforce during most of the analyzed period, with a further sign of stabilization at the final stage. It was also found that agricultural losses in the two years after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine reached 10.3 billion USD. Thus, in the face of such challenges, taking into account the results obtained, the authors proposed a number of directions that contribute to increasing the competitiveness of agro-industrial complex enterprises based on an adaptive mechanism. Practical implications. The authors identified a set of factors that influence the formation of the goals of the functioning of agribusiness enterprises, and the basic components of the adaptive mechanism for responding to changes in the environment of the functioning of agrarian enterprises with the characteristics of each component. It was suggested that agricultural producers also consider the goal of “ensuring and increasing their competitiveness” as the basis along with the goal of “obtaining profit”, and also substantiated the need to implement an adaptive mechanism by agricultural formations. In order to study changes in the environment of the functioning of the agricultural sector, a number of relevant indicators were analyzed, in particular, the economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises; the number of employed and hired workers at enterprises in agriculture; losses by category caused to agriculture after a full-scale invasion, etc. Based on the analysis, the authors formed the appropriate conclusions, on the basis of which factors were identified that influence the competitiveness of agribusiness enterprises. In particular, martial law and existing state support programs for agricultural producers were examined in more detail among these factors. Value / originality. The value of the research is that, taking into account the negative impact of the war on the functioning of agricultural enterprises and the preservation of their competitiveness, the authors, in addition to the main areas of increasing the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises based on the adaptive mechanism, separately listed areas of creating competitive advantages for these enterprises in the post-war recovery. In particular, such areas are: modernization and technological progress, product diversification, development of cooperation and agricultural associations, development of human capital, technologization of management and digitalization of agribusiness, sustainable resource management.