Small business as a factor in sustainable rural development

The article presents the results of a study of the development and legal support of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. There were considered the legislation and regulations governing the activities of small and medium enterprises in Ukraine. The basic principles of the system of state support for the development of small business as a factor of economic growth of the state were determined. It was studied the structure of state support of small and medium business development by direct and indirect instruments. It was found that state support for small business development is implemented through programs and projects coordinated by international, national and regional support institutions. The peculiarities of financial and credit provision of small and medium enterprises were established. There were determined the instruments of state support of SME enterprises in the field of lending, including such as introduction of state lending programs, guarantees for loans, compensation of interest rates on loans, etc. It was conducted an analysis of the activities of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine in 2016-2020 and the main factors influencing its development were identified. The structure and quality of the loan portfolio of the banking sector of Ukraine were studied and the process of bank lending to small businesses was assessed. There were reviewed the state programs providing partial interest rate compensation and state loan guarantees, including the state program of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises «Affordable Loans 5-7-9%», which laid the preferential basis for SME lending by Ukrainian banks. The main advantages and disadvantages of this program and prospects for its improvement were identified. Based on the analysis of theoretical aspects and world and domestic practice, there were substantiated the directions of increasing the efficiency of small and medium business in Ukraine in the context of intensifying bank lending and state regulatory, legal and financial support for its development. It was substantiated that stimulating the development of small and medium business in Ukraine within the programs of state support and bank lending are important for overcoming socio-economic disparities.

The article presents the results of the implementation of the National Project “Small and Medium Business and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives” and federal projects included in it: “Improving the conditions for doing business”; “Expanding the access of small and medium-sized businesses to financial resources, including concessional financing”; “Acceleration of small and medium-sized businesses”; “Creation of a support system for farmers and the development of rural cooperation”; “Popularisation of Entrepreneurship”. We critically analysed the national project as a whole and assessed the newest situation of small and medium-sized businesses. Further, we carried out the analysis of the achievement of the leading indicators of the national project. Also, we considered the financing and the results of the achievement of indicators in the context of federal projects that are part of the national project for 2018-2020.We assessed the risks of non-fulfilment of the goals and objectives set in the projects. The article also examines the effectiveness and evaluates the effectiveness of state support measures for small and medium-sized businesses affected by the spread of coronavirus infection in 2020. Besides, we analysed the main changes in the regulatory legal framework within the framework of implementing the national project. The analysis of the updated structure and activities of the national project “Small and Medium Enterprises and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives” has been carried out.

The allocation of financial resources by the state to support small business and co-financing of investment projects of large and medium-sized businesses are significant financial instruments of state management of the socio-economic development of all Russian territories, without exception, especially in difficult modern epidemiological conditions. At the same time, it would be advisable to synchronize the quantitative and qualitative certainty of the implementation of these tools in time with the viability of the territories, determined by the current stage of their life cycle. The purpose of this article is to study the current presence in the Republic of Bashkortostan of direct or indirect accounting of the stage membership of municipalities in determining the amount allocated to it for the development of business of various dimensional forms of financial resources based on a systematic analysis of statistical data using typological grouping tools and rank correlation analysis. To achieve this goal, the authors analyzed the size of subsidies to support small business in the municipalities of the Republic of Belarus and the volume of state co-financing at the subregional level of objects from the lists of priority investment projects of the republic. The study of these indicators in relation to 8 urban districts (Ufa, Sterlitamak, Salavat, Oktyabrskiy, Neftekamsk, Sibay, Kumertau, Agidel) and 54 municipal districts of the Republic of Belarus made it possible to construct their typological groups according to the stages of the life cycle, the specific volume of subsidies to small businesses and the specific volume of co-financing of investment projects of large and medium-sized businesses. An assessment was made of the correlation between the stadia of municipalities and, firstly, the amount of subsidies allocated to it from the budget of the republic to support the activities of municipal programs for the development of small businesses and, secondly, the amount of co-financing of investment projects of large and medium-sized businesses. The absence of statistically significant interconnections between the volumes of financial resources currently allocated from the budget of the Republic of Bashkortostan for the development and support of small, medium and large businesses in municipalities and their life cycle stages was revealed, with the exception of a very weak negative relationship between the stage membership of municipal districts and the specific volume subsidies to support the activities of their programs for the development of small businesses (Spearman's coefficient = -0.270). The results of the study allow us to conclude that it is necessary to take into Belarus, as well as in other constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the stage-by-stage identification of territories when determining the amount allocated to municipalities from regional budgets of financial resources for business development of various dimensional forms.

Digital transformation processes are having a significant impact on the business sector of Azerbaijan, creating new opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), in particular. Automation is often associated with innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness, which are essential elements for the growth of SMEs in a developing economy. The study aimed to examine the technological, market, and cultural factors influencing the tendencies of SMEs to switch to automated management. The analysis of the tendencies of SMEs to switch to automated management in Azerbaijan is relevant due to its potential to contribute to economic development, reveal cross-cultural dynamics, and increase business adaptability. The article also examines the main problems of small and medium-sized businesses in the implementation of automation systems, such as cybersecurity, technical integration, and bureaucratic obstacles. In addition, the article explores how automation helps employees focus on more valuable activities, simplifying their work processes. The importance of increasing investments in training programs, strengthening collaboration with automation vendors, and developing risk management strategies to enhance the potential of SMEs in the field of digitalization was highlighted. The main purpose of the study is to study and gain a deep understanding of the factors influencing the transition of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to automated management systems in Azerbaijan. This study, which analyzes the nuances of technology adoption, cultural influences, political factors, and market competitiveness, aims to provide valuable suggestions and recommendations to policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders investing in the development and sustainability of small and medium-sized businesses.

Small business represents a significant scope of modern national economy, an integral part of the private sector. In most countries, it accounts for 35-70% of GDP. Clozhivshayasya state system of support of small business in Russia as a whole is adequate to Russia's current institutional macro environment. The reasons hindering the development of this sector. The article deals with a type of small business - environmental development of small business. The development of eco-oriented small businesses can afford to significantly change the ecological situation in the country, improve the environment and use of natural resources. The main directions of development of the ecological development of small business.

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the development of small business in Russia should not compete with large producers without state support. At the moment, the existing dependence on large organizations is the limited availability of their own sources of financing for their activities. The state, municipal and regional authorities are interested in the development of small and medium-sized businesses and individual en-trepreneurs.

Невід’ємною та стратегічно важливою частиною економіки держави є середній та малий бізнес. Проте розвиток цього сектору бізнесу потребує прийняття зважених рішень щодо фінансів, дотримання правил фінансової звітності та податкового законодавства, мінімізації ризиків в цьому процесі. Бухгалтерський облік надає власникам бізнесу величезну кількість фінансової інформації та розуміння, які дозволяють їм приймати рішення такого рівня та якості. Україна має доволі потужний сектор малого та середнього бізнесу, але йому бракує ресурсів, досвіду чи часу для ефективного управління своїми фінансами. Тому, партнерство з надійною бухгалтерською фірмою може надати підтримку, керівництво та досвід, необхідні для досягнення своїх цілей. Метою дослідження є окреслення практичних сфер для подальшого розвитку бухгалтерського консалтингу як «м’якої технології» підтримки розвитку малого та середнього бізнесу. Доведено, що з появою технологій бухгалтерський облік змінився. Тепер бухгалтер несе відповідальність і зобов’язання зробити свою професію ідентифікованою суспільством і підприємцями як професію, що використовує знання та технології, щоб забезпечити більшу безпеку та надійність організацій. У статті представлено точки зору, щодо ставлення власників бізнесу до можливості звернення за консультацією. Для посилення аргументації, представлені результати опитування щодо напрямків бізнес-консультування підприємців, визначених ними самими. Встановлена загальна тенденція щодо перспективних очікувань підприємців щодо бухгалтерського консультування. Представлені статистичні дані динаміки суб’єктів господарювання, що працюють в сфері бухгалтерського обліку й аудиту; консультування з питань оподаткування. Обгрунтовані напрями розвитку бухгалтерського консалтингу як «м’якої технології» підтримки розвитку вітчизняного малого та середнього бізнесу.

This paper investigates the current state of small and medium business in Ukraine. The protracted nature of the war in Ukraine significantly destabilizes the activities of the subjects of this sector and leads to the deterioration of its development indicators. In particular, a decrease in quantity of active entities small and medium business, a decrease in the rate of registration of new entities, a shortage of own working capital in most small and medium enterprises will have a negative impact on the national economy. The main obstacles to the recovery and development of business activity during the period of validity of state of war are identified. It is the lack of financial resources; continuation of hostilities; interruptions in electricity, water and heat supply; destruction of logistics; increase in production costs; insufficient quantity of paying customers. The peculiarities of state support of small and medium business in Ukraine during the war are considered. The problems hindering the development of national small and medium business in the conditions of war are identified. It is the absence of a program document on the development of the small and medium business sector; low level of access to finance by small and medium business entities; insufficiently developed state financial support programs for IT startups; inefficiency of industrial parks. Proved, that the prospects of the development of small and medium business largely depend on ensuring the implementation of an effective state policy to stimulate its development. In this context, the priorities of the state policy in the sphere of stimulating the development of small and medium business in the conditions of the war in Ukraine are substantiated. It is the development of the State program for promoting the development of small and medium business in Ukraine, coordination of strategies and programs for the development of small and medium business at the state, regional and local levels; attraction of money from international financial organizations and international donors; creation of conditions for increasing the level of access of small and medium enterprises to finance; expansion of state grant support for IT startups; implementation of mechanisms of tax benefits for entities that resume their activities in the de-occupied territories; expansion and creation of new industrial parks with developed engineering and transport infrastructure, creation of favorable conditions for the development of small and medium business within the industrial park.

The main features of small and medium-sized businesses and the conditions for their functioning in Russia have been considered. A significant lag of the Russian Federation in terms of the development of small and medium-sized businesses from economically advanced countries has been noted. The sectoral structure of domestic small and medium-sized businesses, its contribution to the country’s economy have been highlighted. The main problems hindering the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia have been analysed. In particular, a shortage of credit and financial resources, an imperfection of the taxation system, excessive business administration, overpriced compulsory insurance payments, a lack of readiness of a significant part of small and medium-sized businesses management to conduct business, have been revealed. The main activities carried out by the state to support small and medium-sized businesses have been enumerated, inconsistency and insufficiency of these activities have been enumerated. As the main way of state support for small and medium-sized businesses, it has been proposed to create favorable conditions for conducting its activity, including further improvement of tax legislation in this field, facilitating their access to loans, eliminating unnecessary regulatory, administrative and organizational barriers, training and advanced training for management.

Introduction. The Netherlands is the world's leading economic power. This fact is expressed in gross domestic product, “Doing business” indicators, competitiveness ratings. With a high market economy, the lion's share of which is occupied by small and medium enterprises. Institutions operating within the general monetary mechanism are played one of the most important roles. With this in mind, it should be noted that Standard & Poor's credit rating service has given the Netherlands the highest level on its scale – “AAA”. All this is the reason for studying the support system of small and medium-sized businesses in this country, including financing and refinancing. Methods. The following general and special methods are used to achieve this goal: induction and deduction to draw conclusions about the state of development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Netherlands; logical for consistent generalization of theoretical and practical provisions; methods of statistical analysis for the analysis of basic indicators of small and medium business in the Netherlands; methods of synthesis and systematization in the formation of proposals to increase the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. Results. The article examines the role of small and medium business in economic development, support for small and medium business in the Netherlands. The main factors influencing the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Netherlands are revealed, as well as the main principles that guide the government's authorized structures in matters of small and medium-sized business support policy. The conditions of banking institutions in the framework of real sector financing and support of the Central Bank are analysed. Discussion. The development of an integrated approach to the support of the real sector according to European models is substantiated. Incentives for the development of the real sector in Ukraine are proposed.

In the era of the green economy, the Chinese government has advocated for natural environmental protection and innovation in rural areas, making the sustainable development of small rural businesses into a focal point. Currently, whether natural environmental protection promotes the sustainable development of small rural businesses remains debatable, and the roles of regional innovation climate, entrepreneurs’ cognition of green development, and technological innovation in production on the sustainable development of small rural businesses are often overlooked. Addressing this gap, this study draws inspiration from Upper Echelons Theory and Sustainable Development Theory to construct a structural equation model (SEM) and proposes 10 hypotheses. Primary data was collected from rural entrepreneurs across 17 provinces in China, yielding 439 valid samples. The data were analyzed using AMOS 28.0, SMARTPLS 4.0, and SPSS 28.0. The findings revealed that natural environmental protection did not positively influence the sustainable development of small rural businesses (β = 0.104, p > 0.05). In contrast, the regional innovation climate (β = 0.189, p = 0.001) and rural small business entrepreneurs’ cognition of green development (β = 0.261, p < 0.001) significantly affected the sustainable development of small rural businesses. Technological innovation in production (β = 0.034, p < 0.01) played a partial mediating role between the regional innovation climate and the sustainable development of small rural businesses. And, the mediating role of technological innovation in production was significant in the relationship between entrepreneurs’ cognition of green development and the sustainable development of small rural businesses (β = 0.059, p < 0.01). As a representative developing country, China’s findings in rural areas provide valuable insights for other developing countries undergoing green development transitions. This study not only questions the applicability of Porter’s hypothesis in rural contexts but also offers implications for relevant policymakers and small business entrepreneurs.

The relevance of this contribution is caused by the fact that following the growing need of development of small business in Russia, the organizations, representing small business, more often stop their functioning, than appear in the market as new players. According to the authors, an important challenge is the fact that the barriers, hindering development of small business, arise because of the developed negative attitude of the Russian society to a figure of an entrepreneur and business activity in general. Entrepreneurship is a phenomenon, which is not free from morals and values: The propensity to create serious business for the long-term perspective requires a set of value orientations, which determine what should be made and how it should be made. The purpose of this study is consideration of the existing approaches to understanding of the phenomenon of entrepreneurship from the point of view of value orientations, which are the basis for business activity in conditions of innovative development of the global economy. The results of the conducted research on the relevant values are presented in the work. The role of such valuable entrepreneurial quality as readiness to changes, necessary for formation of a new mode of thinking of the modern business community, is considered in this contribution. By results of the conducted research, the authors offered a model of this integrative characteristic, which can be the basis for purposeful process of preparation and retraining of entrepreneurs (including future ones) for development of the entrepreneurial culture of the region in the context of requirements of the innovative economy.

The article analyzes the impact of social media on the economic behavior of small businesses in Russia. Key marketing strategies used to promote products and services, attract customers, and optimize operational pro-cesses are examined. Particular attention is paid to adapting digital tools to local market conditions, including the specifics of consumer demand and regulatory restrictions. The study demonstrates that with a competent approach to the use of information and communication technologies, small businesses can significantly im-prove their competitiveness in a rapidly changing economic environment. Based on secondary data analysis, the key benefits and risks of integrating social media into business models are identified, and recommenda-tions for improving their effectiveness are offered. The authorэs contribution lies in systematizing and summa-rizing existing research on this topic, leading to the conclusion that social media today is an important tool for achieving sustainable growth and development of small businesses in Russia.

Данная статья позволяет лучше понять комплекс особенностей малого бизнеса в России на современном этапе. Проанализировать некоторые актуальные и острые проблемы предприятий малого и среднего бизнеса в России. Проведен эмпирический анализ предоставления кредиты малому и среднему бизнесу в Российской Федерации. Сфера малого предпринимательства играет важнейшую роль в решении государственных задач, которые направленны на повышение качества занятости граждан, создание здоровой конкурентной среды. Материалы статьи включают в себя основные данные прямой и косвенной помощи государства индивидуальному предпринимательству в России, которые можно применить для оказания помощи малого и среднего бизнеса. Результаты проведенного исследования могут быть использованы с целью развития и изучения дальнейшими авторами данной статьи по теме потребительское кредитование. Данная работа позволяет взглянуть иначе на подход предоставление потребительское кредитования населению и использовать этот материал лучшие банковские практики с целью снижения кредитного давления на население. This article allows you to better understand the complex features of small business in Russia at the present stage. To perform some urgent and pressing issues of the enterprises of small and average business in Russia. An empirical analysis of the provision of loans to small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation is carried out. The sphere of small business plays an important role in solving state tasks aimed at improving the quality of employment of citizens and creating a healthy competitive environment. The materials of the article include the main data on direct and indirect state assistance to individual entrepreneurship in Russia, which can be applied to assist small and medium-sized businesses. The results of this research can be used for the development and study of further authors of this article on the topic of consumer lending. This work allows us to look differently at the approach of providing consumer credit to the population and use this material best banking practices in order to reduce credit pressure on the population.

This scientific article examines the role of state support for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Kazakhstan, identifies the main problems faced by entrepreneurs, analyzes the prospects for the development of this sector, and offers recommendations for improving the situation. To achieve these goals, data from various sources were used, as well as the results of an analysis of existing programs and measures of state support for SMEs. Theoretical significance: 1. Contribution to the academic field: This scientific article will make an important contribution to the academic field by expanding knowledge about government support for small and medium-sized businesses in the context of Kazakhstan. It will help researchers, students, and the academic community better understand the key issues and aspects of supporting entrepreneurship in this country. 2. Theoretical developments: the analysis of the effectiveness of state support for SMEs in Kazakhstan complements the existing theoretical concepts and models for the development of small and medium-sized businesses. The scientific article helps to expand the theoretical understanding of the role of the state in stimulating entrepreneurial activity. Practical significance: 1. Decision support: The research conducted within the framework of a scientific article will have practical significance for the government and the business community of Kazakhstan. The results and recommendations can be used to improve existing government support programs for SMEs and develop new measures that contribute to the development of the sector. 2. Improving business efficiency: The proposals and conclusions discussed in the article can help entrepreneurs and small businesses in Kazakhstan improve their efficiency, overcome obstacles, and use available resources more effectively. Thus, the scientific article has theoretical and practical significance, contributes to the development of scientific knowledge, and provides valuable recommendations on specific business experience and government policy in the field of entrepreneurship support.