THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF MANAGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF ENTERPRISES

Abstract

The article substantiates the theoretical foundations of managing the development of foreign economic activity of enterprises. The relevance of the topic is determined by the transformation of the international environment in which Ukrainian enterprises operate today. Deepening regional integration coexists with rising protectionism, accelerated digitalisation of cross-border transactions coexists with tightening security constraints, and the expansion of global value chains coexists with their fragmentation under geopolitical pressure. For Ukrainian enterprises these shifts are not abstract: logistics corridors, demand structures, partner composition and documentary requirements change simultaneously. Full-scale war has added energy limitations, destruction of production capacity and business relocation, while European integration exerts an opposite yet equally demanding pressure, requiring compliance with quality standards, traceability of origin, environmental and social responsibility, customs and sanctions regulations. Under such conditions the mere execution of export, import or investment operations no longer guarantees a stable international position, which raises the question of the distinction between the functioning of foreign economic activity and its development. The paper discusses the limitations of the functional interpretation of management that prevails in domestic literature, the relationship between resource-based, dynamic capability, network, institutional, resilience-oriented and digital analytical perspectives, and the terminological ambiguity surrounding the notions of management of foreign economic activity, management of its development, strategic management of development and strategy formation. Attention is drawn to the problem of integrating risk management, business continuity and digitalisation into the managerial system rather than treating them as separate procedures. The question of the nature of feedback in managerial cycles is raised, in particular whether it should transmit only quantitative deviations or also updated knowledge about causality and the boundaries of previous assumptions. The issues of multidimensional assessment of development results and the differentiation of priorities depending on the stage of internationalisation are also considered.