METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF ECONOMIC SECURITY OF AN ENTERPRISE

Abstract

The mounting impact of both external and internal risks on the stability of economic activity necessitates the assurance of sustainable development in an unstable economic environment, as well as the necessity for effective strategic management tools. The significance of scientific research in the field of economic security lies in the development of unified approaches that facilitate the timely identification of threats and enhance the adaptability of enterprises. The subject of the present study is the level of economic security of the enterprise. The article aims to develop a methodology for assessing and testing the level of economic security of an enterprise. Methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study relies on the dialectical approach to understanding economic phenomena, the principles of systems analysis and synthesis, and a set of general scientific and specific methods, including: statistical data processing used to analyse the enterprise’s input information and calculate baseline values of economic security indicators; the grouping method applied to structure and systematize indicators by relevant spheres of activity; normalization and score-summing methods employed to determine the integral indicator of the enterprise’s economic security proactivity and to construct the scale of economic security levels; and the method of scientific abstraction, which served as a tool for generalizing the research results and formulating well-substantiated conclusions. Results. Analysis of existing tools for assessing the level of economic security of enterprises indicates significant heterogeneity in the methods and indicators used. Most approaches focus on narrowly specialised sectoral aspects or consider only one component of economic security: mainly the financial one. This creates a need for a universal methodology that comprehensively covers all areas of enterprise activity and meets modern economic challenges. Since each area of business activity has its own threats and characteristics relating to economic security, it is advisable to divide business activity into six key areas: production processes, sales and distribution processes, information processes, personnel support, legal support for economic activity and social responsibility processes. As outlined in the proposed methodology, economic security indicators are to be ranked according to the following areas. This approach enables a structured assessment and substantiated analytical conclusions. The indicators thus form the basis for calculating the integral indicator of the enterprise's economic security proactivity. Moreover, the incorporation of expert evaluation facilitates the establishment of a scale of economic security levels that is adapted to the prevailing state of the research object. This approach ensures that the methodology is comprehensive and adaptable to the specifics of enterprises of various sizes, sectors and levels of integration into foreign economic activity. It also takes into account the presence or absence of economic security structures. Practical implications. The proposed concept is intended to contribute to the establishment of a scientifically grounded, transparent, and practically oriented system for assessing the general level of economic security of an enterprise. This system is designed to be universal in nature, with the aim of ensuring its applicability to enterprises across all industries. Value / Originality. The methodology is original in that it includes six stages: identification of the enterprise's functional areas and key business processes; classification of security types according to the enterprise's main processes; grouping of indicators according to security type; determination of assessment indicators within each group; calculation of the enterprise's economic security proactivity indicator; and determination of the enterprise's economic security level. The consistent implementation of these stages ensures the adaptability of the methodology to enterprises of various industries, scales, and operational specificities, as well as allows for the consideration of environmental variability. This approach establishes a foundation for proactive risk management in accordance with the requirements of a modern economy focused on resilience and strategic stability. An important component of the methodology is the grading scale of economic security levels, which is based on expert assessment. The scale includes four levels-critical, low, sufficient and high-enabling clear differentiation of security status and well-founded managerial decision-making.