Evaluation problems of export activities of small and medium-sized businesses in the region

The possibility to implement strategic priorities in regional development and enhance the small and medium-sized enterprises’ export activity are necessary conditions for the country’s successful development, the solving economic problems in the framework of the national project “Small and medium-sized businesses and supporting individual entrepreneurial initiatives” adopted at the end of December 2018 and the priority project “International cooperation and export in industry”. The priority for solving this problem is to establish the correct and well-organized process of managing export activities among small and medium-sized businesses at the regional level. One of the main elements in the management process will be the assessment of exports in small and medium enterprises, which will establish the presence and degree of manifestation of one or another characteristic, trends in the development of export activities of small and medium enterprises. This is not the case in the Russian Federation today. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to identify the problems of evaluating the export activity of small and medium-sized enterprises in the region. The article presents the results of the analysis of theoretical aspects and characteristics of export activities of small and medium-sized enterprises in the region. The analysis of Russian exports trends for the period from 2015 to 2018 is carried out. The share of commodity exports and segment groups in the total volume of deliveries of Russian products to foreign markets is determined. The relationship of the categories of “export” and “entrepreneurial structure” in economic science are studied and substantiated. The global classification of small and medium-sized enterprises’ exports by size of business is clarified. The existing features that have developed in Russian practice in the approaches and characteristics of SMEs in export are analyzed. The analysis and characteristics of SME participants engaged in export activities are presented by federal districts and subjects of the North-West Federal District of the Russian Federation. SME export trends in Russian regions are shown. The list of key problems arising in the process of managing the development of export activity in the sector of small and medium enterprises is described and detailed. In conclusion, the key areas for the development of export activities of small and medium enterprises are identified.