Theoretical aspects of the development strategy of agricultural enterprises

Currently, the issues of improving the efficiency of agricultural enterprises are discussed from the perspective of modern, progressive economic thought, using new practical approaches focused on modern economic realities. One of the directions is the development of enterprise strategy and strategic planning.

From the point of view of the peculiarities of agricultural business, strategic management and planning act as a tool aimed at the implementation of strategically important activities of the agricultural enterprise, taking into account the sectoral specifics and socio-economic importance of agricultural production.

Indeed, the vast majority of scientific and practical research focused on the development of enterprise strategy focused on industrial production, trade and services. Therefore, the development of the strategy of the agricultural enterprise should be adapted to the following industry features:

• -    strategic importance of the industry related to the production of food products and raw materials for the processing industry;

• -    the social significance of the industry, as agriculture is not only a professional industry, but also the habitat of a certain category of the population;

• -    determining role of natural and climatic factors;

• -    seasonality of production, which is expressed by the uneven use of production resources during the calendar year and uneven sales and profit;

• -    territorial dispersion of production units;

• -    price inelasticity of demand for agricultural products.

Taking into account the above features, it should be noted that the development of a science-based strategy of the enterprise contributes to the solution of two fundamental problems. The first task is to realize the advantages of the enterprise, as well as the potential for the formation of additional advantages. The second task is to overcome the constraints of the external environment by increasing domestic capacity and reserves, increasing the pace of economic growth. This task is currently particularly relevant for agricultural producers, as the impact of the global financial crisis, unstable geopolitical situation, the internal economic crisis, accompanied by rising prices for resources, actively spreading sanctions and other external and internal factors. All these factors require agricultural enterprises to adapt, and from whom to what extent the enterprise will be adapted and the model of its further development, that is, it will be "survival" in the industry or strong economic growth and the development of new markets, it all depends on the extent to which the effective development and implementation of a strategy for the development of agricultural enterprises.

It should also be noted that the objectives of the strategy of development of the agricultural enterprise largely coincide with the tasks specific to the industrial or trading company.

The process of development and implementation of strategies in the agricultural sector is difficult due to industry characteristics, therefore, the conditions for the success and effectiveness of the implementation of a strategy must take into account a number of requirements that will allow to level industry barriers and contribute to the most adaptive process of implementation of the chosen strategy. These requirements include the following:

• -    the agricultural enterprise should be able to make adjustments to the development strategy of the enterprise in the event of changes in the environment of its operation, taking into account the fact that the strategy is developed for a long period.

• -    the developed strategy of the enterprise should not be characterized by excessive aggressiveness, as it can provoke a response aggressive reaction of the strongest competitors, which may be characterized by excessive uncertainty.

• -    in order to achieve the maximum positive effect of strategic management, it is reasonable to use at least two specific strategies of the enterprise.

In addition, to determine the features of the development of the strategy of the enterprise of the agricultural sector, it is advisable to study its two key sectors, namely crop and livestock from the point of view of adaptability to strategic management and planning.

The most significant importance in the structure of agriculture is crop production, which is explained by a number of reasons:

• -    it provides the population with essential products;

• -    crop production is the fodder base for livestock.

Consequently, the level of development of the crop industry directly affects the pace of development of other sectors of agricultural production.

In addition, animal husbandry, as a significant strategic sector in the country, depends on the level of development of the crop industry. Crop production affects not only the pace of development of the livestock industry, but also the nature of its development. Without a strong crop production industry, there can be no strong livestock. And of paramount importance in this case is the production of grain.

Animal husbandry plays a special role in providing the country with food for various reasons: first, meat, milk, eggs and products of their processing are necessary to ensure balanced nutrition and human health; secondly, the high import dependence of the country, characteristic of the Russian economy until recently, is overcome and the dependence on foreign markets for animal food formed during the years of restructuring of the economic system and the agricultural crisis is now less noticeable. The program of support for the development of agriculture, actively implemented by the government of the Russian Federation in recent years, helps to accelerate the development of animal husbandry and forms an objective need for the use of modern, goal-oriented management tools that meet the requirements of the external and internal environment.

Consider the process of formation of competitive strategies in agriculture in more detail. Unfortunately, today there is a noticeable difference between the theoretical foundations of the formation of enterprise development strategies and their implementation in practical conditions.

At the stage of determining the mission and strategic goals, the agricultural enterprise should determine the nature of its strategic behavior. It can be either aggressive behavior or defensive behavior. The mission of the enterprise has a significant impact on this choice. The main mission of domestic agricultural producers is to supply the population with essential products and maintain a high level of food security. Obtaining high profits is the result of achieving the above goal, because, in our opinion, only the presence of a large number of cost-effective economic entities can ensure the achievement of this goal.

The importance of food security is defined as the ratio of grain production per year to the population. In other words, 1 person should have 1 ton of grain per year. It is safe to say that there is a high level of food security if this ratio exceeds one. In Russia, this indicator has a stable growth trend in recent years: 0.58 t / person in 2014, 0.77 t / person in 2015 and 0.69 t / person in 2016, 0.91 t / person in 2017.

Thus, summarizing the above, it can be noted that, having a very strong agricultural potential, as well as taking into account the increasing global demand for food, for producers of grain crops, as well as meat and meat products, it is possible to recommend the implementation of an offensive strategy for the development of the enterprise.

At the second stage, the company needs to conduct research on the external and internal marketing environment. And, from our point of view, in modern conditions, the most important is the study of environmental factors. We believe that any superiority of the enterprise, whether technological or economic, will not be able to ensure the competitive position of the enterprise in the market under adverse environmental factors.

Thus, while making strategic management decisions regarding the product range in crop production, it is necessary to assess the fertility of land, zonal conditions, the possibility of acquiring the necessary volumes of mineral fertilizers and other resources, forms and methods of state support for strategically important types of agricultural raw materials, primarily grain.

Special attention is required by the livestock industry, whose products in the current conditions of international sanctions should be increased. In fact, the consumption of livestock products per capita is an indicator of the well-being of the nation.

In agriculture, there is a paradox that human needs for food can be met sooner or later, and a further increase in production will be unprofitable. The presence of a large number of disparate agricultural producers makes it impossible for them to influence the market price, while in the sectors supplying agriculture with means of production, there are all conditions for monopoly collusion.

When developing a pricing strategy in an agricultural enterprise, it is necessary to take into account all the above-mentioned features of the agricultural sector. An important strategy implemented in the external environment by economic entities of the agricultural sector is a strategy to reduce transaction costs, the effectiveness of which is possible for most of them only in combination with the abovementioned strategy of interaction.

The problem of the correct combination of different methods of influence on the collective – administrative, socio-psychological and economic-remains difficult. Consistent application of these methods can create conditions for the successful solution of one of the main tasks of personnel management – the task of encouraging employees to develop their abilities for more intensive and productive work. We believe that the definition of a strategy for any business entity is fundamentally dependent on the specific situation in which it is located. In fact, as many actors as there are specific strategies.

Sources used

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