SPECIFIC FEATURES OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONTACTS IN WARTIME: THE CASE OF UKRAINE
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Abstract
Introduction. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine directly affected the functioning of international business. Today, all enterprises and companies operating in Ukraine-controlled territory face numerous challenges, including security risks, damaged infrastructure, disrupted supply chains, and extremely unpredictable conditions for doing business. However, despite the massive challenges of wartime, Ukraine's economy and its main actors continue to demonstrate impressive resilience to shocks. In this context, the study of the specific features of international business contacts in Ukraine during the war is of considerable interest, as the transformation of companies engaged in foreign economic activity and their adaptation to constant changes and challenges make a significant contribution to ensuring Ukraine's economic survival.
Purpose – to analyse specific manifestations of the evolution of international business contacts in Ukraine, starting from the moment of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Methods. In the course of writing the article, the following research methods were used: content analysis, scientific generalisation, systematisation and comparison.
Results. The Russian-Ukrainian war has led to significant transformations in Ukraine's foreign economic activity. These changes have also affected international business contacts involving national and foreign economic actors. The theoretical analysis conducted made it possible to identify characteristic features in the activities of companies during the organisation and conduct of business negotiations with foreign partners, the conclusion and execution of international commercial contracts, the protocol support of international cooperation, and the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a vulnerable socio-humanitarian context.
Originality lies in the authors' definition of international business contacts, which are understood as a comprehensive system of business relations between firms, organisations or their subsidiaries in different countries, aimed primarily at generating profit through the advantages of international division of labour and cooperation in the manufacturing, trade, investment or financial areas.
Conclusion. The identification and generalisation of the specific features of international business contacts in contemporary Ukraine have made it possible to develop a number of recommendations for enhancing the efficiency of international business in the context of the ongoing military conflict. These suggestions include developing a security infrastructure for international business communications, improving the existing legal framework to bring it into line with the requirements of the new military and political reality, accelerating the digitalisation process to facilitate doing business in Ukraine, as well as optimising business protocol and business ethics standards.
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