ENTERPRISES INVESTMENT ACTIVITY: SOURCES OF RECOVERY

Background. The article examines the essence and main factors influencing the investment activity of economic entities, identifies the main means of stimulating it. The directions of attracting investments by the sectors of Ukraine’s economy are considered. The main transformation vectors of the state mechanism of investment processes mana­gement in Ukraine are singled out. The aim of the article is to determine the prerequisites and reserves for increasing investment activity of economic entities of Ukraine, its means in a multi-vector environment based on the study of the state, recovery sources in modern conditions of the investment process analysis of state initiatives to change the paradigm of the influence mechanism on the formation of a new phase of the investment cycle. Materials and methods. General scientific methods such as methods of logical generalization, abstraction and formalization, synthesis and analysis, induction, analogies, etc., were used in this paper. Results. Ukraine does not have a stable system of motivation and stimulation of investment supply, which does not completely launch the national investment market, and in the presence of a high demand level for them, the investment mechanism has not been developed and even has braking nature. Analysts consider that the statistical reflection system of economic processes needs radically restructuring, which significantly affects the quality of their diagnosis, development of forecasts, investment proposals, and justification of the parameters of their implementation. The attracting policy of foreign investment at least at the level of foreign direct investment is not systematic. The investment climate is improving in Ukraine, so it is necessary to revise the list of business profiles of the enter­prises that may receive state support for their investment initiatives. Conclusion. The systematic reform of state mechanisms for managing investment processes is based on the formation of investment behavior of all participants according to modern world models, their activation in new coordinates of sources of investment needs, and tools to meet it. It is necessary prerequisite for increasing investment activity of eco­nomic entities in Ukraine. According to the latest publications of government developments over a long period, a new paradigm of managing country economic development is beingformed in Ukraine, where the introduction of investment activity of all participants is given a fundamental role. Keywords: investment activity, investment resources, investment cycle, business climate, competitive advantages.

On the Statistical Reflection of Long-Term Growth in Agricultural Production

The article presents the results of a study aimed at proving the existence of systematic error in traditional calculations of long-term growth rates of agricultural production based on chain indices of agricultural production. According to the authors, the article also introduces a more accurate assessment of its dynamics with the account to the structure of the relationship between prices and the volume of agricultural production. The paper describes a theoretical model that is a methodological basis for the study and explains the discrepancy in assessing the dynamics of agricultural production using chain indices and indexes at constant prices. It allows establishing differences in the ratios of the Laspeyres, Paasche, and Lowe indices for crop and livestock production, due to factors in the formation of demand and the complex structure of the relationship between the price level and the volume of production. The adequacy of the constructed theoretical model is proved based on aggregated data that eliminated the influence of incompleteness of the initial information. As a result, it was established that livestock production is characterized by time-distributed changes in prices and quantity of products, which makes it possible to assess its dynamics using both chain indices and symmetric indices. It is proved that the dynamics of crop production cannot be adequately described using chain indices, since a positive correlation of prices of the previous period and production volumes of the current period causes an overstatement of the index in comparable prices of the previous year. Based on calculations within the proposed aggregated model, it is proved that the use of constant prices as the Lowe index weights, updated every five years, is an acceptable approximation of the Fisher symmetric index. Application of the indicated methodology for calculating the index to the data on Russian agricultural production by main types of products in 1990-2018 allowed to establish an overstatement of dynamics by 11.9%. The main difference falls on crop production (+ 19.6%), while for livestock - the differences are insignificant (-0.7%).

Development of the Natural Environment Statistics from the XIX to the XXI Century (A Brief Review)

This article was prepared to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the journal «Voprosy statistiki» (up to 1994 - «Bulletin of Statistics»). It deals with retrospect analysis of the background and milestones of establishment and development of Russian natural resources and environmental statistics (the journal delved into some of its aspects relating mostly to the modern stage).The material consists of two parts. First - contains the genesis of natural resources statistics using the example of land resources and land use, as well as forest resources and forest use. As for the accounting and statistical reflection of land resources and land use, this retrospective study covers the period from the XVII century and then in more detail from the XVIII century. The author assesses statistical recording done by the outstanding Russian statisticians Zhuravsky D.P. and Janson Y.E. on the special decree of Catherine II from 1765. The article reviews the fundamental characteristics of 1877-1878, 1887 and 1905 land censuses in the Russian Empire. The paper presents the main stages and features of recording and reporting (including census) activities in this field in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods.When introducing accounting and statistical reflection of forest resources and forest use the author focuses on changes in the departmental hierarchy of statistical units that led to revisions of approaches to accounting. There also is a detailed description of the original entry of data on standing timber. The paper references specific difficulties associated with the statistical treatment of forest accounting in the Soviet and modern period.The second part of the article addresses the details and specific features of the formation and development of natural environment protection statistics in the Russian Empire, the USSR (RSFSR) and the modern Russian Federation. It notes both the achievements made at a given stage and the shortcomings that have occurred. There has been a continuity in methodological developments and organizational arrangements, acquiring practical experience in implementing various methods of statistical observations and forms of statistical reporting (surveying). The article indicates that the quality of the relevant accounting and statistics depends on the performance of the general public administration related to efficient use of the resources and natural environment protection. The information on forms of statistical reporting in this field is organized covering both the system of federal statistics and ministries and departments of the natural resource/environment protection block.The article briefly overviews primary environmental data depicting the state and dynamics of Russian natural resources for 1976-1990, and in more detail for 1997-2017.Decreasing demand for quality data from governing bodies, the insufficient qualifications of those who work with the national documents that, for example, include specific environmental indicators, was among the major drawbacks of recent years.The author presented conclusions and proposals on improving information and statistical support of environmental management, maintaining and restoring natural resources.

Health and safety coordinators in building projects

Purpose – In order to reduce the number of injuries on construction sites, a European Directive prescribes that the clients shall appoint safety and health coordinators in their projects. The purpose of this paper is to find out who are appointed to be health and safety coordinators for the design and planning phase and what they do in order to prevent injuries on sites. Design/methodology/approach – Since the 1st of January 2009, there shall be a coordinator for the design and planning phase in Swedish construction projects. Telephone interviews were made with the coordinators in 42 Swedish building projects. Findings – The coordinators’ education and experiences varied widely, as well as their descriptions of their duties: no duties, administration and active injury prevention. The coordinators who were classified as most active had at least one additional leading role in the projects. Research limitations/implications – The study is qualitative for an increased understanding, not a statistical reflection of the coordinator population. Practical implications – The legislation needs to clarify whether the early conceptual phase of the project is included in the coordinator's commission and whether she/he is supposed to participate in identifying, assessing and reducing risks through design changes. These clarifications will have an influence on when the coordinator should be appointed and what competence she/he needs. Originality/value – The study increases the understanding of how the health and safety coordinators of the planning and projecting phase of building projects perceive their mission and what factors, according to them, have an influence on what they do.