THREAT TO AN ENTERPRISE ACTIVITY AS AN IMPERATIVE NOTION IN ECONOMIC SECURITY STUDIES AT THE MICRO LEVEL

Abstract

Protective approach plays the dominative role in economic security studies. One of imperative notions in such approach is notion of "threat" while considering phenomenon of economic security at macro-, meso- and microlevel. There are existing in domestic science sources definitions of content of "threat" notion analyzed. Limitations and imperfections of existing definitions are considered because of made analysis. Absence of clear identification of content of notion "threat" cause to some negative consequences. Such consequences are deprivation of thesaurus of economic security studies of the necessary accuracy, narrowing subject field of research, resistance in making explanatory and methodological basis of economic security studies, false consideration of consequences of threats implementation as directly threats when consequences are considered as threats to the enterprise activity that causes to mistakes in defining vectors and benchmarks of security-providing activity at the enterprise. It is suggested to consider threat to the enterprise activity  as processes and phenomena in external and internal environment of the such activity (including behavior of subjects of external environment) in case of some combination of conditions and circumstances in the enterprise activity that can stimulate changes with negative character, diverse localization and scale. It is obvious that such negative changes have negative consequences. Elements of notion "threat to the enterprise activity" are considered. Such elements are processes and phenomena in external and internal environment of the enterprise activity; behavior of subjects of external environment; combinations of conditions and circumstances in the enterprise activity (preconditions for implementing the threat namely to occurrence of negative changes in such activity) that cause to actualization, development and implementing threats in the enterprise activity; consequences of implementation of threats in the enterprise activity. In case of absence preconditions of implementing threat in the enterprise activity processes and phenomena in external environment both changing behavior of subjects of external environment remain indifferent concerning the enterprise. If preconditions of implementing threat in the enterprise activity exist then processes and phenomena in external environment both behavior of subjects of external environment lose indifferent character and become a threat for the enterprise activity. Negative changes in the enterprise activity that have taken place or are taking place can be considered as consequences of complete or partial implementation of threats.