The article reveals the nature of a competitive enterprise, identifies the external environment factors affect the enterprise competitive position and provides insights on the enterprise economic security concept. In thus study, the essence of the enterprise economic security category is viewed as a specifically built system of preventive measures aimed at conducting targeted permanent activities to ensure sustainable efficient enterprise performance through effective management of negative impact factors that affect hider its successful operation. The paper provides the analysis of a range of external factors that can damage the enterprise economy along with suggesting the structuring of external factors of competitiveness with regard to each stage of the enterprise business plan implementation. The functional objectives of the enterprise economic security and specifics of shaping the economic security diagnostics system are discussed. The study also offers the review on the methods used to diagnose the environment effects on the enterprise competitive position in the context of its economic security. It is argued that the most significant indicators estimated by a number of selected criteria (structural elements) of a business competitive position within the system for enterprise economic security diagnostics are the following: the level of security by the financial component, the level of security by personnel component, the level of security by innovation and technology component, the level of security by political and legal component, the level of security by analytical information component and the level of security by economic component. The paper also suggests the methods and tools for business economic security diagnostics and explores the key objectives of the enterprise economic security management system.

The fast development of new technologies has a significant impact on the financial sector development. Digitalization leads to the development of new business models, transformation of value chains, new product delivery channels, relationships between companies in the financial sector and structural landscape of the financial sector changes to the. Although, there is no common understanding formed among scholars about the drivers of these strategic changes and the future financial sector development trends.The development of financial technologies, characterized by the emergence of alternative services and new industries, can be described as highly innovative. The functional equivalent of the commonly used terms, such as digital disruption and digital transformation is digital innovation, in one case emphasizing strategic orientation, developing new products and business models using digital technologies, infrastructures, supply chain, and ecosystems, and, in the other - transforming traditional models to address to existing loyal customers providing more usable in the digital ecosystems access channels, solutions, and products.

The insufficiency or lack of available diagnostic instruments to predict the probability of a company bankruptcy is associated with the absence of practices to capture downturn trends in financial and business performances which translates into a dangerous process of latent transition from the company temporary local inability into the total failure to meet its obligations, that is, to a loss of financial stability. The fundamental premises of this study is to identify the factors that ensure financial stability of an enterprise. To attain the research objectives, the method of statistical analysis and logical generalization has been employed to consider a pull of enterprises that are losing their solvency and are on the verge of bankruptcy; a substrate approach was implemented to justify and group a range of internal and external factors affecting the enterprise financial stability. This article argues that a critical indicator in evaluation of a company performance is assessing its financial position which affects its competitiveness, and guarantees to all parties and business participants (both the enterprise and partners) that the realization of common economic interests will be effective. The company financial and economic position when its solvency remains constant over time together with an optimal ratio of equity to debt capital is a certain indicator of a company financial stability. Most analytical studies on enterprise financial stability view the amount, allocation and use of working capital as the most significant indicators, their accounting provides further opportunities to evaluate financial stability and financial position of an enterprise, as well as to identify potential problems and concerns that will lay the basis for choosing a relevant crisis management strategy aimed at designing and implementing effective pathways to respond to crisis. Undoubtedly, it is advisable to obtain an aggregated index that takes into account all the enterprise activities. Such index should include the following indicators: working capital availability; return on capital; independence on external financing. Thus, the essential factors in enhancing the enterprise financial management in a market environment are continuous planned analysis and timely diagnosis of changes and trends in the enterprise external and internal environment, as well as timely and maximum effective response to such changes to ensure financial stability and solvency of the enterprise. In the current business realia, characterized by a high level of economic uncertainty, achieving strategic financial goals and ensuring long-term financial stability of an enterprise is impossible without building an effective strategic financial management framework, the integral elements of which are the mechanisms and systems of risk management to prevent a drop in financial stability and mitigate shocks from external and internal environment negative effects on enterprise activity, as well as creating favourable environment for efficient decision making and planned actions to promote enterprise development.

The article is devoted to the development of an economic security potential management mechanism of an enterprise in a dynamic external environment. Theoretical approaches to defining its essence are investigated, their systematization is carried out and the concept of “economic security potential management mechanism of an enterprise” is suggested, based on a two-pronged approach and, based on it, it is possible to make adaptive management decisions. The characteristic features and the main purpose of the economic security potential management mechanism of an enterprise are determined, its subject and object are substantiated. The basic approaches to forming the economic security potential management mechanism of enterprises are summarized, namely: systemic, process, resource, strategic, target, synergistic, functional and complex. It is established that the economic security potential management mechanism of enterprises performs both universal functions, namely: organizational, control, motivation, planning, and specific, including protective, regulatory, preventive, information, innovative, compensatory and social. It is suggested to consider a strategic approach as a management approach, as managing economic security potential is a complex task with many variables, random factors and various constraints. Errors in managerial decisions lead to bankruptcy.

The aim of the article is to study the problems of reforming the system of financing higher education in conditions of compliance with world quality standards of education. Besides, another aim of the article is also to substantiate of the perspectives of their use in Ukraine, on the basis of analysis of the main foreign models of higher education institutions financing. The subject of the study is the financing model of institutions of higher education in foreign countries. Methodology. The research is based on a comparative analysis of funding systems for higher education institutions in Ukraine and in foreign countries. The advantages and disadvantages of different systems of the financial provision of higher education are determined based on the analysis of the peculiarities of financing higher education institutions in Germany, USA, UK, Sweden, Norway, and Australia and in some other countries. On the basis of a comparative legal research of certain provisions of Ukrainian legislation, the possibilities and limits of the application of positive foreign experience in this field are defined. The results of the study showed that the financing of higher education at the expense of state funds should be directed only to the needs of the state. And the state, in its turn, should provide graduates with jobs that will help reduce unemployment among them. Currently, there is a partial improvement of diversification of funding sources in Ukraine. We mean that the provision of the status of a non-profit organization will give the first impetus to the formation of contract relations between higher education institutions and private organizations and will improve their financial position. The implementation of the foreign experience will make financing more transparent and will give an opportunity to distribute it according to the quality criteria of providing educational services. Practical impact. Experience of the developed economies and the analysis of the existing condition of financing of educational institutions of Ukraine allow defining the priority directions of improvement of a system of financing of the higher education. As the budget of Ukraine is not able to compensate all needs for financial resources of higher educational institutions, it is necessary to encourage private investments into education, training, and high technologies more actively. Besides, conducting researches, the international consultations, modelling and discussion of the schematic diagram and funding mechanism for the higher education in Ukraine is also expedient. Correlation/originality. Conducting a comparative analysis of financing models of higher education institutions in Ukraine and foreign countries is the basis for developing the most promising directions for the development of domestic legislation in this field.