The article is devoted to the assessment of the creation of new businesses in trade and information and communication sphere. Gender differences in entrepreneurial activity by country are considered. The study examined the specifics of the activities of entrepreneurs engaged in services in such sectors as trade and information and communication services for institutions and organizations, as well as private clients. At the same time, the principles and concepts of the existing development of the sectoral structure of entrepreneurship were taken into account. The implementation of the study consisted of five stages. The information base included the results of questionnaire surveys of respondents-entrepreneurs in 59 states when monitoring the activities of entrepreneurs in 2018. In the course of economic and mathematical modeling, six models were developed that reflect the distribution of the following indicators across the subjects of Russia: the proportion of women and men who have created businesses in trade, in the total number of women and men who have started entrepreneurial activity; the share of women and men who have created businesses in the information and communication sphere in the total number of women and men who have started entrepreneurial activities. In addition, the ratios of specific weights describing the provision of services by women entrepreneurs and men entrepreneurs in the trade sector and the information and communication sphere are calculated. For each of the 59 countries, it was determined whether there is an excess of the values of indicators that characterize the corresponding specific weights of male entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs. For most countries, these values differed significantly, which indicates gender gaps. In addition, the States with the maximum and minimum values of the indices under consideration were identified. The analysis was carried out, which made it possible to compare the obtained average values with the data reflecting the indicators of Russian entrepreneurs. The share of female entrepreneurs in trade is higher than the share of male entrepreneurs. The share of male entrepreneurs in the field of information and communication services is twice as high as the share of female entrepreneurs. The results of the work can be applied in the development of forecasts for the development of trade and information and communication services in the future.

Entrepreneurship is one of the fastest-growing spheres in most economically developed and developing countries. This article provides an overview of the most important scientific publications on business problems for almost three hundred years. It focuses on the theoretical research in such issues as the principles and concepts of entrepreneurship, as well as the role and social significance of entrepreneurs in national economies. It also touches upon various economic, managerial, organizational, and psychological aspects of entrepreneurship, e.g. new opportunities, motivation, etc. These publications formed the theoretical basis for the development of business sector as a driver of modern national economies, thus providing goods and services, reducing unemployment, developing innovation, and creating the middle class stratum. The present review can be used in further research, as well as in teaching business, economic theory, state and municipal management at university.

The social values of entrepreneurship that have developed in different countries are largely determined by two factors: whether the population perceives the current conditions as favorable for starting business and whether the current situation stimulates business. The research objective was to assess the social values of entrepreneurship that have developed in different countries. The author conducted a sociological survey asking respondents to agree or disagree with the following four statements: 1) Entrepreneurship is a good career option; 2) Successful intrepreneurs have a high social status; 3) The media transmit a positive attitude to entrepreneurship; 4) It is easy to start your own business in your country. The study used information from a global entrepreneurship monitoring conducted in 48 countries in 2018. Three hypotheses were tested using mathematical models that represented the density functions of the normal distribution. Four indicators that characterize the social values of entrepreneurship were used to determine their average values for the countries under consideration. The survey made it possible to identify countries with high and low values of the indicators. The article includes a comparative analysis of these indicators for Russia and foreign countries. They appeared to differ significantly from country to country. The research proved that there was no correlation between the values of the indicators and such factors as the level of income and territorial location.

The research featured the issue of business termination. The COVID-19 pandemic hit small and medium-sized businesses all over the world. The research objective was to assess various economic indicators in order to explain why entrepreneurs had to abandon their business in 2020. The study was based on the economic and mathematical models that represent the functions of normal distribution. The author analyzed the opinions of entrepreneurs from 39 countries, who were asked to explain why they had to give up their business. The survey was part of the Global Monitoring of Entrepreneurship. The analysis revealed four indicators that determined the positive and negative reasons for the entrepreneurs to stop their business activities. The article introduces some new information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this process. Most entrepreneurs (56.3 %) gave up their business for some pandemic-unrelated negative reasons. A quarter of them (28 %) were forced to close their businesses due to the negative consequences of the pandemic. Only one-sixth of the participants terminated their business activities for a positive reason. Further research will assess the consequences of the pandemic in 2021.

Small and medium enterprises play an important role in modern national economies. However, many of these enterprises experience difficulties in attracting the necessary investments for operation and further development. Personal finances are usually not enough to solve all problems, especially in crisis conditions. Bank loans are not available for most small and medium businesses because of small fixed assets, poor credit history, and incomplete reporting. As foreign experience shows, alternative forms and methods of obtaining the necessary funds can be an effective way to increase the financing of such enterprises. This review article examines the experience gained in recent years in using alternative financing. This experience is relevant for the current domestic entrepreneurship. Factoring, order financing, warehouse receipts, leasing, trade credit, and crowdfunding proved to be the main alternative financing tools. For each of these financial instruments, the article gives brief characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, requirements for regulatory support, and related types of activities. The research results can help entrepreneurs who have difficulties in financing their production and sale, especially beginners. The results obtained can be used by government authorities to form a policy to improve access of business structures to working capital and investment in Russia and its regions.