The Impact of Business Model Sustainability on the Financial Performance of Ukraine’s Leading Companies Before the Military Conflict

Abstract

With today’s global challenges such as geopolitical instability, environmental threats and social crises, corporate sustainability and transparency are becoming key elements of efficient governance. This study aims to examine the impact of the sustainability of business models of the largest Ukrainian enterprises on their financial results in the period before the military conflict started. This study tested the hypothesis that in the Ukrainian context, corporate sustainability and transparency have an insignificant positive impact on the efficiency of the implementation of business models of enterprises. The author’s methodology made it possible to assess the sustainability of the business models of 40 enterprises by calculating an integral indicator for 21 areas with significant ESG issues and classify enterprises according to the levels of sustainability and efficiency of their business models using a specially developed scale. Correlation and regression analyses were used to quantify the degree of influence of corporate sustainability and transparency. The results of the analyses demonstrated a weak positive correlation between financial results and sustainability and transparency indicators, which emphasizes the need to develop a unified methodology to assess corporate sustainability for Ukrainian enterprises that can be adapted for countries with transition economies and similar political landscapes. This study makes a theoretical contribution by proposing an approach to assessing corporate sustainability based on integral indicators. This article is of interest to stakeholders involved in sustainable development, outlines directions for further research to support socially responsible business practices of enterprises, and emphasizes the need for further empirical research on factors affecting corporate sustainability and transparency.