INTERNAL ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF UKRAINIAN POSTAL OPERATORS: INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT AND FORMATION MODELS

Abstract

The ability to use resources efficiently in order to achieve operational, financial, and strategic objectives in the short and long term is essential for any company. This is particularly important for postal operators, as they perform not only economic but also institutional and social functions in society. In this context, the identification and classification of applied models for the development of internal economic potential of such companies becomes especially relevant. The purpose of this article is to provide a theoretical substantiation and conduct a comprehensive assessment of the internal economic potential of leading postal operators in Ukraine. The empirical basis of the study comprises the corporate reporting of three leading providers of postal and courier services in Ukraine (Nova Post LLC, Ukrposhta JSC, and TC Mist Express LLC) over the period 2020–2024. To achieve the research objective, general scientific methods of inquiry (analysis, synthesis, deduction, and a systems approach) as well as special methods of economic analysis (ratio analysis, standard normalization of variables, and the simple additive method) were applied.

The article deals with a critical analysis of the concept of internal economic potential of an enterprise and, based on the results obtained, defines its structural composition. In particular, the internal economic potential is decomposed into resource, financial and operational, human, and organizational and managerial components. On this basis, a system of quantitative indicators was developed to assess the state and efficiency of functioning of each structural component of internal economic potential. The authors substantiate the necessity of a comprehensive assessment of internal economic potential and propose an additive model based on the simple additive method using normalized indicators of all components to ensure their comparability and to calculate an integral index. This methodological approach enables comparative analysis of the internal economic potential of companies. Its application to the data of postal operators made it possible to rank them according to the level of internal economic potential. Moreover, based on the obtained results, models of economic potential formation were identified, reflecting different trajectories of enterprise adaptation to crisis conditions, institutional constraints, and strategic development priorities. This determines the practical value of the proposed methodological approach. In future research, this approach can be applied to a larger sample of companies, including both Ukrainian residents and non-residents, over a longer observation period.