The research topic we have chosen is relevant due to the following factors: a key role of Russian small and medium-sized enterprises in national economic development in a difficult geopolitical situation, specifics of enterprises in this segment, as well as the duality of scientific views on the expediency of strategic planning for this type of business. The aim of the work is to clarify the importance, features of construction and application, as well as the expediency of strategies that are effective tools for the development of the sector in question. Scientific novelty of the research lies in considering strategic planning issues of small and medium-sized enterprises through the prism of how strategies in these companies are designed and applied. We look into theoretical foundations of the influence of strategic planning and strategies on the following aspects of the work of small and medium-sized enterprises: competitiveness, assessment of business achievements, financial performance, productivity, viability, etc.; we review domestic and foreign scientists’ ideas on this issue. Taking into account the fact that the functioning of small and medium-sized enterprises has its own specifics, we identify certain features inherent in small and medium-sized business strategies, namely: integrated approach, multitasking, adaptability, interactivity, inclusivity. We put forward a comparative classification of fundamental features of small (and medium-sized) and large companies’ strategies. Based on the specific analysis of Russian and foreign literature carried out within the framework of the work, we identify reasons impeding the implementation of strategies in small and medium-sized businesses, and estimate the expediency of using strategies in such enterprises. We formulate conclusions about the current state and sentiment in the business environment, drawing upon the results of a survey of representatives of the sector under consideration. In the course of the work we use general scientific methods; the results of theoretical and empirical analysis are interpreted with the help of general logic methods, formalization, abstraction. Methodologically, the study is based on a systems approach and classical and modern theories of strategic planning
Keywords
strategy, small and medium-sized enterprises, business, entrepreneurship, strategic planning, development, SMEs