ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF COMPETITIVENESS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL STRUCTURES IN AZERBAIJAN

Introduction: This study addresses the urgent need for a comprehensive assessment framework for evaluating the competitiveness of entrepreneurial structures—an issue of increasing relevance in modern economic science. The research focuses on identifying the key determinants of competitiveness and understanding the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the development of competitive advantages in business entities. Methods: To achieve this, the authors apply an integrated methodological approach, encompassing financial and economic indicator analysis, matrix and product-based methods, operational and dynamic assessments, as well as production function modeling and multi-criteria optimization. A novel dynamic methodology is developed, which is grounded in the analysis of primary performance indicators. Additionally, correlation-regression analysis is employed to examine the influence of various economic factors on added value generation. Results: The comparative analysis of different assessment techniques highlights their respective strengths and limitations in terms of practical applicability and reliability. The proposed production-function-based model successfully identifies key factors impacting competitiveness, while the regression analysis reveals strong correlations between added value and variables such as enterprise count, workforce size, and wage levels. Discussion: The findings confirm that a dynamic and multifactorial evaluation approach offers a more nuanced and accurate understanding of enterprise competitiveness. The comparison between actual and predicted values of added value further validates the model and provides insights into the current performance and future potential of entrepreneurial structures in Azerbaijan. These results serve as a foundation for strategic decision-making and policy recommendations aimed at enhancing competitive performance.