Definition of the "Economic Security of an Enterprise" and "Safe Development of an Enterprise" Notions

The necessity of this study is explained by difference of opinions regarding understanding of the "economic security of an enterprise" notion, on the one hand, and the poorly studied issue of a combination of the process of enterprise development with a necessary task of ensuring a high level of its economic security, on the other hand. Analysing, systemising and generalising results of scientific studies, the article identifies that economic security of an enterprise is an economic category, which characterises the enterprise functioning conditions. Favourable conditions of functioning ensure a high level of stability and steadiness of an enterprise and its ability of self-realisation and expanded self-reproduction. This becomes possible if an enterprise is capable of resisting external threats and preventing internal ones. Since development of an enterprise is an objective process, which takes place under conditions of uncertainty and changeability of external and internal environments, it is accompanied with a system of threats, which the system of economic security should protect an enterprise from. Taking into account the above, safe development of an enterprise is a process of consecutive transitions of the economic system from one state to another, which is not of a poorer quality than a previous one, which envisages producing new goals and creation of safe conditions for transition from one specific goal, achieved in the process of enterprise functioning, to another. The proposed definitions allow consideration of such significant issues of methodology of management of safe development of an enterprise as the diagnostics of its level and planning.