Determining the key factors of the innovation gap between EU countries

In recent years, all economically developed countries of the world experience formation of knowledge economy as the highest stage of postindustrial economy development. International companies, basing their activity on accumulation of human capital according to the principles of innovativeness, scientific nature, continuity and progressiveness, play an important role in activation of this process. Owing to global nature of their activity it influences all spheres of human life in the world, improving it, as well as having an adverse impact (enhancement of poverty in some regions of the word, environment pollution, etc.). Achievement of these conditions of sustainable economic growth is possible just by the way of prevention of the adverse impact, which, among other things, depends on the active social position of the management of international companies. Therefore this paper is aimed at identification of priority focuses of socially responsible activity of international companies. This goal was achieved through generalization of basic program initiatives of the activity of three companies, leading in innovations (Apple, Samsung and IBM). Adoption of the above-mentioned initiatives by other companies of the world as guides while developing their own development strategy has to facilitate the growth of positive effects from enhancement of knowledge economy in the world.

The generalization of scientific approaches to the assessment of the financial stability of the banking system has demonstrated the multivariance of views on structuring and listing of financial stability indicators and has made it possible to distinguish three main ones: on the basis of macroeconomic and macro financial indicators; on the basis of separate indicators; based on synthetic indicators. It is proved that the latter is most effective since the large number and variability of financial ratios used by different authors to assess the level of financial stability of banking systems does not allow for unambiguous results. A hierarchic structure of indicators of the stability of the banking system is proposed, which is characterized by the simultaneous existence of a certain number, not ordered in a heterarchic manner. In accordance with it, the integral index of financial stability of the banking system includes subindices: stability of the NBU, stability of system banks, banks with foreign capital, banks with private capital, financial vulnerability of the banking system. The expediency of accounting for the indicators of financial risk assessment: credit, liquidity risk, interest rate, investment risk, unstable resource base risk, which are characterized by such financial ratios as part of provisions for depreciation of loans in the loan portfolio, is justified in the composition of such a synthetic indicator of the financial stability of the banking system; the norm of instant liquidity; net interest margin; part of the provision for depreciation of securities in the securities portfolio; coefficient of instability of the resource base. Also, indicators for assessing the stability of the central bank were proposed: indicators of the adequacy of reserves; indicators of the effectiveness of monetary policy; indicators of the effectiveness of foreign exchange regulation; indicators of compliance of banking supervision with the main principles of efficiency. This approach will allow taking into account all the structural components of the banking system in the process of assessing financial stability, on the one hand, and in time to identify potential threats to the loss of stability, on the other.

In many countries International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have become part of the domestic law or common practice. Ukraine has also taken the first steps to the use of IFRS taking into account its national peculiarities. However, problems occur in the adaptation of international standards, which need to be solved. The proposed article is devoted to the research of specific problems arising during the implementation of IFRS in Ukraine. The author substantiates the expediency of implementing International Financial Reporting Standards in Ukraine, studies the prospects of using international standards in the national accounting practices and defines the principle of transformation as a priority. It determines the stages of IFRS implementation in Ukraine and the problems that arise on each of these stages. As a result, the study highlights the shortcomings of the national accounting system’s reform and ways of optimizing the process of IFRS implementation in Ukraine.