Arctic Corporations and Development Risks: Challenge and Response

Annotation

The realities of the Russian Arctic in recent decades make it possible to determine a special phenomenon of corporate development risks, which can be structured into resource, institutional and ecosystem risks. The resource risk reflects the contradiction between the conjuncture of the global resource markets and the specific conditions for the development of unique deposits located in the Arctic zone; institutional risk — between federal norms and rules for the development of natural resource deposits and local specific conditions for the construction and operation of resource facilities in the Arctic; ecosystem risk reflects the contradiction between large-scale economic activity and the fragility of Arctic natural systems. As a result of a comparative assessment of the development risks of three Arctic corporations in Russia, it was found that the highest risk is typical for the facilities of Norilsk Nickel, the lowest — for NovaTEK, and Gazpromneft is in the middle. Using the OLI paradigm of John Dunning, it can be argued that Arctic corporations respond to the challenge of development risks by adapting their spatial, institutional and organizational structure to the conditions for the development of resources and resource territories. The spatial factor is most efficiently used by Norilsk Nickel, then NovaTEK, in the strategy of adaptation to development risks, with the receipt of benefits from localization and the creation of a regional cluster, while Gazpromneft is the least effective. The institutional factor is most effectively used by NovaTEK and Gazpromneft, and the least by Norilsk Nickel. The organizational and structural factor as a tool for adapting to risks is most skillfully used by Gazpromneft, weaker — by NovaTEK and Norilsk Nickel. Integrally, the best positions in the strategy of adaptation to development risks are held by Gazpromneft, and the worst positions by Norilsk Nickel, which has the most significant contrast between the size of development risks and the means of adaptation to them. Strengthening the internal competencies of the company and its corporate innovation system is the most important way to successfully cope with the high risks of corporate development of resources and spaces of the Arctic.

About authors

Aleksandr N. PILYASOV, D.Sc. of Geographic Sciences, Professor, Chief Research Officer 
Luzin Institute for Economic Studies — subdivision of the Federal Research Centre “Kola Science Centre of RAS”, Apatity, Russia; Institute of Regional Consulting, Moscow, Russia

Vyacheslav A. TSUKERMAN, Ph.D. of Engineering Sciences, Associate Professor 
Luzin Institute for Economic Studies — subdivision of the Federal Research Centre “Kola Science Centre of RAS”, Apatity, Russia

Keywords

development risk, Arctic corporation, OLI paradigm, risk adaptation strategy

DOI

10.37482/issn2221-2698.2021.44.103

UDC

332.1(985)(045)