FORMATION OF THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF UKRAINE’S IRON ORE TRADE

Abstract

The article develops a conceptual model of strategic management for the sustainable development of Ukraine’s iron-ore trade. It starts from the policy turn toward a low-carbon economy and the rapid diffusion of climate-related trade instruments, which are reshaping competitive conditions for resource-exporting economies. In this context, iron-ore trade is treated as a socio-eco-economic system exposed to price volatility, logistics disruptions, carbon constraints and rising expectations of corporate transparency. The research problem is to design a governance framework that aligns national industrial and trade policies with corporate strategies and operational practices, while maintaining export viability under tightening environmental and social requirements. The scope of the discussion includes four groups of pressures – economic, environmental, social and institutional – and the managerial responses that can be organized around them. The article examines how these pressures should inform the structure of decision-making, what principles are suitable for coordinating public and private actions, and which instruments enable credible transition pathways for firms participating in cross-border value chains. Methodologically, the work combines systems thinking, an institutional lens and adaptive policy design; ESG is used as an integrating framework for translating sustainability priorities into managerial procedures, indicators and accountability routines. On this basis the paper motivates a three-level architecture (state, corporate and operational) linked by vertical and horizontal information flows, and a four-block governance cycle – analytical, planning, implementation and monitoring—intended to secure learning, feedback and continuous improvement. Special attention is paid to compliance-ready data, risk management and the synchronization of investment horizons with the evolution of climate policy and market access rules. The article outlines how scenario planning, carbon and resource efficiency programs, workforce development and digital monitoring can be combined into a coherent roadmap without prescribing a single technological pathway. The text is written as a conceptual contribution aimed at regulators, company strategists and researchers who require a structured management model for navigating the transition of raw-materials trade under emerging sustainability norms. It clarifies the problem setting, proposes the logic of the model, and delineates the issues to be considered when adapting the approach to specific firms and supply chains, avoiding empirical claims or evaluation of outcomes.