COMPARATIVE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN AZERBAIJAN AND DEVELOPED ECONOMIES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

This study explores the characteristics of business management practices in the Republic of Azerbaijan compared to selected developed economies. Using data from the World Management Survey (WMS), OECD, World Bank Enterprise Surveys and recent academic research, it highlights managerial, institutional and cultural determinants of performance differences. The analysis demonstrates that Azerbaijani firms lag behind in key management practice dimensions—planning, target-setting, human resource management, and digitalisation—compared to leading economies such as the United States, Germany and Japan. The paper concludes with policy and managerial recommendations to enhance management capacity in Azerbaijan’s transitional economic context.