Administration of Ukrainian Coal Exports to the Ottoman Empire (Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries)

Period in the late 19th – early 20th centuries was a rapid economic recovery in Ukraine. The excess of production over the volume of the domestic consumer market encouraged entrepreneurs to export coal, primarily to the nearest foreign markets. The market of the Ottoman Empire was determined as a important in that respect. The study of the export direction of commercial activity of Ukrainian entrepreneurs became possible as a result of attracting a wide range of sources including Government and business statistical directories, office documents of representative organizations, articles from periodicals of that time, archival materials, etc. The author analyses export techniques of Ukrainian businessmen as one of the components of business culture wich consists of introducing organizational and logistical techniques for export tasks, studying global experience and using the most successful and effective mechanisms to influence the process of invading foreign markets. The paper shows that Ukrainian entrepreneurs had resorted to a variety of tools to promote their products including business meetings and participating in the “Floating Exhibition”. The author concludes that, despite all efforts, Ukrainian entrepreneurs lost in competition with more developed countries and they had to pay attention to the increased domestic demand. The idea of Ukrainian business community to organize a permanent trade mission in Constantinople in the form of a chamber of commerce, which originated in the early XX century, is implemented at the present stage of mutually beneficial partnership between Ukraine and Turkey