Business interruption management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic for small and medium-sized enterprises in Slovakia

From the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2021, a nationwide survey was conducted to examine business interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the impact of the pandemic on SMEs in the Slovak Republic. It also focused on identifying areas such as risk management with BCM, and crisis management within individual enterprises. The survey was carried out using a questionnaire distributed to SMEs operating in the country. Based on the questions from the questionnaire, four research hypotheses were developed. Based on the results of our investigation, we found that enterprises cannot correctly assess their capability level and manage risks effectively, potentially exposing themselves to further threats arising from such a relationship. There is a correlation between the business sector and the extent to which an enterprise has been affected by a pandemic. Enterprises with implemented risk management areas had operations halted for shorter periods than enterprises without implementation. There is a relationship between business sectors and the extent to which they were affected by the pandemic. The discussion concludes that the pandemic posed a type of threat for which several SMEs were unprepared. At the same time, no established risk minimization procedures would address this issue. Effective implementation of risk management as prevention or crisis management as response and application of BCM principles is one of how enterprises could prepare for risks and crises and increase their resilience.

THE NATURE OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT IN SPORTS ORGANISATIONS IN SLOVAKIA AFFECTS EMPLOYEES AND ASSOCIATED RISKS

To this end, it is essential to look at the conditions that organizations create for these employees and the conditions in which employees work. [...]the aim of this article is to highlight the risks that are associated with ensuring such working conditions that will allow for increasing the motivation, satisfaction, and performance of employees of sports organizations in Slovakia. [...]a stress-reducing work atmosphere, appropriate interpersonal relationships and employee support are conducive to the achievement of set goals (Hobfoll 2002;Park et. al 2019). In this context, an adequate and functional risk management model appears to be a suitable tool, which will enable organisations to design and apply preventive and reactive measures aimed at minimising the negative impacts of risks and at the same time taking advantage of the opportunities offered to them more efficiently. A properly set up management system is seen as a crucial component of an organisation's continued success, while it also represents one of the internal methods that allow it to respond flexibly to a rapidly changing business environment (Hutchens et al. 2020;Neck et al. 2006;Stenling et al. 2006).

AKTUÁLNE PROBLÉMY NARUŠENIA PLYNULOSTI PODNIKANIA MSP NA SLOVENSKU

Within the article, we want to draw attention to the necessity of prevention and preparation of enterprises for changes in the environment, as well as the necessity of continuous training of employees. V ďalšej kapitole porovnáme výsledky vlastného celoslovenského prieskumu s výsledkami zo štatistického prieskumu Allianz Risk Barometer, Identifying the Major Business risks for 2021. Tento prieskum sa zameriaval na najvýznamnejšie hrozby vo svete a najdôležitejšie globálne podnikateľské riziká za rok 2021. Prieskum bol spracovaný spoločnosťou Allianz (Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty) (Allianz 2021). V rámci celoslovenského prieskumu sme zisťovali, ktoré z uvedených faktorov externého prostredia podniky považujú za najvýraznejšie ovplyvňujúce ich prevádzkyschopnosť za rok 2020. Výsledkom tejto otázky bolo identifikovanie 3 najvýraznejších faktorov externého prostredia, ktoré pôsobili na prevádzkyschopnosť podnikov za rok 2020. Výsledkom prieskumu boli identifikované najviac dôležité globálne podnikateľské riziká za rok 2020.

CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT AS A TOOL FOR PREVENTION TO ORIGIN OF CRISIS SITUATIONS AND INCREASING THE RESILIENCE OF THE ENTERPRISE

The current state of the world's social and business environment is affected by the occurrence of the COVID 19 pandemic. Negative influences of the pandemic on countries business activity like a whole constantly persist and interruption of operation is one of the worst impacts, which enterprises to fight. Because interruption of business triggers the next of negative domino effects with the impact not only on the business environment and interested party's, but also on the community and regions and social environment. Business activities influence a lot of factors from the external and internal environment. On the one of the side is needed, to enterprises flexible react on the influences and changes of environments, on the two of the side are musttry about constantly improving their processes, to satisfy the requirements of customers, which gradually changes too. The combination of the introduction of risk management, process management, and continuity management to business management, possible to harmonized business activities so, to reach good results, increased resilience, and sustainable growth. Every one of the revealed causes of the failures and errors of business processes is helpful to improvement to processes. However, not every enterprise and his management know harmonize all approaches to activities. The purpose of this article is to refer to the possibility to use the risk management and continuity management as a tool the avoid interruption of operation and increasing of the resilience of the enterprise.