COVID-19 Experiences and Coping Strategies: The Case of Differently Sized Businesses in South Africa

Businesses have experienced the impacts of COVID-19 differently due to their inherent characteristics and resilience capabilities. Understanding the varied experiences of businesses is an important ingredient for a well-informed policy and for future preparedness. The purpose of this study is to conduct a qualitative analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on different businesses (small, medium, and large) and their coping strategies. The findings reveal different experiences among the businesses;the majority of small businesses were unable to change their business operation model due to logistics and infrastructure constraints, forcing most to temporarily close or pause operations, unlike the larger businesses that had a relatively inbuilt resilience structure. It is also interesting to report that government relief schemes were mainly utilized by larger businesses, arguably due to their formal nature and organized labour, whereas most smaller businesses were out of operation or relying on family support networks for survival. This study further identifies different approaches such as adjusting cost structures, temporary closures, transitioning to an online business (ICT) model, reskilling staff, and retrenchment as some coping strategies. Lessons learned and recommendations are provided at the end of this study.

Reaction of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises to the Corona Crisis: the Impact of Regional Authorities

The decline in Russian business activity due to the Covid restrictions was much lower than forecasted by international financial institutions. Even the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector, which experienced a significant downturn, in 2021 demonstrated a recovery and intentions to conduct business. The present study aims to reveal the impact of regional authorities on the activity of small and medium-sized enterprises during the crisis, coupled with the entrepreneurs' own efforts and economic freedom in the region. To this end, a case study of Sverdlovsk oblast, a large Russian region with a diversified industrial structure and a developed SME sector, was analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were utilised in the case study. Qualitative methods include semi-structured interviews with CEOs aimed at identifying deep motives of activity and diversity of business responses to external challenges. As for quantitative methods, the economic freedom index of the region for 2002-2020 was calculated using the Coates method, the relationship between entrepreneurial activity in Sverdlovsk oblast and government intervention in the regional economy was assessed based on the ordinary least squares regression. The study demonstrated that the number of individual entrepreneurs depends on the government participation in the regional economy, while the activity of legal entities is more related to economic freedom. During the crisis, demand reduction and change, real income decline, restrictions on cross-border transactions and a growing concentration of market power accelerated changes in companies' business models in terms of interaction with consumers, value proposition, networking and digitalisation of business. Additionally, business associations involved in the interaction between companies and public authorities gained importance in this period. The research results can be applied in the design of public policy measures for the small and medium-sized enterprises and regional development.

Methods and lessons for business resilience and recovery surveys

Surveys are important tools in business resilience and recovery research because of their ability to capture disaggregated economic information;however, they can be difficult and costly due to business operational dynamics and the larger challenges of disaster research. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a recent example where demand for business data was high across both research and practice. Yet, the methods and modes for collecting data were limited due to safety, health, and ethical concerns. This research seeks to address the lack of tailored guidance for conducting business resilience and recovery surveys by collecting and synthesizing instruments and best practices from previous efforts. These previous surveys were undertaken by a diverse group of organizations with varied research questions, objectives, and hazard events of interest. This paper discusses six broad lessons: clearly define purpose, objectives, and concepts;recognize that response rates will be low, consider disaster dynamics in the research design, address bias that can be exacerbated by disasters, take care to acknowledge the unique ethical considerations of disaster resilience surveys in the business and economic context, and verify and validate data at all stages of the survey process. These lessons, in addition to the published instruments themselves, can support researchers or practitioners who wish to conduct their own business resilience and recovery surveys in the future.

The Role of Virtual Communication in Building an Intertwined Relation Between Business Resilience and Community Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak that emerged in December 2019 has had a dramatic impact on the global economy in which consumption, trade, and service activities have been greatly disrupted. Businesses across many sectors have experienced a severe decline in sales and jobs. But the magnitude and distribution of the pandemic greatly affected small firms, due to them being more financially constrained. This article provides a comprehensive assessment of the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Algerian businesses. Based on a novel data set, the article shows how, beyond adjusting their labor costs and enforcing government-mandated lockdowns and social distancing, businesses could respond to the shock of COVID-19 thanks to the use of communication tools, such as the Internet and digital technologies, as well as the cooperation between companies. The article concludes that those firms that used Internet-based communication tools and those that built new ways of business cooperation and provided help to community during the lockdown showed higher survival rates after the lockdown. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of American Behavioral Scientist is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Green management, access to credit, and firms' vulnerability to the COVID-19 crisis

This paper investigates the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on firms' performance and financial vulnerability. Exploiting longitudinal firm-level data from the World Bank's "Enterprise Surveys follow-up on COVID-19” for 20 European countries, we assess whether green management quality and pre-pandemic credit access difficulties affect firms' ability to withstand the negative impact of the pandemic. Our results indicate that green firms are more resilient to the pandemic shock. In particular, the likelihood of pandemic-induced drops in sales and liquidity significantly decreases as the quality of green management improves. Conversely, prior financing constraints strongly exacerbate the pandemic's impact on firms' performance and amplify liquidity stress and financing problems. Credit-constrained enterprises are not only more likely to experience liquidity shortages and repayment problems, but they also face higher difficulties in accessing bank financing. The COVID-19 crisis has also hampered the beneficial role that green management exerted on access to credit in the pre-pandemic period. During the pandemic, firms with sound environmental management practices do not benefit from improved access to finance and have a lower demand for credit, possibly suggesting a slowdown in their green investment activities. © 2023, The Author(s).

Staying afloat? Using a reflective cycle approach to examine the effects of crisis on the business resilience of SMEs during COVID-19

This study seeks to explore the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the business resilience of SMEs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an emerging economy, and specifically in Dubai, a thriving global business hub. Our objective is to examine the challenges experienced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in this region and how business leaders respond to the unprecedented crisis to stay afloat. We obtained rich descriptions from 26 respondents comprising SME owners and managers, using semi-structured interviews and a reflective process model to discern different aspects of business volatility, leadership roles, and financial management. All respondents endured the crisis periods by implementing numerous changes and initiatives to explore new norms of working, uncharted business territories, fulfill current projects, and develop innovative solutions and diversification in their businesses. Many have turned challenges into opportunities, progressing successfully through the three challenging periods of crisis using diverse approaches to stay resilient. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications and future research directions.

Factors influencing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak

Purpose: This research paper highlights the economic impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to Coronavirus outbreaks. It proposes factors that influence the strengthening and survival of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: In this research, resilience is reflected in the following aspects hope, problem resolution and persistence. This quantitative study analyses a purposive sample of 120 small and medium-sized firms in India. The study's primary data are the responses to questionnaires issued to respondents, analyzed and hypotheses formed and tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Findings: The study results show that all the variables significantly reduce the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs. The presented model is expected to help researchers, business modelers, analysts and real professionals with further studies in the SME context. Originality/value: This new approach adds to the business resilience knowledge of SMEs and has practical implications for manufacturing organizations seeking to become robust during and after COVID-19. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses in the US: A Longitudinal Study from a Regional Perspective

Small businesses have suffered disproportionately from the COVID-19 pandemic. We use near-real-time weekly data from the Small Business Pulse Survey (April 26, 2020 - June 17, 2021) to examine the constantly changing impact of COVID-19 on small businesses across the United States. A set of multilevel models for change are adopted to model the trajectories of the various kinds of impact as perceived by business owners (subjective) and those recorded for business operations (objective), providing insights into regional resilience from a small business perspective. The findings reveal spatially uneven and varied trajectories in both the subjectively and the objectively assessed impact of COVID-19 across the U.S., and the different responses to the pandemic shock can be explained by evolving health situations and public policies, as well as by the economic structure and degree of socioeconomic vulnerability in different areas. This study contributes to scholarship on small businesses and regional resilience, as well as identifying policies and practices that build economic resilience and regional development under conditions of global pandemic disruption. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Regional Science Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Bouncing forward or bouncing back? How family firms enact resilience in times of crisis

PurposeThe study aims to develop theoretical understanding about how family-run businesses navigate unexpected and highly disruptive events by examining how family-based resilience capacity is variously transformed into an organizational capability.Design/methodology/approachThe study relies on a qualitative comparative case study design to explore how Croatian family-run businesses navigated market and operational disruptions brought on by the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and organizational data, this study compares how family-run businesses operating in different industries experienced and coped with disruptions. Using inductive qualitative coding methods, patterns across codes were identified and aggregated into dimensions that describe two broad approaches for leveraging family social capital in the enactment of organizational resilience.FindingsThe analysis shows that family-run businesses may employ family social capital in retrospective and prospective ways. A retrospective approach involves targeted and conservative uses of family social capital, wherein the aim is to maintain organizational functioning and return to "business as usual”. In contrast, a prospective approach employs these resources in a more strategic and flexible way to adapt to a "new” future. While both approaches can enable firms to successfully navigate crises, these approaches differ in terms of their temporal orientation and implications for marketing flexibility.Originality/valueThe study contributes to a better understanding of how family social capital can be differentially leveraged in times of crises, and how these differences may stem from having temporal orientations that focus on either preserving the past or adapting to new conditions. The study advances theorizing at the intersection of organizational resilience and family business by deepening understanding of the heterogeneity of ways in which family businesses manage change for long-term business continuity. For owners and managers of family-run business, the study provides insights into how unexpected disruptions can be managed and how businesses might respond to fast-changing market conditions.

Sustainable restaurant franchising: Franchisor social support for franchisee resilience and intention to retain business during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to explore the franchisor social support required for franchisees to overcome the undesirable COVID-19 pandemic and examine the influences of franchisor social support on franchisees' resilience and intention to retain business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers employed a PLS-SEM to estimate the model, using 168 valid responses from restaurant franchisees in South Korea who survived the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings demonstrate that the franchisor's affective and appraisal support have a positive and significant influence on franchisees' resilience but do not have significant effects on the intention to retain business. Moreover, the research findings identify that the franchisor's informational and instrumental support does not have significant impacts on franchisee resilience but positive and significant effects on the intention to retain business. The findings also highlight that franchisees' resilience plays a role as a full mediator in the association between franchisor's affective support and franchisees' intention to retain business. However, resilience does not mediate the relationships between the other resources of social support from the franchisor and the franchisees' intention to retain business. The researchers discuss the theoretical contributions and practical suggestions in the conclusion section based on the interesting findings. © 2023 The Authors

The impact of female dominance on business resilience: A technology adoption perspective

This study explores the relationship between women entrepreneurship and business resilience, the moderation of pre-crisis and during-crisis technology adoption, and female representation in top management in the aforementioned relationship. Building on the "mom-cession” theory, the authors propose an integrated multiple-moderation model to understand the boundary conditions that can reduce the negative effect of female dominance on business resilience. Using a sample of 9035 firms across 24 countries and employing a structural equation modeling technique for model testing, this study found a negative relationship between female dominance and business resilience. Female-dominated firms led by female top managers exhibited lower business resilience. The results showed that firms' pre- and post-COVID-19 technology adoption moderated the negative relationship between female dominance and business resilience such that this relationship was weaker for firms that had already adopted technology before COVID-19 and stronger for firms that adopted technology only during COVID-19. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

Business Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Post-COVID Era

Our paper focuses on the transformation of the concept of sustainable business leadership (especially regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the post-COVID-19 era. The COVID-19 pandemic is without question posing a generation-defining challenge for public health and the global economy. Moreover, the pandemic has revived some old and introduced many new threats that today's business leaders will have to face in the years to come. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 crisis was a humanitarian tragedy that continues to ravage millions of lives, it can also be viewed as an excellent opportunity to restart sustainable economic development as well as to help our business and economy to shift towards real business corporate social responsibility and ethical decision-making (thanks to the reduction in carbon emissions as a result of reduced economic activity and travel, increasing investments into healthcare and education, or finding the new ways for working and learning, such as remote work and online education). Our paper examines the effect of small entrepreneurs' perceptions of CSR on their daily business under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper features an empirical model that assesses the implementation of CSR practices and principles (social responsibility, environmental sustainability, or ecological governance) after the COVID-19 pandemic. The model investigates whether the factors internal to the company might influence the enhancement of the CSR principles. The model is based on our own data obtained from the 450 online questionnaire surveys conducted with managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation. The two countries in question have been selected due to their similarities and, at the same time, differences regarding their geopolitical orientation, pathways of economic transformation, and attitudes to sustainable development policies and embracing SDGs. Our results demonstrate that the business type, as well as the ownership structure, positively impacts the introduction of CSR and sustainable development principles in SMEs in question, while the company's age has a negative impact. Our results might be of special importance for the stakeholders and business owners wishing to enhance CSR practices and promote sustainable economic development in their enterprises in the post-COVID era. © 2023 by the authors.

Venture resilience, criminal approaches and the welfare state: entrepreneurial decisions and opinions one year after the COVID-19 outbreak

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the resilience of Italian companies one year after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak by examining the companies' choices and opinions regarding the welfare state, criminal approaches and mergers and acquisitions (M&As) during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe authors proposed a conceptual framework based on a combination of private vs public protection and business resilience theory and adopted a concurrent embedded mixed-method approach, using an online survey of 219 entrepreneurs.FindingsThe authors find the respondents showing high resilience to the crisis and strongly unaffected by organised crime's (OC's) predatory role;the State seems to have quickly and effectively met the financial needs of sampled Italian companies, at least in the short term.Practical implicationsWhilst welfare can be highly effective for companies to combat crime, regulators should recognise that public protection may decrease with time, leaving companies open to long-term challenges.Originality/valueThe authors believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the entrepreneurship literature because this is the first study to explore how entrepreneurs deal with financing problems in a context characterised by a strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and OC pressure.

Homestay businesses' strategies for adapting to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic: A study in Vietnam

Adaptation and recovery are essential for businesses to survive crises and disasters. Drawing on the concepts of business resilience and hospitality service delivery practices, this study explored strategies employed by owners of Vietnamese homestay businesses for adapting to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews with 17 purposefully selected homestay owners were conducted during the pandemic. The thematic analysis of the data revealed three major strategies: adapting operational protocols, modifying products and service offerings, and reinstating the authenticity of the homestay experience. A conceptual model illustrating the transformations in homestay businesses was developed from the findings. As the study particularly revealed that the selected Vietnamese homestay businesses showed a strong capacity for adaptation, we discuss several factors influencing the implementation of adaptation and recovery strategies. This study contributes to the understanding of how micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises can adapt to external shocks and new externalities, and provides practical implications for homestay owners and stakeholders in relation to their post-pandemic business recovery.

Scale to measure resilient capacities in mexican SMEs

The impact caused by COVID-19 and its effects on the national economy revealed the little or no capacity of companies to cope with this situation, causing temporary and, in some cases, permanent closure in various sectors. Given this situation, this paper aims to determine the validity and reliability of an instrument to measure business resilience in small and medium-sized companies based on the perception of their directors, managers and/or owners. The methodology was based in a quantitative approach, exploratory scope, and non-experimental design. The instrument was initially composed of 48 items grouped into three dimensions of resilient capacities: foresight, adaptation, and recovery, which was applied to a sample of 346 companies established in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico. According to the results, it is concluded that the analyzed instrument meets the reliability and construct validity criteria, highlighting the reduction to 20 items with factor loads between 0.556 and 0.811 grouped into three factors that explain 66.97% of the total variance. © 2023, Universidad del Zulia. All rights reserved.

Brewing at the time of COVID: the impact of the pandemic crisis on UK craft breweries and its implications for the sector and local economies

The COVID-19 crisis has had a significant impact on UK craft breweries. In this paper we explore and assess the impact of COVID-19 on the UK craft beer sector from a locational perspective, targeting entrepreneurial responses from breweries within and across the urban, suburban and rural dimensions. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative data collected between 2015 and 2022, we identify a marked geographical contextualization in terms of how UK craft breweries adapted and responded to the pandemic crisis, which explains how location shaped and still shape breweries' strategies in a post-COVID-19 ‘new normal' world. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Innovation and creativity in a time of crisis: A perspective of small tourism enterprises from an emerging destination

Disasters and crises do not only affect tourism enterprises detrimentally but can also prompt business innovation and creativity. This positive outlook is under-studied although it can aid in understanding the speed of business recovery, especially among smaller tourism enterprises in remote and resource-scarce destinations where external assistance is limited. This study examines innovation and creativity among tourism entrepreneurs in Lombok (Indonesia), an emerging destination in Southeast Asia, through the prism of two crises, the 2018 earthquake and COVID-19. Interviews with small-sized tourism entrepreneurs (n = 21) reveal the innovative dynamic capability as a critical factor for crisis-driven business innovation. This capability is determined by generic factors, such as social capital and knowledge, but also destination-specific factors, such as local cultural values. The important role of time is also showcased: prolonged crises encourage tourism entrepreneurs to innovate sooner, while short-lived disastrous events prescribe a cautious approach to innovation. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

For the people by the people: The case of De Dietrich stewardship

While the coronavirus has exposed the importance of humane-centered entrepreneurship, some family businesses put their stakeholders at the center of their activities over generations. In this article, I elaborate how the De Dietrich family included a humane-centered stewardship mindset in the family firm's activities and development over generations. I reviewed the family's history through the lens of stewardship. First, I briefly outline the history of the De Dietrich family and review stewardship. Describing the research approach and method, I explore the stance on stewardship of the family firm, surviving through several crises. The results show that family businesses with a humane-centered focus in their stewardship mindset are more resilient when it comes to disruptive contextual situations and exhibit a long-term performance over time. © 2022 International Council for Small Business.

Impact of conventional and digital advertising on the resilience of MSMEs in southern Tamaulipas during COVID-19 / Impacto de la publicidad tradicional y digital en la resiliencia de las mipymes del sur de Tamaulipas durante COVID-19

Resumen La publicidad es una parte de la mercadotecnia que ha demostrado, durante décadas y tal vez siglos, ser efectiva para la productividad de los negocios. En México, la pandemia de COVID-19, desde el mes de abril de 2020 y al menos a mayo de 2021, ha dejado estragos comerciales y empresariales diversos, que se pueden apreciar en la quiebra de algunos negocios y en el nacimiento o desarrollo de otros. La resiliencia de las empresas, capacidad de sobreponerse a las adversidades del entorno, ha sido un tema importante durante la pandemia. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar en qué medida impacta la publicidad, tanto tradicional como digital, en la resiliencia de las empresas. Se realizó una investigación empírica cuantitativa en el mes de mayo de 2021, en la que se aplicó un cuestionario en línea de 30 ítems a una muestra de 302 micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas de la zona sur del estado de Tamaulipas, México. Los resultados mostraron que las empresas encuestadas manifestaron utilizar casi en la misma proporción la publicidad tradicional y digital. Se encontró además una correlación significativa y positiva entre los dos tipos de publicidad y la resiliencia de las empresas, por lo que se puede recomendar a los empresarios definir estrategias encaminadas a utilizar todos los medios publicitarios para anunciarse y así incrementar la posibilidad de tener sostenibilidad empresarial, en particular en tiempos adversos.

Abstract Advertising is a part of marketing that has proved over decades, and perhaps centuries, to be effective for business productivity. The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, which paused large numbers of economic activities from April 2020 to at least May 2021, has left diverse commercial and business disruptions. These can be seen in the bankruptcy of some businesses and in the birth or development of others. The resilience of enterprises, understood as the capacity to overcome the adversities of the environment has been an important topic during the pandemic. The aim of this work was to determine the extent to which both, conventional and digital advertising impact on the resilience of enterprises. An empirical quantitative investigation was carried out in May 2021, in which a 30-item online questionnaire was administered to a sample of 302 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises located in the southern region of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Results showed that the surveyed companies claimed that they use conventional and virtual advertising in almost the same proportion. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between the use of the two types of advertising and the resilience of enterprises. Therefore, it is advisable for entrepreneurs to define strategies that lead to the use of all advertising mediums in order to increase the possibility of achieving entrepreneurial sustainability, especially in adverse circumstances.

Determinants of Business Resilience Framework for Small Businesses: Moderating Effects of Financial Literacy

Covid-19 has significantly disrupted and devastated the world's economy. Data from Malaysia shows that more than 30,000 companies have closed their operations since the movement control order (MCO) implementation due to Covid-19 that began in March 2020. However, the effects on small businesses are especially severe, mainly due to the higher vulnerability levels and lower resilience related to their size. This study provides an empirical analysis of the key drivers leading to the business resilience of small businesses in Malaysia that have survived the Covid-19 pandemic. Data from 215 small businesses were collected physically and online across Malaysia from May 2021 to December 2021. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Smart PLS 3.2.4 was used to analyse the data, whereby nine hypotheses were tested in the current study. The results showed that technology acceptance, government support, and financial literacy significantly influence business resilience among small businesses in Malaysia. The results also indicated that financial literacy moderates the relationship between compliance cost and government support with business resilience. Thus, the findings revealed three important determinants of small businesses' resilience framework, namely technology acceptance, government support, and financial literacy. The study recommends a dynamic, resilient framework to adopt in the "new normal" situation for the successful navigation of small businesses in the future. Moreover, the study provides insight into the key drivers for business resilience factors that small businesses must be concerned with, as the framework can be used to deal with not only the global pandemic but also uncertain conditions. Copyright © 2023– All Rights Reserved.