Masters of disasters? Challenges and opportunities for SMEs in times of crisis.

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Supply chain lessons from the catastrophic natural disaster in Japan

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the implementation of unprecedented social distancing measures, restricting social interaction and with it the possibility for conducting face-to-face qu...

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Resilient Research in the Field: Insights and Lessons From Adapting Qualitative Research Projects During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Balancing supply chain competitiveness and robustness through "virtual dual sourcing": Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake

This research develops a framework that combines crisis stages, stakeholder engagement, and crisis challenges. The framework is applied to small firms in Macao during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic crisis. We conduct a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with the leaders of six small firms in Macao. The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a “normal” context, which blurs the traditional crisis termination stage. We also find that participating firms engage more with internal stakeholders than external ones. The strategies adopted by small firms include flexible human resource (HR) practices, cost reduction, enhancing customer relations, and using government support schemes. These strategies are effective in the short term; firms need to pay attention to diversity and learning for the long term.

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Crisis challenges of small firms in Macao during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research in crisis management involves a variety of perspectives, including crisis impacts, strategic vision and leadership, contingency planning and technical capabilities. However, crisis management mechanisms of small and medium enterprise (SMEs) were rarely investigated for sound theory building and practical guidance for management. The aim of this paper is to explore mechanisms by which SMEs use to manage crisis. This paper presents a general crisis management model that represents crisis management processes in terms of detection, occurrence, recovery and resolution. To validate and refine this model, a multiple-case study is designed to investigate five SMEs’ actual crisis management practices. The case study results show that SMEs, in spite of their resources constraints and relatively weak market positions, display resilient market responsiveness. This paper further suggests that effective crisis management of SMEs involve proactive business mindsets for sustainable growth and continuous expansions.

Chenglei Huang

Papers

Crisis management for SMEs: insights from a multiple-case study