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An absorptive capacity-based systems view of Covid-19 in the small business economy

Author

Listed:
  • Rosa Caiazza

    (Parthenope University)

  • Phillip Phan

    (Johns Hopkins Carey Business School)

  • Erik Lehmann

    (Augsburg University)

  • Henry Etzkowitz

    (Stanford University)

Abstract

According to Johns Hopkins University, by December 2020, more than 78 million SARS-COV-2 (Covid-19) cases have been reported with more than 1.7 million deaths, out of which more than 300 thousand were in the U.S. alone. No country on earth has been untouched by the preemptive creation of a global recession to combat a global disease. Covid-19 has disrupted supply chains, consumption patterns, and business models in a multitude of industries which include a large share of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs account for the largest share of employment in market-based economies so any discussion of the economic impact of Covid-19 is incomplete without the SME sector. The purpose of this paper is to explore a systems perspective of the Covid-19 pandemic using the absorptive capacity construct.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosa Caiazza & Phillip Phan & Erik Lehmann & Henry Etzkowitz, 2021. "An absorptive capacity-based systems view of Covid-19 in the small business economy," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 1419-1439, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:intemj:v:17:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s11365-021-00753-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11365-021-00753-7
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    Cited by:

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    2. Silvia Sanasi, 2023. "Entrepreneurial experimentation in business model dynamics: Current understanding and future opportunities," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 805-836, June.
    3. Luz Natalia Tobón Perilla & Elena Urquía Grande & Elisa Isabel Cano Montero, 2022. "Economic and Organizational Impact of COVID-19 on Colombia’s Tourism Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Rosmadi Fauzi & Mariney Mohd Yusoff & Abd Rahman Roslan & Siti Nadira Ahmad Rozlan & Muhammad Fathi Marzuki & Mohd Muslim Said & Kamaruzaman Jusoff, 2023. "Measuring the Struggle of Small-Scale Businesses in the COVID-19 Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Rafał Kusa & Marcin Suder & Belem Barbosa & Beata Glinka & Joanna Duda, 2022. "Entrepreneurial behaviors that shape performance in small family and non-family hotels during times of crisis," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1545-1575, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Covid-19; Entrepreneurship; SME;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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