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Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Navigating Through the Covid Pandemic in India: an Examination Through the Systems Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Debadutta Panda

    (XIM University)

  • Rohit Bhardwaj

    (Birla Institute of Management Technology)

  • Tulika Sharma

    (Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Hyderabad)

  • Sriharsha Reddy

    (Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Hyderabad)

Abstract

In past couple of years, management scholars have developed significant literature on the impact of Covid pandemic across various business and organizations formats. Although, the extant literature studied various aspects of SMEs, but they did not explore the pandemic impact to SMEs from the lenses of the systems approach. We examined how SMEs navigated through the Covid pandemic from the systems theory. We engaged narrative inquiry method and captured narrations from CEOs/board members of thirty SMEs in India. The grounded theory approach was adopted to analyse the data. The study found that SMEs’ navigation through the pandemic was a complex and dynamic system encompassing input factors, immediate output, systemic output, navigating strategy, and policy environment. At the end, the study developed system-theoretic ecosystem framework of Covid impact on SMEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Debadutta Panda & Rohit Bhardwaj & Tulika Sharma & Sriharsha Reddy, 2024. "Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Navigating Through the Covid Pandemic in India: an Examination Through the Systems Approach," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 483-498, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:37:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11213-023-09664-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s11213-023-09664-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maksim Belitski & Christina Guenther & Alexander S. Kritikos & Roy Thurik, 2022. "Economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on entrepreneurship and small businesses," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 593-609, February.
    2. Yacine Belghitar & Andrea Moro & Nemanja Radić, 2022. "When the rainy day is the worst hurricane ever: the effects of governmental policies on SMEs during COVID-19," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 943-961, February.
    3. Nawal Abdalla Adam & Ghadah Alarifi, 2021. "Innovation practices for survival of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the COVID-19 times: the role of external support," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, December.
    4. Jill Juergensen & José Guimón & Rajneesh Narula, 2020. "European SMEs amidst the COVID-19 crisis: assessing impact and policy responses," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 47(3), pages 499-510, September.
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