Disaster management in SMEs: what do we know from the management literature?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are universally acknowledged as being the ‘backbone’ of a nation’s economy, yet we often fail to appreciate their vulnerability when disaster strikes. The chapter draws on a review of the literature to present three main findings: (1) academic research into SME disaster management is limited; (2) it is often dominated by very specific schools of thought; and (3) it either fails to translate into real world actions or contains very little useful information for practical application. Best practice highlights the need for different tools and approaches, ones that will support SMEs before, during and after disaster. Key to this is realisation that SMEs are deeply embedded in communities, where there are owners, workers and residents, where they have customers and are customers themselves. Our failure as academics to engage with and help is a missed opportunity for real impact.