Determinants for small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship success post COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant and multiple challenges for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). While SMEs have traditionally faced financial and non-financial crises, the pandemic has brought about additional uncertainties on how to maintain business continuity. The purpose of this paper is to examine how SMEs can mitigate against COVID-19-related crisis by examining the impacts that the pandemic has had on them through a review of 34 articles. The thematic analysis from the literature covered three overarching and inter-related challenges including: (i) cost and finance-related challenges, (ii) disruption of activities, and (iii) existential difficulties. This paper highlighted three major crises emerging out of the COVID-19 pandemic for SMEs. Cost-and finance-related challenges, disruption of SME activities amidst COVID-19 pandemic and Digital technologies. The paper’s value lies in addressing the gap between the espoused literature’s claim of the beneficial impact of new technological advancements and SMEs’ ability to survive in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.