Crisis Management in the hospitality sector SMEs in Pakistan during Covid-19

M Burhan; Muhammad Talha Salam; Omar Abou Hamdan; Hussain Tariq

doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103037

Crisis Management in the hospitality sector SMEs in Pakistan during Covid-19

M Burhan, Muhammad Talha Salam, Omar Abou Hamdan, Hussain Tariq

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered one of the worst economic shocks in modern history and the hospitality sector has been severely affected. Since small businesses from the hospitality sector are known to be relatively more susceptible to the economic complications arising from a crisis, we explore the underlying factors and management practices that influence their continuity of operations as they continue to struggle with the on-going COVID-19 crisis in Pakistan. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted to comprehend the experiences of owners-managers. The findings show that government support, cordial relationships with stakeholders, self-determination of entrepreneurs and formal planning are the most crucial factors that shaped the immediate adjustments of operational activities in response to COVID-19. These resilient practices are hygiene concerns, increased promotion through social media, innovative marketing practices (e.g., revised offerings), operational cost-cutting and employee training to comply with changing standard operating procedures from the government and industry. The practical and theoretical implications are also discussed.

Original language	English
Article number	103037
Number of pages	12
Journal	International Journal of Hospitality Management
Volume	98
Early online date	16 Jul 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103037
Publication status	Published - Sept 2021

Bibliographical note

© 2021, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A
copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research © 2021, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. This document is the author’s post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer-review process. Some differences between the published version and this version may remain and you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.

Keywords

Crisis management
Resilience
Business community
Hospitality
Restaurants
Pakistan
Business continuity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
Strategy and Management

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10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103037

Post-PrintAccepted author manuscript, 528 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered one of the worst economic shocks in modern history and the hospitality sector has been severely affected. Since small businesses from the hospitality sector are known to be relatively more susceptible to the economic complications arising from a crisis, we explore the underlying factors and management practices that influence their continuity of operations as they continue to struggle with the on-going COVID-19 crisis in Pakistan. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted to comprehend the experiences of owners-managers. The findings show that government support, cordial relationships with stakeholders, self-determination of entrepreneurs and formal planning are the most crucial factors that shaped the immediate adjustments of operational activities in response to COVID-19. These resilient practices are hygiene concerns, increased promotion through social media, innovative marketing practices (e.g., revised offerings), operational cost-cutting and employee training to comply with changing standard operating procedures from the government and industry. The practical and theoretical implications are also discussed. ",

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Crisis Management in the hospitality sector SMEs in Pakistan during Covid-19

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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