Women MSMEs in times of crisis: challenges and opportunities

• Published in: Journal of small business and enterprise development Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 1069 - 1083
• Main Authors: Sultan, Suhail, Sultan, Wasim I.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 29.10.2020; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Developing countries; Entrepreneurs; Innovations; LDCs; West Bank; Gaza Strip; Innovation strategies; Women MSMEs; Survival; Crisis
• ISSN: 1462-6004; 1758-7840
• DOI: 10.1108/JSBED-06-2020-0226

PurposeThis study addresses the impact of the corona crisis on the performance of women small- to medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and explores the adopted innovative strategies by these women to stay in their businesses.Design/methodology/approachBoth quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this cross-sectional country-level survey. A representative sample of 260 Palestinian women businesses completed the questionnaire. As well, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 15 female entrepreneurs who succeeded to survive to collect qualitative data. Frequencies, cross-tabulations and Chi-Square tests are used to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis is used to analyze the qualitative one.FindingsThe main findings show that the corona crisis harms the performance of many women MSMEs in terms of production, turnover profit. To reduce their lost sales during the crisis, women are more likely to benefit from social media and promotions than other methods. This study highlights the innovation strategies applied by the women MSMEs who managed to survive such as, among others, cash management and digital marketing.Practical implicationsThe innovation strategies could be a road map for other women struggling MSMEs businesses to re-enter businesses again.Originality/valueSo far, little research has focused on women MSMEs in developing countries. The identified innovation strategies will potentially help aspiring women MSMEs to survive during the economic crisis.