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The paper investigates the resilience of micro-businesses (MBs) to natural disasters by exploring the impact of two levels of resilience, namely organizational resilience and entrepreneur psychological resilience, on perceived post-disaster business performance (PPDBP). As MBs tend to be entrepreneur-centric, entrepreneur psychological resilience (EPR) can play an important role, interconnected with that of organizational resilience (OR). However, in the extant literature the debate is still open on how OR and EPR relate. We verified a structural model with the aid of Upper Echelons and Imprinting theories, applying a covariance-based technique on data collected through a survey administered to a sample of 213 MBs hit by the 2012 Earthquake in Emilia (Italy). Results revealed that perceived post-disaster business performance is driven by entrepreneur psychological resilience with a mediating role for organizational resilience, in three main areas: robustness, agility and integrity. The study contributes to the literature on resilience and MBs by providing empirical evidence and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without a doubt, the impacts and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives and our societies are global, severe, and durable. Assessing the magnitudes of those characteristics represents a huge challenge we are all facing, especially having minded the fact that the pandemic is still active throughout the world. What are the solutions we can find to secure the businesses, maintain the jobs, and stabilize financial markets and economies, becomes one of the fundamental questions of today. In this regard, the paper aims to tackle, detect, and highlight the multidimensional impacts of the coronavirus-induced economic recession on the micro-businesses located in the Old bazaar in Prilep, one of the most prominent trade centers in North Macedonia. The findings are based on the results coming out from a descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the data obtained by a survey, carried out on a representative sample of businesses. They suggest that majority of microbusinesses are severely hit by the pandemic regarding their overall economic well-being; the Government measures are barely enough for them to survive in the short run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There is now considerable empirical evidence demonstrating the innovation and performance benefits that accrue to firms engaging in open innovation (OI). Here, we use novel data on micro-businesses to show that the average level of engagement in OI falls well below the optimal level, a finding that reflects that of other empirical studies. We identify and examine three market failures which may help to explain this result. These relate to a lack of understanding of the potential benefits of OI by firms, a lack of information about the capabilities of potential partners and a lack of information about the trustworthiness of potential partners. Our findings provide evidence that policy initiatives designed to offset these information failures are likely to increase the range of partners with which firms engage with significant benefits for innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article uses in-depth interviews with owners of small businesses in Mexico City, Mexico, to provide empirical and theoretical analysis of the reciprocal effects of families on their small businesses and the businesses on the family dynamic. The author seeks to determine the relationships that arise between family members as a result of their work activities together, as well as to verify whether those relationships can ensure continued production for the business while maintaining adequate consumption and supply for the family unit. The social and economic effects of sharing both domestic and professional space with family members are also discussed.

The vast majority of firms in the sector are micro-businesses employing 10 or fewer staff. Indeed many are so small as to employ no permanent staff at all. Those running these businesses are not classical entrepreneurs driven by a need to maximise profits and build a business empire. Many are best described as lifestyle entrepreneurs, their key motives are more associated with improving their quality of life. This paper reports on the owners of a significant sample of Blackpool hotels. The majority have sold a domestic property to buy the hotel. Few have any prior hotel experience, or small business experience, for that matter. The linkage between commercial and domestic provision of meals and accommodation convinced many of these interviewees that they had the skill sets required for hotel ownership and management. The paper also confirms earlier findings that a subtantial minority withdraw from the hotel business in their first year. The lack of training in the business aspects of the hotel operation has serious implications for the quality of hotel operations in places like Blackpool, because a significant segment of hotel stock is being managed by these lifestyle entrepreneurs who are not primarily concerned with commercial objectives which prioritise service quality as a way of generating profits and growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]