Adverse impact of lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic on micro-small and medium enterprises (Indian handicraft sector): A study on highlighted exit strategies and important determinants

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the global economy. For small- and medium-sized businesses, particularly in the handicraft sectors, it was exceptionally difficult to maintain operations during a global crisis. Without crisis management plans in place, business owners run the risk of having their operations abruptly terminated. Therefore, the researchers sought to comprehend and study the factors that led to the shutdown and departure strategies of microenterprises (in the handicraft sector) during the pandemic. To conduct this study, a descriptive research design was used, and registered Indian micro-businesses in the Cavite region were specifically chosen. According to the study's findings, the majority of microenterprises were sole proprietorships with a capitalization of less than INR 600,000.00 (Asian Development Bank in The COVID-19 impact on Philippine businesses: key findings from the enterprise survey. http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/SPR200214-2 , 2020) and had been in business for three to six years. As a result, the respondents' most typical issues are Retooling and training of pandemic-sensitive enterprise strategies for micro-entrepreneurs, particularly in the handicraft sector, as well as research into the negative effects of lockdown on MSME, which are all examples of crisis-sensitive interventions among small industries (handicraft sector) entrepreneurs.