Estratégias adotadas pelas pequenas e médias empresas diante dos efeitos da crise da COVID-19

Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were significantly affected by the sanitary measures adopted to control the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of the above, this work aimed to identify the main strategies adopted by SME entrepreneurs to deal with the effects of the crisis caused by COVID-19. The present work used the descriptive method and contemplated the reality of several sectors through a data collection carried out with a questionnaire. The findings of the study indicate that the contribution of resources from governmental measures were fundamental for the maintenance of the companies' operations. Furthermore, it was noted that the main strategies adopted by SMEs were the use of digital marketing and teleworking, the development of new products or technologies, the dismissal of workers, the injection of capital by the partners, the extension of taxes and the use of government incentives. Finally, the study indicated that most companies will need at least 2 years to resume the performance they had before the health crisis, which highlights that the effects of the pandemic were significant for these entities.