Communication strategies to strengthen the resilience of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

Daesy Ekayanthi; Djuara P. Lubis; Sumardjo; Sarwititi Sarwoprasodjo

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025137

Keywords:

Abstract

This study investigates the role of communication resilience in Indonesian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on how effective communication strategies contribute to MSME resilience and business continuity. Utilizing a systematic literature review of Scopus articles published between 2020 and 2024, the research is grounded in resilience theory, crisis communication, and organizational communication. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted businesses globally, with MSMEs being particularly vulnerable due to limited resources. This study aims to identify the factors influencing MSME resilience, the communication strategies used, the challenges in implementing these strategies, and the policy implications for supporting MSMEs in building resilience. Key findings highlight several factors that influence MSME resilience, such as adaptable business models, access to financial resources, the use of digital technologies, and effective crisis communication strategies. Effective communication is crucial for maintaining stakeholder trust, managing information flow, and coordinating crisis responses efficiently. Challenges in implementing effective communication strategies include limited technological infrastructure, lack of communication expertise, and cultural barriers, which can impede MSMEs' crisis response. Addressing these challenges is essential for enhancing the resilience of MSMEs.The study provides policy implications, suggesting that governments and stakeholders should enhance MSMEs' communication capabilities through training programs, financial support for digital infrastructure, and tailored communication guidelines for crisis situations. This research contributes to theoretical knowledge on resilience and communication in the context of MSMEs and offers practical insights for policymakers, business owners, and practitioners. By addressing the communication challenges faced by MSMEs, stakeholders can better support these enterprises in achieving resilience and ensuring business continuity during crises. This study highlights the importance of effective communication in MSMEs' ability to navigate and survive crises, providing a roadmap for future research and practical interventions in this critical area.
References
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20. Rezaei-Moghaddam, K., Badzaban, F., & Fatemi, M. (2023). Entrepreneurial resilience of small and medium-sized businesses among rural women in Iran. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 29(1), 75–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2021.1985539
21. Sadikin, A., Abidin, Z., Lukiyanto, K., & Kalumbang, Y. P. (2020). Resilience and ability on the community financial literation of crafts for special traditional jukung jarung South Kalimantan (A schutz phenomenology study). International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 9(3), 3808–3812.
22. Syamsari, S., Ramaditya, M., Andriani, I., & Puspitasari, A. (2022). Selecting Priority Policy Strategies for Sustainability of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Takalar Regency. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315791
23. Tim, Y., Cui, L., & Sheng, Z. (2021). Digital resilience: How rural communities leapfrogged into sustainable development. Information Systems Journal, 31(2), 323–345. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12312
24. Ufua, D. E., Olujobi, O. J., Tahir, H., Al-Faryan, M. A. S., Matthew, O. A., & Osabuohien, E. (2022). Lean Entrepreneurship and SME Practice in a Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Conceptual Discourse from Nigeria. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 23(3), 331–344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-022-00304-1
25. Vercesi, P., Kanpandegi, I. X. M., Vecchiato, R., & Pugno, R. (2014). Entrepreneurship collaboration, new business models and firm creation: Enhancing local economical network. In Research for Development, 87–99. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02117-1_7

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Ekayanthi, D., Lubis, D. P., Sumardjo, & Sarwoprasodjo, S. (2024). Communication strategies to strengthen the resilience of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(5), 2025137. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025137

[1] Baroncelli, S., Caputo, A., Santini, E., & Theodoraki, C. (2023). Resilience and entrepreneurial decision-making: the heterogeneity among Italian innovative start-ups. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 36(5–6), 798–815. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2023.2295959

[2] Baxter, M., Novy-Marx, M., & D’Angelo, S. (2022). Improving pathways for girls and disadvantaged youth through secondary education and into work: Evidence and reflections from practice. Development Policy Review, 40(S2). https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12651

[3] Bernard M.-J., & Dubard Barbosa S. (2016). Resilience and entrepreneurship: A dynamic and biographical approach to the entrepreneurial act. M@n@gement, 19(2), 89-123. https://managementaims.com/index.php/mgmt/article/view/3894. Accessed on June 5, 2024.

[4] Borin, E., Donato, F., & Sinapi, C. (2018). Financial sustainability of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the cultural and creative sector: The role of funding. In FGF Studies in Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65506-2_4

[5] Branicki, L. J., Sullivan-Taylor, B., & Livschitz, S. R. (2018). How entrepreneurial resilience generates resilient SMEs. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 24(7), 1244–1263. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-11-2016-0396

[6] Callan, G. (2023). Digital business strategy: How to design, build, and future-proof a business in the digital age. Digital Business Strategy: How to Design, Build, and Future-Proof a Business in the Digital Age. De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111034713

[7] Chandel, K., & Sharma, N. (2014). Revisiting marketing strategies for MSMEs in the resilient business environment. Indian Journal of Marketing, 44(8), 32–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2014/v44/i8/80131

[8] Cosentino, A., & della Corte, G. (2023). The Resilience of Italian Social Enterprises Led by Women During Systemic Crises: Empirical Investigation at the Time of COVID-19. In SIDREA Series in Accounting and Business Administration (163 - 182). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21932-0_11

[9] Fares, J., Sadaka, S., & El Hokayem, J. (2022). Exploring entrepreneurship resilience capabilities during Armageddon: a qualitative study. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 28(7), 1868–1898. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-03-2022-0293

[10] Faugoo, D., & Onaga, A. I. (2022). Establishing a resilient, economically prosperous and inclusive world by overcoming the gender digital divide in the new normal. In Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes - Values for a Post Pandemic Future, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. 1,115–129. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-719-020221009

[11] Franco, M., Haase, H. and António, D. (2021), Influence of failure factors on entrepreneurial resilience in Angolan micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29 (1), 240-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-07-2019-1829

[12] Gautam, D.K. and Gautam, P.K. (2024), "Stress and resilience to migrant entrepreneur-managers of small and medium enterprises during COVID-19 pandemic", Benchmarking: An International Journal, 31(6), 2129-2150. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-06-2022-0400

[13] Halberstadt, J., & Alcorta de Bronstein, A. (2021). How to Make Entrepreneurs Strong: Introducing a Framework for Research on Entrepreneurs’ Resilience. In CSR, Sustainability, Ethics and Governance, 3–29. Springer Nature https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78941-1_1

[14] Hidayat, K., & Ambayoen, M. A. (2023). Resilience of the Bromo Tengger Semeru Tourism Village Community through Optimizing Agricultural Resources During the Covid Pandemic. In A. S.B.M., A.-B. A.N., & M. S. (Eds.), AIP Conference Proceedings AIP Conf. Proc. 2586 (1): 050003. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0107589

[15] Mugnai, I. (2024). The politics of ECB’s economic ideas and its implications for European economic governance: embedding a resilient EMU from the top-down? Comparative European Politics, 22(1), 52–84. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41295-022-00289-2

[16] Panjaitan, R., Hasan, M., & Vilkana, R. (2022). SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CAPABILITY: ENTREPRENEURIAL RESILIENCE ON DISASTER -RESILIENT MSMEs. Serbian Journal of Management, 17(2), 375–388. https://doi.org/10.5937/sjm17-39294

[17] Philsoophian, M., Akhavan, P., & Abbasi, M. (2021). Strategic alliance for resilience in supply chain: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212715

[18] Portuguez Castro, M., & Gómez Zermeño, M. G. (2020). Being an entrepreneur post-COVID-19 – resilience in times of crisis: a systematic literature review. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 13(4), 721–746. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2020-0246

[19] Rani, N. S. A., Krishnan, K. S. D., & Suda, K. A. (2023). Internal Locus of Control and Resilience During and After Economic Turbulence of Women Entrepreneur. Economic Affairs (New Delhi), 68(3), 1757–1763. https://doi.org/10.46852/0424-2513.3.2023.44

[20] Rezaei-Moghaddam, K., Badzaban, F., & Fatemi, M. (2023). Entrepreneurial resilience of small and medium-sized businesses among rural women in Iran. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 29(1), 75–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2021.1985539

[21] Sadikin, A., Abidin, Z., Lukiyanto, K., & Kalumbang, Y. P. (2020). Resilience and ability on the community financial literation of crafts for special traditional jukung jarung South Kalimantan (A schutz phenomenology study). International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 9(3), 3808–3812.

[22] Syamsari, S., Ramaditya, M., Andriani, I., & Puspitasari, A. (2022). Selecting Priority Policy Strategies for Sustainability of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Takalar Regency. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315791

[23] Tim, Y., Cui, L., & Sheng, Z. (2021). Digital resilience: How rural communities leapfrogged into sustainable development. Information Systems Journal, 31(2), 323–345. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12312

[24] Ufua, D. E., Olujobi, O. J., Tahir, H., Al-Faryan, M. A. S., Matthew, O. A., & Osabuohien, E. (2022). Lean Entrepreneurship and SME Practice in a Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Conceptual Discourse from Nigeria. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 23(3), 331–344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-022-00304-1

[25] Vercesi, P., Kanpandegi, I. X. M., Vecchiato, R., & Pugno, R. (2014). Entrepreneurship collaboration, new business models and firm creation: Enhancing local economical network. In Research for Development, 87–99. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02117-1_7

Abstract

References

How to cite