Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) on small and medium enterprises in Pakistan, which are vulnerable to crisis situations. This study also aims to provide policy recommendations to the stakeholders by reviewing the situation of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) after the Covid-19 sudden surge.

Design/methodology/approach

The descriptive study is based on quantitative data technique and primary data collection is undertaken. The survey instrument is adapted from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics public documents. Collected responses from SME owners are descriptively analyzed using appropriate graphs.

Findings

The analysis infers that SMEs in Pakistan have encountered unfavorable implications of Covid-19 in the form of shortage of goods, blockage in transportation, decrease in demand of products and services, decline in profits and sales, limited operations, lockdown and employee’s layoff.

Research limitations/implications

The limited sample and precise use of instruments are few limitations along with valuable implications of this research. The analysis of Covid-19 impact on SMEs is an ongoing phenomenon and aids in proactive planning for the second wave of this outbreak. Financing schemes, youth entrepreneurship loans, retention of skilled staff and proactive planning for adverse future are few recommended measures for revival of the SMEs sector.

Originality/value

The use of a unique sample and quality data set collected using the Bureau of Labor Statistics instrument adds value to the findings of the study and their consistency. The existing body of knowledge in the context of the SMEs sector of Pakistan is strengthened with an analysis of crisis implications for this sector, which remained unaddressed in the past.

中文翻译：

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Covid-19对巴基斯坦中小企业的影响分析

目的

本文的目的是确定冠状病毒（Covid-19）对巴基斯坦易受危机局势影响的中小企业的影响。这项研究还旨在通过回顾Covid-19突增后的中小型企业（SME）的情况，向利益相关者提供政策建议。

设计/方法/方法

描述性研究基于定量数据技术，并进行了原始数据收集。该调查工具改编自美国劳工统计局的公开文件。使用适当的图表描述性地分析了中小企业所有者收集的回复。

发现

该分析推断，巴基斯坦的中小企业在商品短缺，运输阻塞，产品和服务需求下降，利润和销售下降，运营受限，停工和裁员等方面遇到了Covid-19的不利影响。

研究局限/意义

有限的样本和仪器的精确使用几乎没有什么局限性，而且这项研究也没有什么价值。对Covid-19对中小型企业的影响的分析是一个持续不断的现象，有助于为此次疫情的第二波爆发做出积极的计划。很少有建议的措施来振兴中小企业部门。

创意/价值

使用通过劳工统计局仪器收集的独特样本和质量数据集，可以为研究结果及其一致性增加价值。通过分析对该领域的危机影响，巴基斯坦中小企业领域的现有知识得到了加强，而这在过去仍未得到解决。