Purpose

This qualitative research aims to analyze the effects of the global crisis known as COVID-19 in family businesses in North Macedonia and defines the strategies that Albanian entrepreneurs have used to overcome the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose of this study is to conduct a gender comparison between the behaviors of ten men entrepreneurs with ten women entrepreneurs in the city of Skopje. The data we collected by the interview method. The interviews were conducted by phone from June 1 to June 15.

Findings

The results of this research show that women entrepreneurs have overcome the crisis through defensive strategy compared to men entrepreneurs who have used more offensive approach. Due to the pandemic, the majority of women entrepreneurs have lost incomes, labor and clients. Men entrepreneurs have maintained their employees with the minimum salaries, but they have suffered the same loss in the aspect of revenues and clients. Findings show that in the category of women-owned enterprises lower financial results have shown those who operate in the textile industry and beauty salons. In companies with men entrepreneurship, the biggest loss is estimated in the luxury jewelry industry and restaurants, while pharmacies, supermarkets and detergent manufacturing companies proved to be profitable. Even companies that have shown high financial performance have encountered considerable problems in supplying raw materials due to the pandemic. This research will help SMEs in our country with useful suggestions to make the right decisions for the mentioned issue.

Research limitations/implications

There are some limitations in this study that should be considered a guide for future research. First, this research includes only Albanian entrepreneurs located in the city of Skopje. The investigation will be complete if we add a more significant number of Albanian entrepreneurs from more cities in North Macedonia. Second, considering that this paper's topic is new, we did not have enough literature to compare or enrich the study. Third, due to the current situation caused by the virus, we have faced difficulties in convincing entrepreneurs over the phone to respond in our questionnaires.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a new topic comparing Albanian entrepreneurs' behaviors based on their gender in overcoming the pandemic in Skopje, North Macedonia.

中文翻译：

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阿尔巴尼亚族家族企业和 COVID-19 大流行：基于性别的比较

目的

这项定性研究旨在分析被称为 COVID-19 的全球危机对北马其顿家族企业的影响，并确定阿尔巴尼亚企业家用来克服这一流行病的策略。

设计/方法/方法

本研究的目的是对斯科普里市 10 名男性企业家和 10 名女性企业家的行为进行性别比较。我们通过访谈法收集的数据。采访于 6 月 1 日至 6 月 15 日通过电话进行。

发现

这项研究的结果表明，与使用更多进攻方法的男性企业家相比，女性企业家通过防御策略克服了危机。由于大流行，大多数女企业家失去了收入、劳动力和客户。男企业家一直维持着员工的最低工资，但他们在收入和客户方面遭受了同样的损失。调查结果表明，在女性拥有的企业类别中，较低的财务业绩表明那些在纺织业和美容院经营的企业。在男性创业的公司中，估计损失最大的是奢侈品珠宝行业和餐馆，而药店、超市和洗涤剂制造公司被证明是有利可图的。即使是表现出高财务业绩的公司，也因大流行而在原材料供应方面遇到了相当大的问题。这项研究将为我国的中小企业提供有用的建议，以就上述问题做出正确的决定。

研究限制/影响

本研究存在一些局限性，应将其视为未来研究的指南。首先，这项研究仅包括位于斯科普里市的阿尔巴尼亚企业家。如果我们增加来自北马其顿更多城市的更多阿尔巴尼亚企业家，调查将完成。其次，考虑到本文的主题是新的，我们没有足够的文献来比较或丰富研究。第三，由于当前的疫情形势，我们很难通过电话说服企业家回答我们的问卷。

原创性/价值

本文探讨了一个新主题，比较阿尔巴尼亚企业家在克服北马其顿斯科普里大流行病时基于性别的行为。