Crisis Management for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Strategies for External Crises

This book provides an in-depth introduction to crisis management and leadership in SMEs, as well as methods, approaches and cases against the background of different crises; external ones in particular. Featuring contributions from research and practice, this book covers a plethora of SMEs from different sectors to match the diverse nature of small business practice. The combination of a sound theoretical framework for small firm crisis management along with practical instruments/methods and cases, help to improve the organizational resilience of SMEs. The authors also guide the reader to resources beyond the book, including an online “Crisis Toolkit” comprised of material such as further publications, crisis management blueprints, guidelines, checklists, and company cases on crisis management-related issues.

Susanne Durst is a Tenured Full Professor of Entrepreneurship, and Head of the Entrepreneurship and International Business unit, at the Department of Business Administration at Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia). She is also a Full Professor of Business Administration, School of Business at the University of Skövde (Sweden). Her research interests include small business management, knowledge (risk) management, innovation management, responsible digitalization and sustainable business development. She has been conducting several national and international research projects. Her work has been awarded different awards and has been published in international peer-reviewed journals. Before joining academia, she worked with private enterprises of different sizes and industries.

Thomas Henschel is Professor of Management Accounting at the Business School of Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (Germany). He has held visiting positions at universities in Sweden, United Kingdom and Italy. His specific research interests are in the areas of risk management and crisis management in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He has published widely in academic journals and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of International Business and Economic Affairs