Management of Cameroonian small businesses in a COVID-19 situation

Abstract

This lamentable situation has imposed on companies the restrictions that more or less impact their sectors of economic activity. Small enterprises, in their efforts to constantly seek stability in their economic activities, despite the difficulties they encounter on a daily basis, have been considerably affected by this disease during their operation. Because the closure of borders and certain economic structures, the lockdown, as well as other measures taken by most States in the world, have affected the normal functioning of the majority of socio-economic entities in general and that of small businesses in particular. Notwithstanding the deceleration of restrictions imposed by this pandemic, the situation of small businesses remains worrying not only because it is fragile and may no longer bear the harmful consequences of this crisis for a long time, but also because it employs a significant number of people. Thus, this study questions the difficulties faced by Small Cameroonian businesses because of covid-19 and the possible alternatives that can improve their operation in this period. Using the hypothetical-deductive method, the Chi-Two, Cramer Contingency Coefficients and V tests are used on a sample of 266 small businesses observed over the July-September 2020 period. At the end of these investigations, two main results emerge. The level of disruption impact of small business operations dictates their current operation. The difficulties related to the pandemic are causing the decline in the turnover of small businesses. Therefore, small businesses need to adapt their operations and activities to survive in this covid-19 context.

JEL Classification : L19, M1, M3.

Paper type: Empirical research.