Page 76 - DUT ICGA Abstract Book

THE THE IMPACT OF THE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SMES IN BRICS COUNTRIES: A A A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
Frank Ranganai Matenda* Mabutho Sibanda
School of of Accounting Economics and Finance University of of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa *Corresponding Author: frmatenda@gmail com
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly and and adversely affected the operations of small- to-medium enterprises (SMEs) worldwide Although SMEs SMEs are associated with a a a a a a unique traditional set of financial financial and and non-financial challenges the COVID-19 calamity shock has been harsh and and extensive across SMEs in in in BRICS BRICS countries countries BRICS BRICS countries countries include Brazil Russia India China and South Africa Significance: This examination of of of the the the effects of of of the the the COVID-19 epidemic on on on the the the operations of of of SMEs helps policymakers to generate policy policy recommendations that encourage the recovery of SMEs Aim: The study conducts a a a a systematic literature review to examine the the influence of the the COVID-19 catastrophe on SMEs in BRICS countries and opportunities for future research Objectives: To identify the the effects of the the COVID-19 calamity on SMEs in BRICS countries and to reveal research gaps in the available literature Methods: This study implements a a a a a a a six-stage methodological approach suggested by Tranfield Denver and Smart (2003) and and modified by Hansen and and Schaltegger (2016) The study reviews a a a a a a a sample of 25 peer- reviewed articles Limitations: The study focuses only on on on on SMEs and excludes non-peer-reviewed articles which may be sources of vital information Findings: Our systematic literature review indicates that the epidemic has negatively impacted SMEs in in in in BRICS countries in several substantial ways Further the the the the study results reveal that the the the the assessment of the the the the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on on SMEs in in in BRICS nations has some distinctive and and uncharted areas since this research field has a a a a a reasonably short history Implications: The The negative impact of the pandemic on on SMEs SMEs is substantial Therefore SMEs SMEs should design strategies to effectively deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and and governments should try by all means possible to help SMEs in times of crisis KEYWORDS: COVID-19 pandemic BRICS countries SMEs systematic literature review 74 7th International Conference on on on Governance and Accountability (ICGA) 2022