SUSTAINING AND SURVIVING SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS IN COVID-l9 SEASON

Abstract

Small and medium businesses play an important part in the country's socioeconomic growth. They are an appealing and large-scale innovative system. The sector is considered a strategic interest in an economy because of the socially and economically beneficial effects of SMEs. Since the emergence of COVID-l9, most business transactions have seen poor sales, with most SMEs reporting a decrease in their source of revenue. Therefore, the purpose of this research study is to explore sustaining and surviving small and medium business in covid-19 season. This research examines the existing levels of sustaining and surviving small and medium business in Covid-19 season, the relationship between sustaining and surviving small and medium business in Covid-l9 season, and determine whether Covid-l9 pandemic have an effect on sustaining and surviving of small and medium enterprises in Ampara District. To achieve main purpose of the research study, researcher used three independent variables such as cost leadership strategy, product differentiation strategy, and focus on market strategy. Further, researcher used SME sustaining and surviving as a dependent variables of this study. This research study relies on a data set derived its survey of 210 sample of small and medium business in Ampara. Tlie quantitative research approach used for this research. The data were analyzedusing descriptive statistics, Pearson coirelation, and regression analysis. The findings exhibited that, there was a positive relationship between cost leadership strategy and firm sustaining and sulvival, product differentiation strategy and firm sustaining and survival, focus on market strategy and firm sustaining and survival of small and medium enterprises in Ampara- Lastly, the result indicated that there is a positive impact of Covid-19 pandemic have an effect on firm sustaining and surviving of small and medium enterprises in Ampara