Description
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has re-oriented relationships amongst ourselves, businesses, governments and to the global supply chain in many ways. These changes present uncertainity on how the known old culture of doings things will ever be re-established, if it ever will. What is clear though, is that there are more sophisticated ways of doing business, meeting, schooling, shopping amongst many that have emerged for nations, Kenya included. SMEs had in recent years emerged as critical players to Kenya’s gross domestic product and employment creation . These gains are feared to change drastically if cautionary measures are not put in place to cushion the SMEs from adverse effects of COVID-19. The shut downs in global supply chains have left virtually all of Kenya’s economic sectors adversely affected with thousands of people now facing unemployment, reduced government revenue and created reduced business operations to name but a few.. The main objective of this study is to explore the effects of COVID -19 on the business continuity of SMEs in Kenya. The specific objectives are : assess the economic effects of cash flow challenges on business continuity ; Determine the perceptions for business recovery resulting from stimulus packages by the government ; Assess the effects of supply chain barriers on business continuity ; Determine the effect of employment contracts on business continuity ; and assess the effect of innovations on business continuity to rescue them from economic shocks of COVID-19. The research will employ descriptive and inferential statistics. The research will be significant to the Government, SMEs, academic researchers and Global SME funding insttutions for policy formulation for post COVID-19 survival.The study population will be SMEs in Nyeri County. Primary data will be collected using a five point likert scale questionnare administered to the targeted population.
Key Words: SMEs ; Business Continuity ;
