Chapter 8: The COVID-19 Pandemic Overlaps Entrepreneurial Activities and Triggered New Challenges: A Review Study

The aim of the study is to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has taken entrepreneurship in its fold across different situations and from different geographic locations. This is a review study in which an extensive review is conducted from extant and relevant literature. The searching of the articles is based on the major research constructs of the study, which are entrepreneurship, small business, SMEs, entrepreneurs, and employees with relation to the COVID-19. As COVID-19 is a burning issue, therefore, the time frame of the search was from January 2020 to January 2021. Based on the review, a conceptual model was developed in which hypotheses are proposed. The finding of the study indicates that small business is always vulnerable in disasters as compared to any other forms of the economic mechanism. Entrepreneurial activities are at the front to receive warnings and threats from the pandemic situation where survival becomes very challenging without the support and relief of the respective countries’ government and their policies. This study provides implications for international organisations, non-government organisations, government agencies, and policymakers to design strategies and approaches to support small businesses through different relief and packages. This study contributes to the literature and enhances understanding about the COVID-19, and its influence on the entrepreneurial activities. However, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this is a novel study that incorporates more emphasis on entrepreneurs, employees, and SMEs into the research on COVID-19.