The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: challenges among Iranian startups

Abstract

The coronavirus outbreak has become a global issue with significant effects on capital markets, and the global economy; its impacts are estimated to be even more than the previous global recessions. In this interim, due to the impacts of this pandemic, startups are more prone to fail or succeed faster than ever before; however, the challenges they face are not yet clearly scrutinized, as the pandemic was faster than scholars. This study therefore investigates the main challenges of Iranian startups by interviewing the co-founders of fifteen well-known startups. The findings are analyzed through twostep coding, and findings were discussed in a focus group session to which startup co-founders, policymakers, and scholars were invited. It was revealed that there are six principal types of challenges to be addressed, including financial, human resources management, support measures and mechanisms, marketing, crisis management, as well as some others. RÉSUMÉ

Creative reconstruction: a structured literature review of the early empirical research on the COVID-19 crisis and entrepreneurship

“…Qualitative studies help to illuminate the challenges facing entrepreneurs (Kuckertz et al 2020 ; Salamzadeh and Dana 2020 ). Not only do entrepreneurs feel financial pressure, but also pressure in terms of managing their staff and adjusting to changing customer needs.…”

“…In contrast, however, uncertainty related to human resources seemed to decline—hiring and retaining personnel became easier, as the overall economic uncertainty negatively affected the job market for job seekers as well. Compared to established economic actors, particularly entrepreneurial ventures in the very early stages of development faced additional challenges; not only did they need to a) build and b) operate a growing organization (which already sets them apart from their established counterparts), but they had to engage in crisis management (Salamzadeh and Dana 2020 ), something they are not usually well prepared for. This uncertainty leads to the threat of non-development, that is, steps envisioned as necessary to establish the enterprise cannot be taken, and sometimes even the very existence of the venture is threatened (Kuckertz et al 2020 ).…”

“… Resilience Secondary quantitative Europe 296 capital market, money market, and alternative investment funds Univariate statistical analysis Replicates Mirza et al ( 2020 ), extends the timeframe Ruiz-Rosa et al ( 2020 ) How does the COVID-19 crisis influence social entrepreneurship intention? Uncertainty Primary quantitative Spain 558 students (324 pre-pandemic, 234 in-pandemic) Partial least squares Crisis significantly decreases social entrepreneurship intention Salamzadeh and Dana ( 2020 ) What are the challenges of startups in the COVID-19 crisis? Uncertainty Primary qualitative Iran 15 startups Interviews; focus groups Suggests six primary categories of challenges in the crisis Saleh ( 2020 ) What effect does the COVID-19 crisis have on the revenues of entrepreneurs?…”

Global Higher Education: Examining Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Agility and Adaptability

“…Global higher education institutions with the ability to adapt to the changes in their respective ecosystems will successfully survive. Conversely, the inability to cope with the changes will lead to failure (Kawamorita, Salamzadeh, Demiryurek, & Ghajarzadeh, 2020). Global higher education institutions that are transformative organizations continually adapt, adopt, and renew, as and when required due to the need to adapt or perish in the face of unprecedented change.…”

Stakeholder Management Strategies: The Special Case of Universities

“…Another reason to study stakeholder management in higher education is the well-documented call for substantive change in the sector (see Cavanaugh, 2018;Chamorro-Premuzic & Frankiewicz, 2019;Dennis, 2020;Pincus et al, 2017). Many universities across Canada and around the globe are in crisis (Austin-Smith, 2020;Kawamorita et al, 2020) with challenges to the traditional model of higher education coming from many quarters (Kimberly & Bouchiki, 2016). For example, as tuition fees continue to rise, politicians have begun to question the efficiency of university management, particularly in publicly funded institutions (Kimberly & Bouchiki, 2016).…”