Adaptive Resilience of Asian American Pacific Islander Businesses in the Face of COVID-19 and Complex Events

Published

November 21, 2023

Author(s)

Jennifer Helgeson, Brianna Lin

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic and concurrent natural disasters, small businesses were hard hit by decreased consumer demand, supply chain interruptions, and increased costs. To understand the impacts of these complex, large-scale events and organizations' resilience, we surveyed and interviewed 34 U.S.-based small and medium-sized business (SMB) operators. We focused on SMB operators identifying as members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to evaluate the impacts of heightened anti-Asian hate during COVID-19. Results indicate that although AAPI-operated SMBs generally experienced shorter economic recovery times, approximately half of AAPI respondents expressed they faced instances of unspoken discrimination in the workplace. They indicated that being AAPI served as a chronic stressor and cited the presence of barriers in the professional space. Given these findings, there is evidence that AAPI firms encounter additional stressors, and the disparities faced by AAPI operators may be connected to greater resilience during complex events.

Citation

Journal of Small Business Management

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

Asian American and Pacific Islander, complex events, COVID-19, natural hazards, small business resilience

Citation

Helgeson, J. and Lin, B. (2023), Adaptive Resilience of Asian American Pacific Islander Businesses in the Face of COVID-19 and Complex Events, Journal of Small Business Management (Accessed July 18, 2024)