Enterprise Size and Industry as Factors of Enterprise Vulnerability in the Times of the Crisis –Analytical Approach

Abstract

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of any economy. Thanks to their characteristics, they represent important partners in the supply chain. However, on the other hand, crisis situations make them vulnerable and thus a weak link of the chain. To be resilient in times of crisis, SMEs need to think strategically and increase their success in adapting to changing circumstances. In that sense, the subject of the paper is the analysis of the impact of the latest, still on-going crisis on business performance, primarily of SMEs. The subject of the analysis are enterprises operating at the territory of the Republic of Serbia, of different sizes and industry, in order to establish potential significant differences in the manifestation of the effects of the crisis on their performance. Data analysis, as well as testing the significance of the difference in the examined values of selected indicators with regard to size and industry, will be conducted in the appropriate programming language, using adequate statistical methods. The aim of the analysis is to identify short-term consequences of the crisis on SMEs, as well as preconditions for their easier overcoming.