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The purpose of this study is to examine factors contributing to family firms’ survival in the ongoing COVID-19 crisis; in this endeavour, the study espouses the underpinnings of social exchange theory and entrepreneurial resilience.

The views of 128 Italian family micro and small-sized firm owners/managers operating in different industries were gathered through an online questionnaire.

The analysis uncovers 12 fundamental factors contributing to firms’ survival; these are encapsulated in three dimensions and presented in two theoretical frameworks. The “beneficiary” dimension stresses the support from various internal and external stakeholders, while the “benefactor” dimension illustrates the commitment to extend the family tradition and be responsive to stakeholders. Finally, the “immersion/embeddedness” dimension denotes firms’ entrepreneurial behaviour, agility, decision-making and drive.

Firstly, and from a practitioner perspective, this study addresses recognised knowledge and research gaps in contemporary family business research, including how family firms are confronting the current unprecedented crisis. This response to current extant gaps provides first-hand empirical findings that could be primarily considered by industry stakeholders. Secondly, and from a theoretical angle, the aforementioned dimensions revealed through the analysis, coupled with the development of a theoretical framework, contribute to conceptual rigour and, therefore, a deeper understanding of family firms’ journey through an unprecedented event.

The purpose of this study is to examine how micro and small craft brewery operators perceive and operationalise innovation. Moreover, in adopting the theory of innovation, the study addresses two under-researched areas, namely, innovation among micro and small firms and innovation in the context of the emerging craft brewing industry.

The perspectives of 163 craft brewery operators located in Italy, Spain, and the UK were gathered through online questionnaires. In total, 24 face-to-face and telephone interviews with operators from the three nations complemented the data collection process. Thus, in total, 187 operators participated.

Development of new craft beer styles, new recipes, exploring with various ingredients, improving quality, or involvement in social media and culinary tourism were predominant forms participants perceived innovation. Various differences regarding innovation adoption were noticed, particularly based on participants’ country and on their role at the brewery. Furthermore, associations between the findings and the dimensions of the theory of innovation were confirmed.

This study is original, in that it represents a first effort in comparing perceptions of craft brewery operators across various countries. This comparison identifies ways in which craft brewery operators could maximise the potential of their firms. For example, the manifested interest in innovating through new craft beer recipes, or blending gastronomy and craft beer underlines alternative forms of adding value to craft brewing production. Importantly, some of these innovating practices differ based on participants’ country; such differences could also be considered by craft brewery operators.

The purpose of this study is to examine consumers’ relationship with wine during the COVID-19 crisis and associated implications for hospitality and tourism operations. Despite the severe impacts of COVID-19’s aftermath, including recent reports of a global decrease in wine consumption, academic research has neglected this domain. Consequently, there is an empirical and conceptual vacuum that the present research will address.

The study proposes a comparative investigation, with data gathered from 241 Italian and Spanish wine consumers through an online questionnaire.

Overall, the analysis reveals marginal changes in wine consumption during the crisis. At the same time, however, an increased interest for more wine events and an organised wine route, for learning more about wines and new wine harvests, and the influence of comments from others in enhancing one’s wine knowledge during the crisis is also identified.

The study is one of the few studies conducted to date that seek to ascertain the extent to which wine consumers’ involvement with wine has changed during a major crisis. The findings and subsequent analysis contribute to the development of five distinctive dimensions associated with consumers: the more involved/interested, the inquisitive/explorer, the non-traditional/avid, the frugal/less involved and the conservative/avid. The first two dimensions, which are supported by mean scores close to the level of agreement (mean = 4.0) have a number of practical and conceptual implications. In addition, a conceptual framework illustrating various conceptual/empirical relationships is proposed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore innovation among micro and small business operators in Italy’s wine industry. Moreover, in adopting the theory of innovation, the study examines winery operators’ perceptions on innovation, ways in which wineries are innovating and whether participants’ responses vary based on demographic characteristics.

An online questionnaire designed for this study gathered the responses of 211 participants, composed by owners, winemakers, directors and business partners.

Innovation is fundamentally associated with minimising ecological footprint, investments, making improvements in the winery, adapting to trends and new consumer demands and, importantly, with maintaining traditions while enhancing the quality of the wines. Further, participants primarily agree with involvement in wine tourism and adoption of social media as predominant forms of innovating. Several inter-group differences particularly based on levels of wine production and size of the winery emerged. Overall, the findings align with the dimensions of the theory of innovation, namely, benefits, costs, resources and discounting factors.

Despite the significance of Italy’s wine industry, in terms of exports and consumption on a global scale, academic research focusing on this industry’s innovative practices has been limited. Similarly, there is scant research on innovation among micro and small firms, or on industries relevant to countries’ socio-economic capital. This exploratory study provides an element of originality and value, exploring and contributing to the literature on these under-researched areas.

The purpose of this study is to shed new light on empirical and conceptual aspects related to chefs’ careers and the hospitality sector. The study examines how the future of the chef’s profession is perceived, how future generations of chefs could be developed and the main emerging trends within the chef’s scene.

Semi-structured, face-to-face, online and telephone interviews were conducted with 34 chefs operating in Australia and 35 in Vietnam.

The findings reveal ten dimensions that strongly adhere to knowledge management (KM) and the notions of the knowledge-based view of the firm. In addition, numerous differences in how the two groups perceived aspects of their careers transpire. Based on these findings, a conceptual framework was developed, with important theoretical and practical implications.

The importance of KM through talent development, mentoring, creating a learning environment and enhancing problem-solving skills is highlighted.

While scholarly works emphasise chefs’ value, importance and contributions, little is known about the links between their careers and KM. Furthermore, almost no study has compared chefs across geographic/cultural domains. The study addresses these research gaps and contributes to the conceptual understanding of KM within the chefs’ domain.

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm is adopted to explore the most important resources among micro and small firms operating in Italy’s wine industry. Second, the study incorporates a SWOT analysis to examine perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats based on the perceptions of owners and managers of these firms.

An online questionnaire was designed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from Italian wineries; a total of 211 firms participated in the study.

Product quality, managerial/staff capabilities, knowledge, reputation, service quality and the territory/region emerge as most important resources, clearly aligning with the attributes of the RBV, namely, valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and (non)substitutable resources. However, based on the RBV, the future-sustained competitive advantage is threatened by, among other factors, the firm’s finances, competition, red tape and the complexity of increasing sales.

Fundamentally, the research contributes to micro and small enterprise literature, and to the limited number of studies that have used the RBV of the firm in the context of micro and small wineries. This theoretical framework is used among wineries of one of the world’s leading wine producing nations. Some dimensions of this country’s wine industry have received limited academic attention. In addition, the study provides practical value in identifying resources, limitations, and threats at a time when micro and small wineries are seeking to develop or increase their international presence.

The purpose of this study is to examine how commercial beekeepers operating in two different nations perceive their role towards their community and society. The realms of role theory will be adopted.

Data among 144 commercial beekeepers operating in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom (UK) were gathered through an online questionnaire. The design of the questionnaire, which allowed extended comments from the participating commercial beekeepers, validated the use of the inductive analysis approach that enabled the emergence of various distinctive themes, and the development of a theoretical framework.

Participants from both New Zealand and UK recognised similar ways of making a positive impact. Moreover, they agreed that their contribution spanned from pollinating fields and orchards, to improving food production and preserving nature. Nevertheless, the two groups also differed in their views, notably, of the degree of knowledge or awareness among stakeholders concerning beekeepers’ contribution.

By using a comparative view of how commercial beekeepers perceive their role vis-à-vis their wider community, this study addresses a call for rethinking the social value added that emanates from entrepreneurial activities, and how such value can affect society. Furthermore, in adopting social role theory, the study proposes a framework where strong associations between the empirical results and the tenets of social role theory are revealed. This framework affords a lens through which food-producing activities aimed at balancing producers’ commercial and environmental imperatives and their relationship with broader societal expectations could be reflected upon.

The purpose of this study is to examine the significance of knowledge management as a tool for firms to adapt to an ongoing unprecedented crisis. Moreover, in considering the knowledge-based view of the firm, the study will ascertain the impacts, lessons learnt and how firms envisage their future under the current unpredictable regime from the viewpoints of firm owners/managers.

A qualitative data collection approach was selected, with face-to-face and online interviews undertaken with owners/managers of 33 firms operating in Singapore.

The data analysis reveals as many as eight dimensions pertaining to impacts, lessons learnt and the envisioned future of the firms. The relevance of knowledge management emerged, for instance, in supporting firms and staff to overcome initial challenges after the crisis became apparent. Knowledge management was also an exemplar of lessons learnt, through new knowledge development, strengthening links with consumers, through operational skilfulness and awareness, as well as in explaining how firms envision their future. These findings also underscore key tenets of the knowledge-based view of the firm.

Conceptually, the proposed dimensions stemming from the three examined research questions, together with the propositions and theoretical framework, contribute to a deeper understanding of the links between knowledge management and how firms confront a severe crisis. Empirically, the findings’ highlighted associations with knowledge management elements to illuminate how firms address the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as the lessons learnt and the envisioned future of firms operating under severe crisis conditions.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects and ways to confront the devastating effects of the COVID-19 crisis and develop a theoretical framework to facilitate understanding of these aspects from the perspective of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In doing so, the fundamental insights of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, bricolage and improvisation are considered.

The study draws on data from 56 business owners-managers operating in eight different nations and representing three geographical regions; the data were gathered through an online questionnaire.

Various differences in responses from participants operating in the featured geographical settings were revealed. For instance, whereas a higher percentage of South American participants acknowledged financial impacts, they and their European counterparts were also more engaged.

The study provides various original and valuable elements. First, by gathering data from business owners-managers operating in different countries and geographical regions, it provides an international perspective concerning ways in which business operators confront an extreme event. Second, and related to the previous point, the study focusses on a business group (MSMEs), which is fundamental for many nations’ economies. Moreover, the experiences of MSMEs could be timely and insightful to industry and business stakeholders. Third, the proposed theoretical framework highlights various emerging dimensions associated with adaptation and responsiveness, with both theoretical and practical implications.

The purpose of this study is to build an understanding of how firms operate under the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, the study examines the significance of firms’ survival for their surrounding community, business–community relations during this severe situation and factors helping firms address this unprecedented challenge. The conceptual tenets of stakeholder theory are considered.

A qualitative data collection approach was selected, with face-to-face and online interviews undertaken with owners and managers of 33 firms operating in Singapore.

Firstly, while survival during the current unprecedented crisis is perceived to be most important for the firms’ employees, owners/managers also perceive domino effects on other companies working alongside the participating firms, as well as effects on clients and suppliers. Secondly, increased collaboration with industry, stronger partnerships with suppliers and business partners and closer relationships with staff are highlighted during the crisis. Thirdly, key factors helping firms’ survival in the initial year of the crisis included: a clear goal; a cohesive/nimble staff team; reinventing, adapting and being resilient; and family support and management support.

This study contributes empirically and conceptually to the literature on firm adaptation and firm–community relationships during a severe crisis. Empirically, the findings and related dimensions provide practical guidance concerning the interdependence between firms and their stakeholders. Conceptually, the inductive analysis, which enabled the development of a theoretical framework, illustrates the relationships between the study’s emerging dimensions and those predicated by stakeholder theory, namely, the descriptive, instrumental, normative and managerial.