Title: Dynamic and adaptive resilience of small businesses after the 2015 Nepal earthquake

Authors: Ali Asgary; Jiaya Wang; Sushan Pradhan

Addresses: School of Administrative Studies, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada ' School of Administrative Studies, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada ' School of Administrative Studies, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

Abstract: This study examines small business' resilience following the 2015 Nepal earthquake using data collected through a questionnaire nearly two years after the earthquake. The findings show that most sampled businesses were not equipped with inherent and built-in resilience because majority of them did not have risk management and business continuity plans. However, findings confirm that most of the sampled businesses resumed operations reasonably quick and were able to fully recover within two years after the disaster demonstrating their high adaptive and dynamic resilience. While significant correlations between the earthquake impacts and the dynamic resilience was not observed, financial factors, particularly business' use of their own savings and family support showed highest correlations with the dynamic resilience and recovery. Findings also reveal that small businesses in a developing country such as Nepal can become more resilient if they are provided with the resources and support to enhance their static and inherent resilience.

Keywords: Nepal earthquake; business resilience; dynamic resilience; business continuity; risk management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBCRM.2022.121649

International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management, 2022 Vol.12 No.1, pp.62 - 75

Received: 05 Feb 2020
Accepted: 20 Jun 2020
Published online: 23 Mar 2022 *

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