Track: Digital Manufacturing

Abstract

Pandemics have been an unfortunate but consistent facet of human existence over centuries, intimidating lives and causing the unprecedented business crisis, especially to small businesses of emerging economies.  The world has faced severe socio-economic consequences due to unparalleled health crises caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by burgeoning academic interest in contemplating the COVID-19 pandemic as a great digital accelerator, this paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital transformation of business models of small businesses. More particularly, the article offers specific expressions on whether and how the COVID-19 outbreak is hastening and causing digital transformation in small businesses of emerging economies. The key conclusions of this study can be helpful to small business startups and established businesses that aim to discover or apprehend prospects in the digital transformation of business models during a pandemic like COVID-19.