Abstract
In this paper we examine the implications that a crisis such as that created by COVID-19 has for the psychological well-being of small business owners. We use the psychological literature on grief, specifically, the Kübler-Ross (1969) Five Stage Model of Grief to examine the impacts. Our review of the literature indicates that although there are critics of a stage based approach there are also advocates for the use of stages to help us frame and understand the manifestations of grief. Data was collected from forty small business owners based in Ireland. Data was collected five times over a period of six months (March-September 2020). The outcome is a five-stage model of business grief. The findings provide insights into the emotional relationship between an owner and their small business. We propose that a business closure can cause small business owners to grieve in a manner that aligns with a series of stages and that these stages can be modelled and illustrated.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e00282 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Business Venturing Insights |
Volume | 16 |
Early online date | 8 Oct 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - Nov 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:the authors wish to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of the associate editor and the reviewer. Their guidance and recommendations have resulted in significant improvements to this paper.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
Keywords
- Business crisis
- Kübler-Ross
- Business Grief
- covid-19
- SME's