Exploring entrepreneurs’ responses to the Covid-19 crisis

Abstract

The study investigates the entrepreneurial responses of a wide range of entrepreneurs in Cape Town who faced economic adversity during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is limited research with a paucity in the knowledge on how entrepreneurs deal with external threats. My research is an attempt to address this by focusing on entrepreneurs in Cape Town and understanding their responses. My theoretical approach combines insights from prosocial interactive theory, effectuation thinking and the debates on opportunity identification and creation. The framework allows me to investigate the iterative processes between the entrepreneur and her environment using effectuation thinking to discover or create opportunities.