Strategies used in rebuilding small businesses after Hurricane Katrina: A qualitative investigation in the South Central United States.

摘要

Small businesses rebuilding in an erratic business climate faced many challenges to business continuity after a natural disaster. The qualitative study of 10 restaurant owners explored business recovery and continuity strategies employed in a region impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and, the alignment of those strategies with local governments' strategic visions. Lessons from the study can serve as feedback to relevant stakeholders (small business owners, local leaders, and future researchers), as insight into future rebuilding efforts, and to spawn research in the field of small business strategy. Strategies were derived from small business owners' descriptions of their experiences in retrospect in terms of the personal, stakeholder, and industry/environmental factors associated with decisions to rebuild their businesses. Hypotheses were developed from the extant literature on strategic behaviors in relation to partnerships between local governments and small businesses. Theory on stakeholder behavior in turbulent or uncertain business environments drove two hypotheses--one related to cooperation and the other related to the potential for threat. Context analysis of the retrospective experiences allowed the strategies to be categorized based on a continuum from entrepreneurial to engineering. Raw data took the form of digitally-recorded, face-to-face researcher conversations with study participants. Data were analyzed to identify themes and essences of strategies that can help provide focus and direction to businesses, and can aid local government leaders in providing direction and making decisions during community rebuilding. Research into the development of a comprehensive Small Business Rebuilding Plan (SBRP) was recommended to support future rebuilding efforts.