Abstract
This chapter asks which strategies a European SME could adopt to become more competitive vis-à-vis non-European suppliers and thus increase its market share in Europe? Likewise, which strategies could be adopted to become as competitive as possible as a supplier outside Europe? Our illustrative cases demonstrate that COVID-19 crisis has not changed purchasing organizations' preferences dramatically. Reliable and stable supplies remain essential to customer demands, but their importance seems to have increased during COVID-19 pandemic. The literature review and the two illustrative case examples provided similar responses that increased supply chain digitalization and automation seem to be viable tools for European SME suppliers to increase competitiveness in regional as well as in distant markets.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Small and medium sized enterprises and the COVID-19 response : Global Perspectives on Entrepreneurial Crisis Management |
| Editors | Hamid Etemad |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
| Publication date | Apr 2022 |
| Pages | 306-322 |
| Chapter | 13 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781802205763 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781802205770 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Hamid Etemad 2022. All rights reserved.