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Resilience vs. survival: same song, new melody?

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  • Enrico Schötz

    (Brandenburg University of Technology)

Abstract

Does a firms resilience distinguish itself from its mere probability of survival in a way that justifies the expanding research? Answers to this question are found through a novel, systematic literature review focusing on the company’s life phase and its type of market exit. A comparison with current resilience literature shows that the concept of static resilience is closely related to survival probability considerations. It is suitable for examining indicators that act absorptive during disruptive phases of companies. The integration of dynamic resilience proves to be an achievement that sets the topic apart from pure corporate survival and develops it further. The close connection with innovative actions and differentiated results regarding its impact on survival probability jointly justifies the need for new measures of resilience for future empirical research.

Suggested Citation

  • Enrico Schötz, 2025. "Resilience vs. survival: same song, new melody?," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 1-29, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:futbus:v:11:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1186_s43093-025-00427-8
    DOI: 10.1186/s43093-025-00427-8
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business exit; Firm resilience; Firm survival; Survival probability;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D29 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Other
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General

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