Introduction to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and the COVID-19 Response

This introductory chapter introduces the overall theme, discusses critical aspects of the topic, and briefly reviews the content of the volume in five parts. Following introduction, the next part examines if the evolving field of IE is theoretically well prepared for an unexpected global crisis and could effectively guide internationalized, and aspiring to internationalize, SMEs (iSMEs) safely navigate through a global crisis. The third part explores the extent of difficulties that SMEs and iSMES, have experienced due to pandemic's restrictions have faced. Part four examines how SMEs and iSMEs could potentially strategize and reconfigure their capabilities and resources to minimize an emerging crisis' damages and take advantage of its opportunities. This part also features four case studies of Canadian successful firms that took advantage of the opportunities and policy environment's incentives to accomplish their objectives. The last part provides a glance at the five parts and the highlight of the 16 other chapters containing more than 20 case-studies and a window to the future aiming to avert the next emerging crisis.