The Function of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) During Turbulent Periods

The global health crisis and the war in Ukraine were unprecedented phenomena. They affected everyone around the world, brutally hit the economy, enterprises, and industries. The main objective of the study was to identify the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine on SME sector companies in Poland, to present the ways in which these companies cope in the pandemic crisis, but also to highlight how companies behave in turbulent periods. In order to achieve this, a systematic review of the literature was carried out using the diagnostic survey method. 349 small and medium-sized enterprises were surveyed in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland which is a border region where the effects of the conflict in Ukraine were felt particularly strongly. The analyses showed that the pandemic radically changed the economic conditions, became a source of many threats, especially for SME sector, and forced the development (often on an ongoing basis, ad hoc) of completely new business models. For the vast majority of companies, it was a huge challenge that they were unable to cope with. The pandemic was a source of new opportunities for development. The study also indicated the problems in the functioning of SME sector companies during the war in Ukraine. Entrepreneurs slowly began to cope with the post-pandemic situation, their companies were starting to get back on track when further problems appeared with the war. Results point to the need to carry out further, detailed research on the impact of the war in Ukraine on SME in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.