COVID-19 Crisis and Indian Kirana Shopkeeper’s Business Continuity and Sustainability Initiatives: Study During the First Unlock Stage

Abstract

This research study ascertained how street corner small shops (called kirana shops in India) in Indian urban landscape adopted resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities view (DCV) perspectives to strategize regarding unlocking initiatives, process, operational change, and business continuance post COVID-19 pandemic and economic lockdown. The authors used qualitative research method with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire to collect the data. Thematic content analysis was applied for data analysis. The data was collected in June 2020 in India when the initial unlock process was going on. The application of Situation Actor Process–Learning Action Performance (SAP-LAP) framework in conjunction with strategic management theories such as RBV and DCV provided a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. This study was also a demonstration of how a critical crisis situation like COVID-19 could relate to the SAP-LAP framework. The author found that shopkeepers developed new sets of valuable and rare and inimitable resources and capabilities. While all the aspects of sensing, seizing, and reconfiguration were attained to while devising the shops reopening strategies, new sets of resources and capabilities to attend to customers were also developed.