Business continuity, disaster readiness and performance in COVID-19 outbreak aftermath: A survey

Jamal El Baz; Salomée Ruel

doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2022.09.407

Business continuity, disaster readiness and performance in COVID-19 outbreak aftermath: A survey

IFAC Pap OnLine. 2022;55(10):323-328. doi: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2022.09.407. Epub 2022 Oct 26.

Authors

Jamal El Baz¹, Salomée Ruel²

Affiliations

¹ Ibn Zohr University, ERRETLOG, BP 32/S, Riad Salam, CP 80000, Agadir, Morocco.
² KEDGE Business School, MOSI - Sustainability Excellence Center, 680 cours de la Libération, 334 05 Talence, France.

Abstract

Anchored in the COVID-19 context, this research seeks to examine the role of business continuity practices in improving both disaster readiness and business performance. A survey of 322 French firms was conducted and data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The findings corroborate the postulates of resource-based view and organizational information processing theories regarding business continuity practices in COVID-19 context. Firms that improve their disaster readiness (B=.243; p-value=.008**) and their business continuity practices (B=.173; p-value=.038*) are more capable of enhancing their performance. The findings raise some questions regarding the validity of the preexisting knowledge on business continuity and disaster readiness in the context of COVID-19.

Keywords: Business continuity; COVID-19; disaster readiness; financial performance; pandemic.