IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMS IN SMALL ENTERPRISES IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

As in the rest of the world, the economy of the Republic of Kosovo has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation created as a result of the pandemic has mostly affected micro-enterprises and small enterprises. For this reason, this paper has targeted small enterprises, to get a closer look at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the problems it has caused in the economy and in small enterprises in particular. The main purpose of this paper is to identify the problems of small businesses in two periods: Quarantine period March-May 2020, when almost everything was paralyzed and only a few businesses were allowed to operate and The period after the removal of most of the restrictive measures imposed by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, namely the removal of quarantine. The results of this paper are derived from the research work, respectively the empirical analysis (questionnaire) conducted with 60 small businesses of the Republic of Kosovo. Data analysis was done with SPSS statistical program. From the 21 Trade businesses surveyed, most were closed in the two-month quarantine period. The largest percentage of Manufacturing businesses have operated with limited capacity. Trade businesses (21)that participated in the survey, 26.7% are facing a reduction in the number of customers. Manufacturing businesses as a more pronounced problem have presented reduced productivity and lack of liquidity.