Resilience to Covid-19 pandemic crisis as Benefit Corporation - The case of an Italian SME

Purpose: The paper explores how being a benefit corporation increases the likelihood of SMEs of adopting a self-resilient approach, when coping with crises. Design/Methodology/approach: The analysis involves a qualitative approach based on a case study. Main information sources are secondary data and interviews. Findings: The study shows how being a benefit corporation enhances a resilient approach aligned with Pal et al. (2014)’s framework and the ability to grow even during Covid-19 downturn. Practical and social implications: The study offers insights to practitioners on how to build a more resilient structure to cope with disruptive events and crises and underlines how sustainable and innovative business models – such as being a Benefit Corporation – enhance resilience. In this sense, the paper supports transitions towards more sustainable business models. Originality of the study: The paper provides an innovative practical perspective on resilience theory, integrating Pal et al. (2014)’s framework with the Benefit Corporation phenomenon. Moreover, the study contributes to existing resilience literature, with specific regard to SMEs.