Open Access

Ralf-Christian HärtingORCiD, Anna-Lena Rösch, Gianluca Serafino, Felix Häfner, Jörg BüechlORCiD

• Digital transformation has been a key driver of business model development for years. The COVID-19 pandemic affects organizations and society alike and makes it imperative to leverage emerging exogenous shocks to remain functioning and competitive. In this vein, COVID-19 has the revelatory power for organizations to re-invent themselves by re-adjusting their strategies including corresponding business models. Along with the need to engage in physical distancing, the call for digital solutions becomes even more critical. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) differ quantitatively and qualitatively from large corporations. Therefore, SMEs can navigate themselves more flexibly through disruptive environments. They are often regarded as the backbone of economies and deserve the attention of researchers for these reasons. The aim of our study is to examine potentials of digitization for small and medium-sized enterprises that are particularly impacted by exogeneous determinants. On the one hand, the opportunities of digitization must be considered. On the other hand, the challenges and restrictions of the COVID-19 crisis are particularly relevant.