This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.K. third-sector (nonprofit organizations and social enterprises) and socially oriented small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and provides insights regarding their organizational resilience. Using data from the Longitudinal Small Business Survey, the results of an extensive empirical analysis suggest that relative to commercial (for-profit) SMEs, social enterprises were less likely, and socially oriented SMEs more likely to perceive the pandemic as an obstacle to business success. Third-sector and socially oriented SMEs were more likely to increase their activities compared to commercial SMEs. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a differential impact on the future plans of third-sector and socially oriented SMEs relative to commercial SMEs. Third-sector organizations were less likely to use government-backed loans, suggesting a need for alternative forms of support or financing to weather economic disruptions. Overall, our analysis suggests a resiliency and versatility among third-sector and socially oriented SMEs in dealing with unexpected and significant external shocks.

中文翻译：

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应对不确定性：第三部门组织和面向社会的中小企业在 COVID-19 大流行期间的复原力

本文调查了 COVID-19 大流行对英国第三部门（非营利组织和社会企业）和面向社会的中小企业 (SME) 的影响，并提供了有关其组织弹性的见解。利用纵向小企业调查的数据，广泛的实证分析结果表明，相对于商业（营利性）中小企业，社会企业的可能性较小，而社会导向的中小企业更有可能将这种流行病视为商业成功的障碍。与商业中小企业相比，第三部门和社会导向的中小企业更有可能增加其活动。此外，相对于商业中小企业，COVID-19 大流行似乎对第三部门和社会导向型中小企业的未来计划产生了不同的影响。第三部门组织不太可能使用政府支持的贷款，这表明需要其他形式的支持或融资来应对经济混乱。总体而言，我们的分析表明，第三部门和面向社会的中小企业在应对意外和重大外部冲击方面具有弹性和多功能性。