Online Working and Business Perfor-mance: A Case Study of Small Business in Iraq for the Period Pre-And Post- the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

Small business occupy great importance in any of the global economies, especial-ly since their participation represents the largest percentage in the national econo-mies compared to the major projects or companies. The current study came in an attempt to define the importance of small business in Iraq, and to clarify the role of adopting Internet services in improving the performance of these businesses. This study was started in November of 2019, and because the world in general, and Iraq in particular, was affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the beginning of 2020, the aspects of the study were expanded to extend to May of 2020, and thus a simple comparison of the opinions of the study sample before and after COVID-19. The main objective of the current study is to know the role of online work adoption in improving small business performance in Iraq. The problem was attempting to determine the nature of the work of small business in Iraq, and how the Internet contributes to improving its performance. The study population was represented in the small business operating in Iraq, while the study sample consisted of (39) small business, (26) of which are entirely online, such as clothing sales, cosmetics, electronic devices, and websites design and construction business. In addition to (13) business that perform some of its activities via Internet, such as selling home furniture, computers selling, and fast food restaurants. The sample was reached in two periods, before and after the COVID-19. The study used a number of sta-tistical methods, including descriptive and inferential statistics that analyzed using the SPSS, v22 program. The study reached a set of results, including a positive and significant correlation between working via Internet and managing small business, and improving their efficiency. As well as the high effect of working via Internet in managing small business for the post-pandemic period. While the most important recommendations of the study included the necessity of government support for small projects by financing and contributing to the marketing of their outputs, as well as the importance of holding social workshops aimed at increasing awareness
of small projects, and their role in addressing the social problems.