Auswirkungen von SARS-CoV-2-Maßnahmen auf die Wirtschaftstätigkeit im Aus-land - und auf Arbeitsplätze im Inland

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as well as the measures taken to reduce its human cost represent challenges to most, if not all, firms in Vienna and Austria. Strategy research provides strong evidence that how decision makers in firms perceive and frame a specific situation (e.g., threat vs opportunity; intensity of a threat or an opportunity; time-horizon) has major implications for both short- and longer-term firm strategy and internationalization processes. We therefore propose to analyze how corporate decision makers’ perceptions (at different points in time over the next weeks/month) of the SARS-CoV-2-challenge influence firms’ future national and international investment strategies. Results will be of relevance to international business theory as they provide evidence on the relationship between the perceptions of the challenge and firm strategy. They will also be of relevance to policy-makers as results will provide recommendations on how policy makers can communicate to firms in order to shape decision makers’ perceptions and to minimize detrimental economic consequences. In turn, the economy may be able to minimize losses in the 50% of jobs in Austria that are driven by international business activities.