Abstract External environment of an organization includes a variety of factors, whose existence, influence its behavior and performance. The action of these factors may be direct (for example, the actions of competitors) or indirect (for example, changes in business climate), and external...

This paper examines the results of a case study analysis carried out on five small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the furnishing sector of an Italian province. The aim of the study was to analyze which kind of strategies SMEs are adopting in order to face the economic crisis...