Saudi Electronic University College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
MGT402: Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Assignment 2 – Case Study Analysis: Entrepreneurial Resilience Spring Semester 2025-2026 (2nd Semester)
Due Date: 15 March 2026 @ 23:59 Total Marks: 10 Assignment Type: Individual
General Instructions Submit your work on Blackboard only, in WORD format, through the allocated folder. Email submissions will not be accepted. Present your analysis clearly and professionally so readers follow your reasoning without difficulty. Use Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced. Include a cover page with your name, ID, course code and CRN. Late submissions receive zero marks. All work must be original; plagiarism leads to zero. Reference any sources in APA 7th edition style.
Learning Outcomes Students complete this task to achieve the following:
- Examine real challenges that small businesses face in the Saudi market.
- Evaluate how personal traits and strategies support business survival during difficult periods.
Assignment Task Choose one small or medium enterprise operating in Saudi Arabia that experienced major difficulties, such as economic changes or the COVID-19 period. Write a case study analysis that explains how the entrepreneur built and maintained resilience. Base your discussion on actual events you researched and link them to concepts of internal locus of control and entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
Part 1: Background of the Business and Entrepreneur (3 Marks) Provide the company name, location, year of establishment and main products or services. Outline the owner’s prior experience and initial reasons for starting the venture.
Part 2: Challenges and Resilience Strategies (5 Marks) Detail the key obstacles the business encountered. Explain the actions the entrepreneur took to overcome them. Discuss how internal locus of control and self-efficacy appeared in those actions and supported continued operation.
Part 3: Lessons Learned and Recommendations (2 Marks) Summarise the main insights from the case. Suggest practical steps other Saudi entrepreneurs could adopt to strengthen their own resilience.
Your total submission should stay between 800 and 1,000 words. Support points with evidence from your research and at least two academic sources.
Submission Requirements & Marking Rubric
| Criterion | Marks | Excellent (full marks) | Good (partial) | Needs Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 – Background Details | 3 | Clear, accurate description with relevant facts | Basic information included | Missing key details or inaccurate |
| Part 2 – Challenges and Analysis | 5 | Thorough discussion of obstacles and traits with literature links | Adequate coverage but limited analysis | Weak or missing links to resilience factors |
| Part 3 – Lessons and Recommendations | 2 | Insightful conclusions and realistic suggestions | Some useful points offered | Vague or absent recommendations |
| Overall Presentation & Referencing | Integrated | Professional format, correct APA style | Minor errors in layout or citations | Poor organisation or referencing issues |
Sample Response Excerpt A Riyadh-based home-delivery food service launched in 2018 faced sharp demand drops and supply chain breaks in 2020. The founder kept daily operations running by negotiating directly with local farms and retraining staff for contactless service. He attributed every adjustment to his own decisions rather than external luck. That sense of personal control helped him view setbacks as temporary. Over time he gained confidence in adapting quickly, which allowed the business to recover and expand to three new neighbourhoods. Other owners in similar situations could copy his habit of daily progress reviews and staff skill updates.
Entrepreneurial self-efficacy mediated the link between internal locus of control and overall resilience for many small Saudi firms in recent years.
References Alshebami, A. S. (2023). Redefining resilience: The case of small entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10, Article 1118016. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1118016
Al-Mamary, Y. H., & Alshammari, N. M. (2020). The role of entrepreneurial education in developing entrepreneurial intention among Saudi university students. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 12(4), 567–589. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-10-2019-0154
Bilal, M., Alawadh, A., Rafi, N., & Akhtar, S. (2024). Analyzing the impact of Vision 2030’s economic reforms on Saudi Arabia’s consumer price index. Sustainability, 16(21), Article 9163. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219163
Kitsios, F., & Kamariotou, M. (2023). Digital innovation and entrepreneurship transformation through open data hackathons: Design strategies for successful start-up settings. International Journal of Information Management, 69, Article 102472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102472