Ta’awun-based social capital and business resilience for small businesses

This study explores the influence of ta’awun-based (an Islamic concept of mutual cooperation) social capital in business resiliency of small businesses. Ta’awun uses universal solidarity (ukhuwwah) through mutual assistance among stakeholders in providing both financial and non-financial capital in building business resilience for sustainable performance. This model provides contingency perspectives into the current business models with stakeholders’ social capital. Thus, the study argues that ta’awun-based social capital enables business resilience for small businesses. The study used personal interview with managers of 10 small businesses that have collaboration with the society to solicit their feedback on the practice of ta’awun-based social capital. The respondents contended that the ta’awun practice is on identified project or business that can bring mutual benefit to the business sectors, third sectors and the society. Indeed, the respondents argued that the inherited competitive nature of the business reduces for the ta’awun-based practices. Nevertheless, the results of the study are contextual-specified that cannot be generalized. The future research should use case study method to include more stakeholders as respondents