Survival strategies of micro-sized architectural firms under economic uncertainty

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute's December 2023 report, micro-enterprises make up 90.6% of all enterprises. Micro-enterprises are defined as enterprises with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding ten million Turkish lira. According to the Central Bank's 2020 reports, construction companies constitute 14.76% of the total number of companies, while 9.91% of the total number of employees in Turkey work in the sector. The Turkish construction sector has been negatively affected by pandemics, regional wars, the migrant crisis, earthquakes, inflation, and exchange rate increases. Research shows that micro-enterprises can withstand uncertain economic conditions due to their innovative and flexible business models. This study examines the survival strategies of micro-scale architecture, engineering, and construction firms (MSAECFs) in the face of such conditions. To this end, a systematic review was conducted to identify relevant literature on survival strategies adopted by MSAECFs. In the second stage, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with micro firms in the Turkish architecture sector to assess the current situation. The findings show that micro architecture firms have adopted various strategies to survive challenging economic conditions. These strategies include developing extensive stakeholder networks to acquire new clients and projects, strengthening relationships with suppliers and subcontractors to improve quality and reduce costs, and advertising through social media, websites, and print publications to expand into new markets, countries, and regions and acquire new projects.