Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis:Responseand Sustainability Strategiesof Sole Proprietorship Companies (SPC)
Abstract: An appropriate set of response strategies to survive environmental turbulence remains an important knowledge gap that must be bridged. Since late 2016, Sole Proprietor Companies in the North West and South West (NOSO) Regions of Cameroon have hitherto been going through a plethora of environmental turbulence brought about by an arm conflict. This paper seeks to contribute to the literature On the sustainability of a business during turbulence. Specifically, this paper seeks to (i) Assess the effect of the turbulence on the sustainability of sole proprietor businesses (ii) Evaluate the response strategies adopted by SPC to survive turbulence, and (iii) Examine the effect of response strategies on the sustainability of SPC. A mixed-method research approach was applied, incorporating a survey of 255SPCsin the cities of Bamenda and Buea supported by a questionnaire administered to senior managers of SPC. Multiple linear regression was used to capture the effect of the response strategies on the sustainability of those SPC. The study reveals that the war has had a great toll on SPC with the last four years. Most specifically the war has affected the sustainability of sales revenue and resources in SPC. In response, the SPC adopted an avalanche of appropriate response strategies such as an adjustment in the structure of their company, modification in marketing approach, and adopted cost minimization that have hitherto been effective in mitigating the effect of the crises