Ebola and Global Airline Business: An Integrated Framework of Companies’ Responses to Adverse Environmental Shock

In spite of a growing body of literature on risk management, our understanding of how companies respond to unforeseen disruptions such as pandemics or outbreaks remains limited. This study advances tourism management, operations strategy, and risk management research by examining how airlines have responded to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Using archival records, the study uncovered three unique stages in airlines’ responses to the outbreak. The study provides insights and rationale behind strategic persistence and downscaling approaches adopted by different airlines. The implications for risk management and public policy are examined.