Business Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Post-COVID Era

Tatiana Freze, Artem Korneev, Raisa Krayneva, Tatiana Oruch, Wadim Kandalov and Wadim Strielkowski
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Tatiana Freze: Institute of Engineering and Environmental Security, Togliatti State University, Belorusskaya Str. 14, 445667 Togliatti, Russia
Artem Korneev: Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Togliatti State University, Belorusskaya Str. 14, 445667 Togliatti, Russia
Raisa Krayneva: Department of Mass Communications and Media Business, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Leningradsky Prospekt 49, 125993 Moscow, Russia
Tatiana Oruch: Department of Economics and Business, Volga Region State University of Service, Gagarina Str. 4, 445017 Togliatti, Russia
Wadim Kandalov: Department of Digital Advertising Technologies, Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics, Aviamotornaya Str. 8a, 111024 Moscow, Russia

Economies, 2023, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Our paper focuses on the transformation of the concept of sustainable business leadership (especially regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the post-COVID-19 era. The COVID-19 pandemic is without question posing a generation-defining challenge for public health and the global economy. Moreover, the pandemic has revived some old and introduced many new threats that today’s business leaders will have to face in the years to come. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 crisis was a humanitarian tragedy that continues to ravage millions of lives, it can also be viewed as an excellent opportunity to restart sustainable economic development as well as to help our business and economy to shift towards real business corporate social responsibility and ethical decision-making (thanks to the reduction in carbon emissions as a result of reduced economic activity and travel, increasing investments into healthcare and education, or finding the new ways for working and learning, such as remote work and online education). Our paper examines the effect of small entrepreneurs’ perceptions of CSR on their daily business under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper features an empirical model that assesses the implementation of CSR practices and principles (social responsibility, environmental sustainability, or ecological governance) after the COVID-19 pandemic. The model investigates whether the factors internal to the company might influence the enhancement of the CSR principles. The model is based on our own data obtained from the 450 online questionnaire surveys conducted with managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation. The two countries in question have been selected due to their similarities and, at the same time, differences regarding their geopolitical orientation, pathways of economic transformation, and attitudes to sustainable development policies and embracing SDGs. Our results demonstrate that the business type, as well as the ownership structure, positively impacts the introduction of CSR and sustainable development principles in SMEs in question, while the company’s age has a negative impact. Our results might be of special importance for the stakeholders and business owners wishing to enhance CSR practices and promote sustainable economic development in their enterprises in the post-COVID era.

Keywords: business resilience; leadership; sustainability; corporate social responsibility; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E F I J O Q (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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