The Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainability and CSR Activities: An Empirical Study Across Nine Sectors

Marlen Demetriou (), Alkis Thrassou (), Leonidas Efthymiou () and Karim Sahyoun
Additional contact information
Marlen Demetriou: School of Business, University of Nicosia
Alkis Thrassou: University of Nicosia
Leonidas Efthymiou: School of Business, University of Nicosia
Karim Sahyoun: School of Business, University of Nicosia

Chapter 5 in Business for Sustainability, Volume II, 2024, pp 97-116 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 disrupts everyday life and has severe consequences on global business. Within this critical context, this chapter examines the impact of COVID-19 on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in Cyprus. By using a thematic analysis, the study conducted an in-depth examination of twenty-three companies in Cyprus before and during the pandemic, across nine sectors: retail, hospitality and travel, information technology, professional service and service providers, professional education, manufacturing, banking and pharmaceutical. Published CSR activities concern mostly large businesses, with established CSR strategies. The majority of them adopts a cyclical matrix of CSR, and has adapted their CSR activities in order to alleviate the negative consequences of the pandemic on their staff, customers and the broader society. Also, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) without clear CSR strategies had an opportunity to join a network of companies, namely ‘Support CY’ to participate in a number of activities amidst the pandemic. In most of the organisations participating in the study, the crisis has encouraged rather than discouraged CSR activities, whereas long-term CSR initiatives had a great impact on firms’ reputation, brand, and long-lasting relationships with their stakeholders.

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:pscchp:978-3-031-37365-7_5

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9783031373657

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-37365-7_5

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Studies in Cross-disciplinary Business Research, In Association with EuroMed Academy of Business from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().