TY - CHAP
T1 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainability and CSR Activities
T2 - An Empirical Study Across Nine Sectors
AU - Demetriou, Marlen
AU - Thrassou, Alkis
AU - Efthymiou, Leonidas
AU - Sahyoun, Karim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178957347&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-37365-7_5
DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-37365-7_5
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:85178957347
T3 - Palgrave Studies of Cross-Disciplinary Business Research, in Association with EuroMed Academy of Business
SP - 97
EP - 116
BT - Palgrave Studies of Cross-Disciplinary Business Research, in Association with EuroMed Academy of Business
PB - Palgrave Macmillan
ER -