The Effects of CSR Policies in Maintaining the Sustainability of SMEs in Times of Crisis

Abstract

In the context of numerous economic, political, social and environmental crises, the role of companies regarding social and environmental responsibility is one of the topics on the agenda of many interest groups, responsibility and sustainability becoming key aspects of doing business globally. Thus, as a result of the pressures exerted by various stakeholders on companies regarding the reporting of non-financial information, more and more entities have made sustained efforts to include CSR practices in their business strategies. In this sense, both at the business environment and at the academic level, the question of the impact that the adoption of CSR practices has on the performance and sustainability of businesses in various social and economic contexts has been raised. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contribution of CSR policies and practices in maintaining the performance and sustainability of SME activity in times of crisis. In order to achieve the proposed goal, two main objectives were drawn, namely: O1 – Identification of the effects of CSR policies and practices at the level of SMEs; O2 – Evaluation of the sustainability of SME businesses in the field of food industry under the effect of multiple crises. Keywords: Crisis, CSR Practices, Performance, Smes, Sustainability