ABSTRACT
Purpose: This paper aims to understand how companies addressed and revisited their sustainable development goals (SDGs) engagement during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: The study conducts semi-structured interviews with the sustainability managers of 16 Italian listed companies acting for the accomplishment of the SDGs. Then, the interviews' transcripts and the companies' sustainability reports were thematically analysed to tease out relevant findings. Findings: The findings show that companies have intensified their SDGs efforts during COVID-19, implementing an approach closer to the "Sustainability for Braving Crisis”. The findings unveil the transformational mechanisms which determined and facilitated this improvement at three levels of the business SDGs engagement: "WHY” (general awareness and motivations), "HOW” (governance mechanisms, organizational structure and stakeholder dialogue) and "WHAT” (SDGs identification and prioritization and actions for the SDGs). These findings uncover the mechanisms through which a global crisis may prompt and catalyse sustainable business practices, acting as i) an inspirational and empowering event, ii) an organisational lever and iii) a reference point. Practical implications: This research has important implications for practice and policy, as it offers managers and stakeholders guidance to understand how companies have reshaped their sustainability practices during the pandemic and drives future corporate responses in times of crisis. Social implications: This study shows that a crisis may be a powerful lever to intensify business sustainability practices towards a better contribution to the SDGs. Originality/value: This study focuses on how companies have revised their SDGs practices when faced with a global crisis such as COVID-19. © 2023, Francesco Scarpa, Riccardo Torelli and Simona Fiandrino.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The aim of this study is twofold. First, the research aims to identify Integrated Thinking (IT) stages of development. Second, the research aims to investigate how IT has reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by accelerating integrated corporate social responsibility (CSR) practises. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs a case study on an Italian multi-utility company, Iren Group. The research method uses triangulated data collected from semi-structured interviews and archival materials and it analyses data with a top-down and bottom-up coding procedure. This allows us to inductively develop a model of IT stages of development and CSR strategic postures as response patterns to the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The research identifies the developmental paths of IT initiation, IT reactiveness and IT implementation responding to changes and challenges in times of crisis. Furthermore, the research provides stimuli for recovery to overcome periods of crisis through three main CSR strategic postures: stakeholder engagement, flexible proactiveness and democratic durability. Practical implications: The research suggests that managers can adopt stakeholder engagement, flexible proactiveness and democratic durability as CSR strategic postures in order to integrate CSR practises into the company's DNA and overcome periods of crisis. Originality/value: This is among the first studies that analyses how IT acts during a crisis in the multi-utility sector. There are three main stages of development, i.e. IT initiation, IT reactiveness and IT implementation, which are characterised by stakeholder engagement, flexible proactiveness and democratic durability. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.