The impact of Covid-19 on the pro-social activity of small and medium companies

Purpose: The conditions in which enterprises from the SME sector have to operate are not easy. The enormous changeability of the environment contributed to a shift in the ways of managing a company. In these uncertain and quite difficult times, the key variable when verifying the conducted activity is pro-social or pro-ecological activity in the form of CSR activities. The aim of the study is to define CSR models implemented by entrepreneurs from the SME sector. Design/methodology/approach: The research task was carried out based on the literature on the subject and the results of a survey from the first half of 2021, conducted among 164 enterprises based in the Slaskie Voivodeship. Due to the nature of the obtained data (qualitative features), the correlation studies used the ф - Youla correlation coefficient based on the X2 statistic. Findings: The conducted analyses have shown that the pandemic has led to changes in the approach of entrepreneurs to the subject of CSR. The conducted research has shown that the importance of CSR activities increases with the increase in the size of the enterprise. The conducted research allowed us to verify the adopted hypotheses. The results showed that the pandemic has indeed led to changes in the approach of entrepreneurs to the subject of CSR, as there is a decrease in the positive perception of CSR as an important element of the functioning of the company on the market. Originality/value: The conducted study allowed to identify the tendency towards pro-social activity of enterprises from the SME sector in the time of the COVID 19 pandemic. In the course of the research, an upward trend was determined in the case of medium-sized enterprises, stable in the case of small enterprises and a downward trend in the case of micro-enterprises. The study also allowed for a model approach to CSR activities in selected groups of enterprises.