The event-driven social responsibility in small and medium-sized enterprises

Since the survival and growth of small firms depend largely on their ability to acquire legitimacy within the institutional environment, social responsibility plays an important role in their lives. The aim of this study was to investigate how a disruption in the normal course of business can lead to an evolution and change in the social responsibility activities of small and medium-sized enterprises. Such disruptions, called critical incidents, interrupt the normal functioning of the business. The case-based exploratory study found that such critical events can have a positive impact. In particular, they can initiate the integration of socially responsible business practices. This is a journey from philanthropic donations to fully integrated socially responsible practices, often driven by internal triggering events such as organisational growth, unanticipated changes in management, or generational change, which allow new values to be brought on board. When such an internal event is followed by a highly critical but external event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the transformation gains momentum. The findings also suggest that social responsibility can be a new source of competitive advantage.