Special Issue "The Impact of COVID 19 on Sustainability of Organizations"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zlatko Nedelko
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova Street 14, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Interests: management; leadership; business ethics; social responsibility; digitalization and industry 4.0 challenges in organizations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The occurrence and persistence of COVID-19 have changed our private lives dramatically, and have altered organizational working and behavior. Despite this, we have witnessed a steady increase in concerns related to the sustainability of organizations around the world in the last decade. These concerns are expressed in numerous studies. More research focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on sustainability is needed, as concern for sustainability becomes “sensitive” when in the midst of a crisis situation, as we are witnessing now with COVID-19. Therefore, COVID-19 circumstances constitute a highly complex situation for organizations and managers in terms of the sustainability of organizations.

The main purpose of this Special Issue is to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability of organizations from various perspectives. This Special Issue seeks a wide range of contributions that assess how current economic circumstances influence and shape the sustainability of organizations. Contributions that combine current challenges in organizations, when addressing the impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability of organizations, are highly welcome. In this context, we would like to highlight the digitalization of organizations, the role of future generations, diversity issues, and many others, in the context of the sustainability of organizations in the current COVID times.

With focus on a broader spectrum of viewpoints, which may influence the sustainability of organizations, while also considering the implications of COVID-19 circumstances, this Special Issue aims to emphasize new perspectives, which may not have been previously considered in the literature or been at the forefront of scholarly interest. Thus, the main focus is to outline new perspectives for examining the sustainability of organizations in the framework of the uncertain environment caused by COVID-19, while also focusing on studies addressing contemporary challenges in COVID circumstances, and studies drawing on indirect association with the sustainability of organizations are also welcome.

Dr. Zlatko Nedelko
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability of organizations
  • COVID-19
  • sustainable development
  • challenges
  • new perspectives
  • corporate social responsibility

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
The Sustainable Socially Responsible Society: Well-Being Society 6.0
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9186; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169186 - 16 Aug 2021
Viewed by 378
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to introduce Sustainable Socially Responsible Society 6.0 as a new concept that is supposed to extend ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ to the entire society for humankind to gain a new chance to survive beyond the dangerous neoliberalism that [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study is to introduce Sustainable Socially Responsible Society 6.0 as a new concept that is supposed to extend ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ to the entire society for humankind to gain a new chance to survive beyond the dangerous neoliberalism that abuses the market and democracy to the benefit of very few humans—the richest one percent and a few around them—and beyond Society 5.0. This study aims to define the framework conditions of ‘Well-being Society 6.0’, where humans can both achieve and define their targeted quality of life, including work–life balance, etc. Mulej’s Dialectical Systems Theory provides requisite (i.e., sufficient and necessary) integrity/holism of approach that leads to a Sustainable Socially Responsible (SSR) Society without overlooking the necessity of personal, including managerial, responsibility. Most humans try to satisfy their basic survival needs by management, which is requisitely holistic; it can and shall contribute to setting the framework conditions, foremost with non-technological innovation management. The Economy for the Common Good can contribute to SSR Society 6.0, including ‘Well-being society’. In addition, in 2019–2021 humankind is experiencing the ‘new Corona Virus’ crisis, killing millions, but also enabling a crucial step toward a well-being society by returning worldwide economic governance from neoliberalism to Keynes-based state capitalism with no loud objections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of COVID 19 on Sustainability of Organizations)
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Article
Gender Differences in Work Satisfaction, Work Engagement and Work Efficiency of Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case in Slovenia
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8791; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168791 - 06 Aug 2021
Viewed by 292
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has caused massive economic disruption, leading businesses to make a rapid transition and take a new approach to business strategy. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to examine if there are statistically significant gender differences [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has caused massive economic disruption, leading businesses to make a rapid transition and take a new approach to business strategy. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to examine if there are statistically significant gender differences in work satisfaction, work engagement, and work efficiency among employees who work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the paper aims to identify the importance of individual dimensions of work satisfaction, work engagement, and work efficiency, and gender differences perspective. The research is based on a survey of 785 employees in Slovenian companies. The factor analysis and the t-test for two independent samples were used to test the research hypotheses. Findings: The results show significant gender differences in work satisfaction, work engagement, and work efficiency among employees who work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper provides change management insights and recommendations to assist companies in minimizing the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their employees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of COVID 19 on Sustainability of Organizations)
Article
Technology and Corporate Social Responsibility
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8658; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158658 - 03 Aug 2021
Viewed by 388
Abstract
This study examined the importance of technologies in advancing modern organizations’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). Drawing upon environmentalist and technological theories, we analyzed the shift from the traditional development of technology to the development of sustainable technologies for the further sustainable advancement of [...] Read more.
This study examined the importance of technologies in advancing modern organizations’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). Drawing upon environmentalist and technological theories, we analyzed the shift from the traditional development of technology to the development of sustainable technologies for the further sustainable advancement of organizations. Technology has decisively influenced the development of humankind, but its research has traditionally excluded sustainable development issues. Newer technological visions have addressed the incorporation of technologies in all industries more comprehensively to solve social issues related to environmental protection and sustainable economic development. Such an orientation is followed by several conceptual solutions, such as the sustainable use of traditional technologies, development of sustainable technologies, and interdisciplinary treatment of sustainable technology to extend the CSR model. The results of our study have theoretical implications, highlighting the effects of technological development and new technologies on the course of further societal sustainable development. Practical implications include extending CSR’s Triple Bottom model with a technological dimension to improve organizations’ further sustainable operating and behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of COVID 19 on Sustainability of Organizations)
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