Abstract
Since the Coronavirus-2019 or COVID-19 outbreak caused the worldwide lockdown, the business world is overall regressing. Nearly every worker/consumer had to stay at home for more than a month and some even lost their jobs. The coronavirus is also causing global concern and economic hardship for consumers, businesses, and communities. Businesses and their employees were compelled to intensify working from home. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) were critical in allowing economic activities to seemingly continue and a major section of the population to continue generating income by supporting teleworking from home. Most companies have already decided on business continuity plans, but these plans are not prepared to face the fast-moving process and yet unknown facets of the pandemic. For businesses to stay afloat, many turned to digital technologies, using tools like videoconferencing, cloud services, virtual private networks, Emails, and File Servers among others. Businesses that had pre-existing telework capabilities or quickly adapted, were best positioned for seamless transitions to working from home while maintaining laudable output levels. However, telecommunication was not the hero during the pandemic. Small businesses closed. To survive, businessmen even tried to adapt and devise strategies to modify their business methods but many failed. Eventually, remote working engendered some downsides like the fading gaps between family and job, personal and work time, distraction by pets, children, chores, television, and even neighbourhood activities. The study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Mauritius. The current research assists in gaining a deeper understanding of the current lived realities of individuals afflicted by the pandemic. Two major obstacles to research and development in the COVID-19 context, namely “time limits” and “physical distancing”, are addressed. These findings may contribute towards the formulation of key policies and best practices that will define the pandemic’s responses henceforth. This research highlights the role of corporations in promoting CSR among SMEs in Mauritius, as well as in specific sectors using telecommuting to counteract unemployment. It also focuses on the importance and the role of CSR in the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Lauthan, S., Peermamode-Mohaboob, M., Galamali, M.K., Lauthan, M.H.I.A. (2023). Evaluating Extents of Assistance of Telecommuting in Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Crowther, D., Seifi, S. (eds) Corporate Social Responsibility in Difficult Times. Approaches to Global Sustainability, Markets, and Governance. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2591-9_7
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