Sustainability in the IT Industry

Abstract

Business sustainability has been a growing concern for IT firms due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there needs to be more adequate knowledge in adapting to unexpected crises for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Therefore, the study investigates how an IT firm sustains its business during the COVID-19 crisis. South Sudan has been considered for this investigation due to the growing economy and enormous economic opportunity, especially in the IT sector. An inductive approach and qualitative strategy have been considered, following the subjectivist and interpretivist research philosophy. The study sent an open-ended questionnaire to five high officials, who were also interviewed for in-depth clarification using Microsoft Forms and Teams. Afterward, qualified data were patterned thematically using Microsoft Office.

Empirical results indicate that IT firms faced challenges, including a sales drop, losing several customers, and a downward cash flow. In response to such crises, the company adopted a diversification strategy, offering educational and healthcare solutions for clients, renegotiating payment methods with suppliers, and making new investments in automation and cybersecurity for customer satisfaction. The study suggests that for better applicability, Porter’s theory should consider the natural force as a sixth dimension, which indicates business uncertainty or unexpected crises. Besides, a company must assess SWOT analysis constantly during any crisis and adopt a generic strategy for business sustainability.

The study suggests that IT companies should adopt natural forces like business uncertainty in regular operations and have sustainable funds throughout profitability. They must incorporate remote work and customer support, automation, cloud computing, and secure digital payment systems to sustain themselves during a crisis like COVID-19 and fulfill customer demands and satisfaction. Likewise, the government must provide clear guidance for companies to sustain themselves during any crisis in the future.