Previous research has investigated the role of altruism among individuals (Furnham et al., 2014; Kanungo & Conger, 1993; Piliavin & Charng, 1990; Wuthnow, 1993); however, the role of altruistic orientation in times of crisis among small businesses has not been adequately explored. The aim of this research is to explore changes in altruistic orientation of small business companies at the individual and at firm level in times of a crisis. Following 'ethics theory of utility', we posit that altruistic orientation of small companies suffers pressures to adjust due to the crisis situation. Specifically, although one could expect small business companies to behave less altruistically due to the crisis, we posit that small business companies linked to a strong sustainability image will continue with or even enhance their altruistic orientation. The research introduces future research directions with regard to changes in altruistic orientation, specifically, the following research questions could be explored further in future research: What antecedents influence such a rapid change in altruistic orientation among small business firms in times of crisis? How will technologies contribute to the crisis recovery in the UK and how will this further affect small business companies?