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Corporate Social Responsibility: Business Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Author

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  • Appel Mahmud
  • Donghong Ding
  • Md. Morshadul Hasan

Abstract

The global health, economic, and social impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are growing day by day. Over the past few months, first China, and now the whole world has been grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in businesses, employees, customers, communities, and each other. The people worldwide are strongly committed to working together and supporting each other in every way possible during this critical period filled with fear and uncertainty. Grounded on stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature, the study attempts to explore business responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to support its vital stakeholders such as employees, customers, communities, and society as a whole through CSR initiatives. The study based on the contemporary phenomenon considered multi-items as data sources such as press releases, newsletters, and letters to shareholders, which were retrieved from the top 25 (the sample) corporations of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens-2019 (the population) in the United States’ respective websites on the internet. The outcomes of this research report that sampled companies show respect to their employees and focus on stewardship relations between corporations and customers and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will have a significant theoretical application and practical implication on business duty to society and future research on CSR as a strong arm to deal with a critical disaster like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Appel Mahmud & Donghong Ding & Md. Morshadul Hasan, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Business Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440209, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:1:p:2158244020988710
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244020988710
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Ali Zackery & Joseph Amankwah-Amoah & Zahra Heidari Darani & Shiva Ghasemi, 2022. "COVID-19 Research in Business and Management: A Review and Future Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-32, August.
    3. Rahman, Md Lutfur, 2021. "Institutional ownership and violations of mandatory CSR regulation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    4. Nadia Yusuf & Miltiadis D. Lytras, 2023. "Competitive Sustainability of Saudi Companies through Digitalization and the Circular Carbon Economy Model: A Bold Contribution to the Vision 2030 Agenda in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, February.
    5. David Benjamin Billedeau & Jeffrey Wilson & Naima Samuel, 2022. "From Responsibility to Requirement: COVID, Cars, and the Future of Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, May.
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    9. Jae-Eun Lee & Seol-A Kwon, 2021. "A Study on the Public’s Crisis Management Efficacy and Anxiety in a Pandemic Situation—Focusing on the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-17, July.
    10. Sharif Mohammad Aqabna & Mehmet Aga & Huthayfa Nabeel Jabari, 2023. "Firm Performance, Corporate Social Responsibility and the Impact of Earnings Management during COVID-19: Evidence from MENA Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    11. Luigi Leclercq-Machado & Aldo Alvarez-Risco & Sharon Esquerre-Botton & Camila Almanza-Cruz & Maria de las Mercedes Anderson-Seminario & Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales & Jaime A. Yáñez, 2022. "Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Satisfaction and Consumer Loyalty of Private Banking Companies in Peru," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, July.
    12. Subrata Kumer Pal & Pramath Chandra Sarker & Shibu Chandra Odhikari, 2022. "Raising Perceptions on Corporate Social Responsibility for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals," Business and Economic Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 12(1), pages 116-116, December.
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    14. Tiberiu Foris & Alina Simona Tecău & Camelia-Cristina Dragomir & Diana Foris, 2022. "The Start-Up Manager in Times of Crisis: Challenges and Solutions for Increasing the Resilience of Companies and Sustainable Reconstruction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, July.
    15. Jingchen Zhao, 2021. "Reimagining Corporate Social Responsibility in the Era of COVID-19: Embedding Resilience and Promoting Corporate Social Competence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-28, June.
    16. Nicola Raimo & Angela Rella & Filippo Vitolla & María-Inés Sánchez-Vicente & Isabel-María García-Sánchez, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the COVID-19 Pandemic Period: A Traditional Way to Address New Social Issues," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-16, June.
    17. Asan Vernyuy Wirba, 2024. "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The Role of Government in promoting CSR," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 7428-7454, June.
    18. Simona Aurelia BODOG & Nicoleta Alina ANDREESCU, 2021. "Particularities Of Csr Programs During The Covid-19 Pandemic," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 329-335, December.
    19. Yuan Zhi Seah, 2021. "COVID-19 and Its Effects on Attitudes toward Opportunity-Motivated Entrepreneurship: Before and after Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-13, August.
    20. Yasheng Chen & Mohammad Islam Biswas, 2021. "Turning Crisis into Opportunities: How a Firm Can Enrich Its Business Operations Using Artificial Intelligence and Big Data during COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    21. Breuer, Wolfgang & Trauzettel, Till & Müller, Torbjörn & Salzmann, Astrid, 2024. "An International Perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility, Investor Time Preferences, and Cost of Equity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1).
    22. NAHAR Hairul Suhaimi & MOHAMAD Maslinawati, 2023. "Academic Research Responses To Covid-19: The Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 18(1), pages 171-197, April.
    23. M Dillip Anand, 2022. "A Study on Sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility during and Post-Covid-19," Shanlax International Journal of Economics, Shanlax Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 78-82, March.
    24. Fridolin Simon Brand & Richard Blaese & Giulia Weber & Herbert Winistoerfer, 2022. "Changes in Corporate Responsibility Management during COVID-19 Crisis and Their Effects on Business Resilience: An Empirical Study of Swiss and German Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, March.
    25. Saheli Goswami & Gargi Bhaduri, 2023. "Communicating Moral Responsibility: Stakeholder Capitalism, Types, and Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, March.

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