Closing the intention-realization gap: the impact of local embeddedness on effective progress toward SDG 17

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragility of communities and exacerbated existing social and economic challenges and inequities. Through the intensification of these problems, the pandemic has mandated that both scholars and practitioners across the globe re-think and re-examine how to build community resilience and how to promote more sustainable development and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While firms have long been seen as important actors in the promotion of the SDGs, as highlighted by the 2030 Agenda, the efficacy of firms’ responses and attempts to promote the SDGs continues to be questioned. While the pandemic has seen a rise in the promotion of corporate social responsibility (CSR), from both domestic and multinational companies, we argue that local embeddedness of firms is a key mechanism that influences the effectiveness of firms’ CSR activity on the promotion of SDG 17. Through a narrative case study, we highlight the importance of local embeddedness in reducing the intention-realization gap.