Internal and External Marketing Nexus and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Case of an airline’s Rescue Mission to Wuhan During COVID19

Using a real-life business case of an airline, this case study demonstrates how exemplary leadership emancipates employees and accelerates employee agility to better serve customers, especially when there is an unprecedent call for discharging corporate social responsibility (CSR). During the height of the COVID19 pandemic in early 2020, the national carrier of a South Asian nation executed a CSR strategy which illustrates a humanitarian project of a commercial airline. The airline confronted with a challenge of rescuing 33 citizens, who were helplessly trapped in Wuhan, where the world’s first COVID19 lockdown was reported, isolating the city from the rest of the world. The chief pilot of the crew sets an example as a leader by volunteering to take part in the rescue mission. The front-line employees of the airline were motivated. This inculcates an authentic and committed feeling of shared responsibility among the employees. The employee agility gained through the strategic intervention made them come forward, to accomplish the humanitarian mission. The carrier, struggling to stay afloat due to volatile industry conditions, successfully accomplished the rescue mission. The operation was far from a normal flight. Showing solidarity and humanity during a time of unprecedented need, risking their own lives, to bring 33 fellow human beings to safety, the crew earned the admiration of those rescued and the wider community. Execution of CSR strategy in response to a crisis requires employee agility, resilience, and altruism. To this end, strategic leadership teams should demonstrate exemplary leadership style to reinforce socially responsible employee behaviour. Unpreceded crisis situations require unprecedent CSR strategies. When implemented successfully they often ensure gaining social legitimacy bridging the gap between internal and external marketing nexus of CSR space and addressing the tension between altruistic and strategic CSR.