Business Response to Natural Disaster Mitigation (Covid-19): A Case From Pakistan

Abstract

A company’s CSR attitude depends on the ethical values embraced and formally espoused by its Board and/or senior management. The response of corporates to natural disasters has proved to be beneficial for both for-profit organizations as well as society. There are several instances in the developed world where businesses played a leading role in both attempts to curb natural disasters as well as in helping people who suffered due to such disasters. However, in the developing world, the need for corporate participation in natural disaster mitigation is enhanced by the scarce resources of the relevant governmental agencies. Corporates can offer a helping hand in several ways, but perhaps one of the more effective steps is to spread awareness and knowledge about handling the various aspects of the disaster. Drawing from the available literature and underpinning the business ethics theories, this study aimed to explore business responses in Pakistan to constraint the Covid-19 pandemic. The study employs a two-step quantitative content analysis on Facebook as a research method. The findings are that the three selected industries (finance, telecommunication, and petroleum) remain more committed to their marketing efforts than paying due regard to the genuine need of spreading awareness and educating masses on protection against and/or handling Covid-19 pandemic. The public reaction to such less than adequate steps taken by the corporates provides a potent reminder of what people truly expect from corporates and how firms need to be more proactive toward response to a natural disaster.