Charity Sees the Need, Not the Cause: The Strategic CSR During the Pandemic Outbreak

Abstract

The year 2020 has turned into a turmoil after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic around the world. The pandemic has sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives and impacted the world economics severely as many countries face dire economic situation due to the lockdown of business operations to break the chain of the COVID-19 infection. Similarly, citizens experience stressful situations, requiring assistance and support in essential needs, such as food, monetary aid, and health equipment. To address the citizens’ needs might be challenging for many countries as governments themselves also face financial constraints. As such, private sectors could play their roles in this challenging situation through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This paper aims to explore the CSR initiatives by private sectors in Malaysia in supporting the fight towards the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.