Project Rationale and Description
The high-profile corporate crises of recent years have drawn the interest of researchers to social reputation management in the business and society literature (e.g., Muller & Kräussl, 2011; Wei et al., 2017). Since the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the following credit crunch, banks have come under increasing pressure to respond to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations to society to restore the public's confidence in the financial system (Jizi et al., 2014). Nawroth (2013; pp.75-76) suggests, "For the public, the economic crisis has brought higher expectations of all companies, not just the financial sector ... British consumers have considered [CSR and business ethics] by companies as very important ... after the financial crisis". The COVID-19 pandemic is not merely a public health emergency posing the threat of economic turmoil; it could also result in challenges and opportunities to CSR policies and practices in organisations during and post-coronavirus crisis. The global pandemic has created dramatic and unprecedented challenges for employees. It urges us to revisit some essential CSR-related questions that have remained with us for a while. According to He & Harris (2020), the pandemic crisis has spotlighted organisations' real commitment to CSR. The authors deduce the following inquiry: Will organisations recognise that "we are in this together", proactively engage with their CSR strategies and agendas, and realise that their long-term survival and development depends on locating a fine balance between societal expectations and financial objectives? When firms engage in CSR practices, they communicate to critical stakeholders their organisational values, which can cause multiple positive outcomes including improvements in the long-term image, consumer-company identification, increased purchase intentions and increased market value (Ye et al. 2015). Jizi et al. (2014) suggest that CSR reporting can impact positively on stakeholders' perceptions of performance, value and risk, and thereby on firms' profitability, cost of capital and share price. The other question is, will companies reduce their strategic CSR investments - because of limited financial resources - and focus on their core operating business for short-term survival? Would CSR commitments, in times of economic crises, be sustainable as a corporate strategy for the future? In the words of Hill et al. (2020): "It is a lot easier to put purpose above profit when cash is flush, and times are good. Now that the coronavirus pandemic is upending companies' standard operations, we [will] see just how much they value their [CSR] goals — and whether those goals survive when a business is just trying to stay afloat". In the face of recent increasing calls for research methodologies that integrate corporate communication channels (including annual reports, sustainability reports, social media networks, websites and mass media publicity), case studies and survey methodologies, and given the unprecedented nature of the crisis associated with the epidemic, and considering that the pandemic outbreak creates numerous challenges for CSR, this project aims to conceptualise, theorise, and assess the CSR contributions of British companies to Covid-19 Pandemic.
Eligibility and How to Apply:
Please note eligibility requirement:
- Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
- Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
- Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF21/BL/AFM/SALAMA) will not be considered.
Deadline for applications: 29 January 2021
Start Date: 1 October 2021
Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community.
For informal enquiries, please contact Professor Aly Salama ([Email Address Removed])