ABSTRACT
The casino industry may have been stigmatized by its notorious image due to the negative consequences that gambling brings. Yet, they are at the forefront in combating the pandemic, taking a proactive stand to expedite corporate social responsibility (CSR) through a constellation of means in a timely manner. Moreover, the majority of research focuses on the long-term strategic CSR, leaving ad-hoc CSR initiatives that are responsive without previous planning underexplored. Proactive and prompt CSR efforts exerted by casino conglomerates hence offer researchers a case in better understanding this rarely researched area pertaining to just-in-time CSR amid a mega turbulence. Based on data collected from casino websites, social media, and other public media, we have organized their initiatives into themes germane to safeguarding their personnel and guests, giving encouragement to the society, contributing to financial charities as well as daily necessities and protective supplies, promoting safety and better quality of life during the pandemic, and more. These endeavors do make a real difference in saving lives as well as uniting the community to build up resilience to mitigate the aftermath of the crisis. These expedited CSR efforts render a new phenomenon that we refer as just-in-time CSR. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to move beyond the current understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to propose the concept of just-in-time (JIT) CSR as a metaphor that reflects hospitality operators’ endeavors to expedite socially responsible measures to both internal and external organizational stakeholders during times when functional and emotional supports are urgently needed. Design/methodology/approach: This research used a qualitative approach in two studies. Study 1 engaged a media analysis to better grasp the knowledge of the research problem at hand. Study 2 involved interviews from stakeholders to assess their emotions and perceptions of meanings of major contents discerned from the first study. Findings: This research highlights a process in which operators’ CSR practices (e.g. for business practices, for organizational strategy and for stakeholder well-being) during the COVID-19 crisis are imbued with connotative meanings (e.g. place-as-safety, place-as-partnership and place-as-warmth) that ultimately give shape to three core outcomes (e.g. individual rejoinder, brand resonance and societal resilience). Research limitations/implications: While JIT CSR is not an antidote for all devastations caused by COVID-19, it is posited as a needed mechanism that operators could use to ameliorate the situation and to go beyond their own stake to bring a broader array of societal benefits to humanity. Originality/value: This research underscores how hospitality operators expedite crisis responses to the pandemic, and how their societal objectives transform the image of a place from a commercial venue into a place imbued with meaning associated with safety, partnership and warmth. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.