Corporate social responsibility within a global pandemic: a qualitative analysis of the population’s perception of sport organizations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the population’s perception of corporate social responsibility of three (inter)national sport organizations during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Within an online survey in Germany, 389 open statements were gathered and analyzed using thematic analysis. Drawing on Carroll’s CSR conceptualization, the identified themes were assigned to the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibility of sport organizations. The analysis revealed a fifth dimension of responsibility referring to organizations’ communication and transparency. Most answers were concerned with the economic and ethical theme, highlighting the importance of financial modesty and contributing to the health of others during the pandemic. This study stresses the importance for sport organizations to meet ethical and moral expectations of society during times of crisis to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with core stakeholders such as the resident population.

Keywords:

• Corporate social responsibility
• crisis management
• sport governing bodies
• stakeholder perceptions
• thematic analysis

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.