Just-in-Time CSR for Urgent Needs during the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Case of Casinos

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.

摘要

长期以来, 博彩业因其臭名昭著的刻板印象而被人们诟病。而在当今新冠疫情席卷全球的背景下, 博彩娱乐场却积极站在抗击疫情的最前线, 采取各种紧急应对措施来加速企业社会责任以最大化地减轻疫情带来的巨大冲击。在此期间一种新型的企业社会责任模式——适时型企业社会责任应运而生。适时型企业社会责任指的是为应对突发公共事件而实施的及时性企业社会责任。通过梳理相关研究可以发现现有研究大多关注的是长期性, 战略层面的企业社会责任, 而随着诸如新冠疫情等突发性公共事件的干扰, 对企业而言能否快速做出响应以及制定适合特殊时期发展的企业社会责任策略已经成了一个巨大考验, 但学界对适时型企业社会责任的研究却鲜少。因此, 为了填补该研究空白, 本研究采用案例研究这一研究方法, 从娱乐场官网, 社交媒体以及其他大众媒体等渠道中获取研究所需数据, 总结出了适时型企业社会责任的以下主要类别:保护员工与顾客:给予社会关怀:捐赠资金, 生活必需品以及防护用品:以及促进公共安全和提升居民生活质量等。研究表明, 适时型企业社会责任在保障居民生命安全, 减轻公共危机导致的不良冲击, 增强社区凝聚力, 促进社区复原能力等方面发挥了巨大作用, 在理论和实践上都具有重要意义。

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• casino
• corporate social responsibility
• sustainability
• macao

关键词:

• 新冠肺炎
• 娱乐场
• 企业社会责任
• 可持续性
• 澳门

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72074230). The authors also wish to extend their gratitude to Miss Xiwen Sivin Xiao for proofreading of the Chinese abstract.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [72074230].

Notes on contributors

Zhiwei (CJ) Lin

Zhiwei (CJ) Lin is Ph.D. Student at the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yet-Sen University, PR China. His research interests center on how customers think, feel, and behave in the tourism, hospitality, and sporting context (E-mail: [email protected]).

IpKin Anthony Wong

IpKin Anthony Wong is Professor at the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yet-Sen University, China. His current research interests include tourism and hospitality marketing, service quality management, international marketing, green marketing and tourism, and branding and destination image (E-mail: [email protected]).

Shuyi Kara Lin

Zhiwei (CJ) Lin is Ph.D. Student at the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yet-Sen University, PR China. His research interests center on how customers think, feel, and behave in the tourism, hospitality, and sporting context (E-mail: [email protected]).

Shuyi Kara Lin is Postgraduate Student at the School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, China. Her research interests include tourism management, hospitality services, and corporate innovation (E-mail: [email protected]).