Academic Research Responses to Covid-19: The Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective

Abstract This study investigates the strategic responses to the Covid-19 pandemic by academic research from the distinctive lens of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Specifically, it examines the evolution and trend of published academic research covering the CSR–Covid-19 nexus by highlighting key characteristics of published theoretical and empirical research linking the two elements. A total of 99 papers on CSR–Covid-19 nexus derived from Scopus database were analysed using bibliometrics, social network techniques and content analysis to examine the research activities since the start of the pandemic up to November 2021. The results indicate that the pandemic had effectively stimulated rapid growth of research interests examining the intertwined nature of CSR and Covid-19 as reflected in the swift proliferation of studies theoretically explaining and empirically testing the roles and impacts of CSR on various Covid-19 outcomes within myriads of domains, including but not limited to health, business practices, economics, and socials. The practical implications of this article lies on its ability to accentuate key research characteristics that early and/or mature researchers should consider when planning their future research trajectory on the link between CSR and Covid-19.