Corporate donation behavior during the covid-19 pandemic. A case-study approach in the multinational inditex

M Mercedes Galan-Ladero; M Isabel Sánchez-Hernández

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12188

Corporate donation behavior during the covid-19 pandemic. A case-study approach in the multinational inditex

Heliyon. 2022 Dec;8(12):e12188. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12188. Epub 2022 Dec 8.

Authors

M Mercedes Galan-Ladero¹, M Isabel Sánchez-Hernández¹

Affiliation

¹ School of Economics and Business Sciences, Department of Business Management and Sociology, Universidad de Extremadura, Ave. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.

Abstract

The situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the confinement in many countries, has led to a global crisis, not only in health but also in economy and social issues. But it has also provoked a wave of solidarity and unprecedented donation behavior by many companies worldwide. Inditex, one of the main fashion multinationals, has become a referent for its reaction speed and has been ranked number one among the most significant companies for its Corporate Social Responsibility during the lockdown. Drawing from Stakeholder, Legitimacy, and Ethics of Care Theories, the aim of this paper is to analyze Inditex as a case study and reflect on the impact of its donation behavior on its corporate reputation. A desk research approach by using secondary data about the corporation, and a content analysis of press releases with ATLASti software during this time, let conclude that effective corporate donation impacts and improves the reputation of the corporation among its stakeholders.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Corporate donation behavior; Corporate reputation; Corporate social responsibility (CSR); Ethics of Care Theory; Inditex; Legitimacy Theory; Stakeholder Theory.