Corporate social responsibility in the wake of the Asian tsunami: an empirical study

This paper provides input on how the leaders of two leading Sri Lankan private sector organisations engaged in CSR initiatives during the first 11-months after the Asian tsunami. Amidst stakeholders’ overwhelming outpouring of spontaneity to engage in CSR activities, the paper reports on the decision-making and leadership challenges of business leaders after a high magnitude human tragedy. The paper specifically examines as to what extent the CSR initiatives following the tsunami disaster were a reflection of leaders’ authentic moral conduct. Due to the magnitude of the devastation from the tsunami, one would assume that the CSR initiatives that follow such a massive natural disaster would be without any strategies for material gain or corporate reputation. The findings suggest otherwise. After mapping the corporate responses to the damage caused by the Asian tsunami, the study proposes a conceptual model.