Exploring the Underlying Relationship between Crisis Management (CM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

There has been a natural symbiotic relationship between crisis management issues and corporate social responsibility. This symbiotic relationship benefits consumers in being able to recognize brands and corporations that produce quality products and services. The benefit to corporations is in maintaining a positive relationship with consumers as well as internal direction for employees and management. The increasing complexity of products, increasing demands of customers, and a more observant media are crisis prevention and corporate social responsibility a more important element in strategic planning. This paper addresses some commonalities between crisis management and corporate social responsibility that can likely be a prescription for future success in strategic planning. The major findings are developed thorough the investigation of both case analysis and data from managers and non-managers in varying industries. The results of this study provide support for the premise that there is an inherent relationship between CM and CSR. In addition, we find that the product development and quality is one of the most important variables in both case analysis and among industry professionals.