Insights from the COVID-19 perspective on the necessity of corporate social responsibility in times of crisis in the context of Pakistan

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a notable increase in global awareness among businesses and consumers regarding environmental preservation and health concerns. The degree to which individuals identify with an organization is influenced by the appeal of its organizational identity, which aids in fulfilling important self-definitional needs. Nevertheless, there remains a limited understanding regarding the underlying factors that contribute to the phenomenon of firm identity attraction (IA) within the framework of consumer-business interactions. This study presents a validated framework that examines the antecedents of identity attraction, with COVID-19 being considered as a moderator. The framework is developed based on established theories of social identity and organizational identification. The study in Pakistan's cities utilized a questionnaire survey as its primary research method, while the findings were evaluated through the application of structural equation modelling. The results of our study indicate that the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firm Identity Attraction (IA) is significantly more pronounced. Although the impact of COVID-19 on the intention to purchase remains unaffected, it does play a favorable role in moderating the influence of CSR on the attraction towards brand.