Media attention and corporate disaster relief: evidence from China

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of media attention on corporate disaster relief. Design/methodology/approach - The authors used a matched sample research design, which is considered more appropriate than a random sample design for studying events that have low-occurrence rates in general. For each donor firm in the Yushu earthquake, the authors matched the firm with a non-donor firm in the same industry and with a firm size of within +/- 30 percent of the total assets in the year prior to the year of the occurrence of the Yushu earthquake. Then, using the Baidu engine, which is the most popular Chinese search engine, the authors captured the online media attention to the donor firms and their disaster relief. Findings - The authors found that media attention drove corporate disaster relief. Research limitations/implications - Although the authors highlighted the role of the media as an important stakeholder in influencing corporate disaster relief, the authors did not fully explore the media's influence. Future research should delve more deeply into the impact of the tenor of media coverage on corporate disaster relief. Originality/value - This study reveals that the media, a particularly powerful stakeholder, can be a corporate disaster relief driver in China.