The State of Corporate Social Responsibility Among the Mobile Network Operators in Azerbaijan

Abstract

Companies today are complex and face challenges that may not be directly related to their business objectives. The aim of this chapter is to assess the state of stakeholder theory (ST) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) among mobile network operators (MNOs) in Azerbaijan. To this end, a thematic analysis (TA) was conducted on a total of 5,260 Facebook posts originating from the official pages of Azercell, Bakcell and Nar, spanning the years 2017 to 2024. The TA revealed six distinct themes that illustrate the status of CSR and ST efforts, including initiatives to improve customer engagement, promote sustainable development, improve educational capacity, support healthcare and the well-being of vulnerable communities, sponsor various events, and develop the telecommunications sector. The findings provide a unique opportunity to examine the theories of ST and CSR in the business administration landscape of Azerbaijan from both an academic and practical perspective by illustrating the methodological approach used to analyze a large qualitative data set.