Dublin Core
Title
Corporate Social Responsibility in Africa Robert Ebo
Hinson
Hinson
Creator
Robert Ebo Hinson
Description
Corporate social responsibility is increasingly becoming the ideal and approved mode
of sustaining good relations between corporate bodies and their surrounding
communities. The building of a strong relationship is essential for the simple reason that
a corporation’s ability to operate effectively is partly dependent upon the community’s
understanding of the corporations’ business activities, their acceptance and the
provision of a conducive environment for the corporation to operate (Du and Vieria
2012). However, there seems to be a disconnect between the perceptions of
communities’ desire from such social interventions and what has been provided in many
documented instances. Eventually, situations have occurred where the desired effects of
the initiatives by corporate bodies are almost non-existent in beneficiary communities.
This can be attributed to the apparent lack of well-established relationships and trust
between corporations and communities. Additionally, according to Kemp (2010), it is
conceptualised as a three-dimensional practice that involves: working for the company
to understand local community perspectives; bridging community and company
perspectives to generate dialogue and mutual understanding; and, facilitating necessary
organisational change to improve social performance.
In this direction, this special issue sought conceptual and empirical research on the
extractive industry that employs theories and frameworks which aid our understanding
of how relations are being brokered at the community level. This special issue comprises
three papers that address corporate social responsibility issues within different contexts
and industries including the tobacco industry, extractive industry, and the
telecommunication industry. This special issue contributes to the growing body of
knowledge on socially responsible behaviour and the links to community relations.
Wunpini Mohammed, Anli Xiao and Erica Hilton in their paper assess how
telecommunication companies in Ghana manage corporate social responsibility and
delved into the need for these companies to rethink, reassess and restructure their
corporate social responsibility to focus more marginalised communities in Ghana. Their
Hinson, Tsiboe-Darko, and Boateng
2
findings show that telecommunication companies in Ghana adopt democratic and
collectivist principles to implement their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Furthermore, the results show that the telecommunication companies mostly align their
corporate social responsibility initiatives with the social socio-economic needs of the
communities they operate in. However, most of the initiatives the companies undertake
are philanthropic in nature which may have little long-term impacts on marginalised
communities.
Tatenda Nhapi examines the roles of the state and non-state duty bearers in ensuring
that the tobacco industry in Zimbabwe implements corporate social responsibility
implementation and improves natural resources management outcomes. The paper
explores the experiences of tobacco farming and its impacts such as the degradation of
natural resources in the tobacco farming communities. It points out the lack of proactive
corporate social responsibility programs by the tobacco companies to address the
degradation of natural resources in the tobacco farming communities. The paper
highlights the need for communities of practice approach to corporate social
responsibility implementation and natural resources management. The paper also argues
for the need for tobacco companies to redesign their corporate social responsibility
programs to focus on the tobacco farming community in order to transform the
communities. Furthermore, it calls for the tobacco companies to involve various
stakeholders including social workers, business enterprises, grassroots communities,
and the farmers in the implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Douglas Adeola and Ogechi Adeola study corporate social responsibility in the
extractive sector with a specific focus on Chevron Nigeria. The paper argues that
businesses that seek to act responsibly must ensure that they do not cause harm to the
communities they operate in. Such companies must show restraint in their quest for
profit and must ensure peaceful co-existence among all stakeholders including the
immediate communities and environment. The immediate communities must benefit
from the operations of the business. Furthermore, it argues that responsible businesses,
especially those in the extractive industry, must be structured, fair, transparent, sensitive
to the needs of the immediate communities, and ensure shared value.
We want to thank the authors, the reviewers and the editor in chief contributing to this
issue and making it a success. We hope that the issue will stimulate further research
interest in this area.
of sustaining good relations between corporate bodies and their surrounding
communities. The building of a strong relationship is essential for the simple reason that
a corporation’s ability to operate effectively is partly dependent upon the community’s
understanding of the corporations’ business activities, their acceptance and the
provision of a conducive environment for the corporation to operate (Du and Vieria
2012). However, there seems to be a disconnect between the perceptions of
communities’ desire from such social interventions and what has been provided in many
documented instances. Eventually, situations have occurred where the desired effects of
the initiatives by corporate bodies are almost non-existent in beneficiary communities.
This can be attributed to the apparent lack of well-established relationships and trust
between corporations and communities. Additionally, according to Kemp (2010), it is
conceptualised as a three-dimensional practice that involves: working for the company
to understand local community perspectives; bridging community and company
perspectives to generate dialogue and mutual understanding; and, facilitating necessary
organisational change to improve social performance.
In this direction, this special issue sought conceptual and empirical research on the
extractive industry that employs theories and frameworks which aid our understanding
of how relations are being brokered at the community level. This special issue comprises
three papers that address corporate social responsibility issues within different contexts
and industries including the tobacco industry, extractive industry, and the
telecommunication industry. This special issue contributes to the growing body of
knowledge on socially responsible behaviour and the links to community relations.
Wunpini Mohammed, Anli Xiao and Erica Hilton in their paper assess how
telecommunication companies in Ghana manage corporate social responsibility and
delved into the need for these companies to rethink, reassess and restructure their
corporate social responsibility to focus more marginalised communities in Ghana. Their
Hinson, Tsiboe-Darko, and Boateng
2
findings show that telecommunication companies in Ghana adopt democratic and
collectivist principles to implement their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Furthermore, the results show that the telecommunication companies mostly align their
corporate social responsibility initiatives with the social socio-economic needs of the
communities they operate in. However, most of the initiatives the companies undertake
are philanthropic in nature which may have little long-term impacts on marginalised
communities.
Tatenda Nhapi examines the roles of the state and non-state duty bearers in ensuring
that the tobacco industry in Zimbabwe implements corporate social responsibility
implementation and improves natural resources management outcomes. The paper
explores the experiences of tobacco farming and its impacts such as the degradation of
natural resources in the tobacco farming communities. It points out the lack of proactive
corporate social responsibility programs by the tobacco companies to address the
degradation of natural resources in the tobacco farming communities. The paper
highlights the need for communities of practice approach to corporate social
responsibility implementation and natural resources management. The paper also argues
for the need for tobacco companies to redesign their corporate social responsibility
programs to focus on the tobacco farming community in order to transform the
communities. Furthermore, it calls for the tobacco companies to involve various
stakeholders including social workers, business enterprises, grassroots communities,
and the farmers in the implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Douglas Adeola and Ogechi Adeola study corporate social responsibility in the
extractive sector with a specific focus on Chevron Nigeria. The paper argues that
businesses that seek to act responsibly must ensure that they do not cause harm to the
communities they operate in. Such companies must show restraint in their quest for
profit and must ensure peaceful co-existence among all stakeholders including the
immediate communities and environment. The immediate communities must benefit
from the operations of the business. Furthermore, it argues that responsible businesses,
especially those in the extractive industry, must be structured, fair, transparent, sensitive
to the needs of the immediate communities, and ensure shared value.
We want to thank the authors, the reviewers and the editor in chief contributing to this
issue and making it a success. We hope that the issue will stimulate further research
interest in this area.
Publisher
Published online
Date
2020
Source
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02500167.2019.1698629
Language
English