I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs. Evelyn Derera, because without her guidance and constructive criticism, I would not have come this far. I would also like to thank Professor Chitakunye and the university staff for all their encouragement and for making this journey enjoyable. To my brothers and their families, I thank you for the sacrifices you have made to get me to this point.
Thank you for all the support and for encouraging me to join when the going got tough. To my late mother and father, thank you for your prayers and the wisdom you instilled in me. Finally, I would like to thank all my friends who made me believe in myself and aim for the best, not forgetting my course mates who made this journey exciting.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been identified and adopted by large corporations as a business strategy used to improve corporate performance. It is used globally to connect business and society through sustainable development and good governance.
- Introduction
- Background and context of the study
- Research problem
- Research objectives
- Research questions
- The rationale of the study
- Research methods for the study
- Research methods
- Data collection methods
- Data analysis and statistical techniques
- Limitations of the research study
- Definition of key terms
- Accountability
- Responsibility
- Sustainability
- Stakeholders
- Social capital
- Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneur
- Corporate social responsibility
- Small and medium enterprises
- Structure of the dissertation
- Conclusion
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2013:03) defined corporate social responsibility as "the ongoing commitment of companies to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of workers, their families, and surrounding communities and societies in general." In their study to determine the importance of CSR in SMEs, Bampton et al and Zeka echoed the same sentiments, agreeing that CSR occurs when organizations focus on a social agenda that goes beyond what is expected with laws. Neoliberal researchers consider CSR to be “the adoption of a set of voluntary policies, codes or guidelines initiated and directed by a corporation” (Broomhill, 2007:6). To examine the strategies used by SMEs to overcome some of the challenges they face in implementing CSR activities.
The study is initially driven by the need to understand the interaction between CSR in SMEs. Additionally, Kruskal Wallis tests were used to identify significant differences of all questions asked in the five constructs of the study. As such, the results of the study cannot be generalized to all SMEs in Pietermaritzburg.
However, the researcher recommends that the insights from the research are used by SMEs in Pietermaritzburg and across the country. This chapter provides a detailed introduction, the rationale of the study, the background of the study, and the limitations of the study.
- Introduction
- Brief historical background of CSR
- The dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility
- Economic responsibility
- Legal responsibility
- Ethical responsibility
- Philanthropic responsibility
- Corporate social responsibility theoretical frameworks
- Stakeholder theory
- Economic theory
- Social capital theory
- Conclusion
The purpose of this chapter is to review literature on CSR in relation to SMEs and the objectives of the study. A historical view of the CSR concept can be used to further understand the developments of the concept and how it can be used by SMEs. Each business has responsibility to continue its activities according to the legal framework of the country (Carroll and Shabana, 2010:88).
It is essential for businesses to pursue their profit ambitions in accordance with the legal framework of the country (Carroll and Shabana, 2010:97). In order to understand theoretical perspectives of CSR and to be able to address the objectives of the study, it is essential to examine stakeholder, economic and social capital theories. The theories were selected and discussed as frameworks that can be used to understand CSR in SMEs and how they can be used to answer the objectives of the study.
The chapter highlighted critical literature on CSR in relation to the study's research objectives. The following chapter presents a comprehensive literature review on small and medium-sized enterprises in relation to the objectives of the study.
Introduction
Small and Medium Enterprises
- South African definition of SMEs
Significance of SMEs in South Africa
Main challenges faced by SMEs
- Financial constraints
- Lack of management skills
- Lack of information and time
- Size of business
- Inadequate human resources
Corporate social responsibility strategies for SMEs
Benefits of CSR to SMEs
Conclusion
Introduction
Research philosophy
Research objectives
Research design
- Mixed method research approach
- Mixed methods design for the study
Sampling design
Target population
Sample size
Sampling techniques
Data collection methods
- In-depth Interviews
- Structure of in-depth interview guide
- Questionnaire
- Structure of questionnaire
Data analysis
- Descriptive statistics
- Inferential analysis
- Principle Component Analysis (PCA)
- The Kruskal-Wallis Test
Reliability and validity
- Reliability
- Validity
Pilot testing
Ethical Requirements
Conclusion
Introduction
Research responses
Section A: Demographic profile of participants
- Gender
- Age
- Race distribution
- Position
- Highest educational levels of participants
- Forms of business ventures
- Type of industry sectors
- Years of operating business venture
Section B: Qualitative results
- Research Objective 1: Perceptions of SMEs on CSR
- Research Objective 2: The drivers of CSR practices in SMEs
- Research Objective 3: Implementation of CSR practices
- Research Objective 4: To investigate the challenges experienced by SMEs in
- Intensity of CSR challenges
- Research Objective 5
Section C: Quantitative results
- Research Objective 1: Perceptions of SMEs on CSR
- Descriptive statistics of perceptions
- Inferential analysis of perceptions
Research Objective 2: The drivers of CSR in SMEs
- Descriptive statistics on BSR drivers
- Inferential analysis on BSR drivers
Research Objective 3: The implementation of CSR practices
- Descriptive statistics on BSR implementation
- Inferential analysis on BSR implementation
Research Objective 4: CSR challenges
- Descriptive statistics of BSR challenges
- Inferential analysis of BSR challenges
Research Objective 5: Strategies used to implement CSR
- Descriptive statistics BSR strategies
- Inferential analysis of BSR strategies
Conclusion
Introduction
Research Objective 1
Research Objective 2
Research Objective 3
Research Objective 4
Research Objective 5
Conclusion
Introduction
The aim of the research was to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between CSR and SMEs in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. The study examined the perceptions, drivers of CSR activities in SMEs, the challenges in implementing CSR initiatives and the strategies used by SMEs to overcome some of the challenges they face. Furthermore, the study provided in-depth knowledge on the challenges and strategies used by small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in implementing CSR activities.
The main purpose of this chapter is to summarize the research and provide a comprehensive discussion on the contribution of the research to the management domain. The chapter provides recommendations as a campus for future studies in the field of corporate social responsibility in small and medium enterprises. Additionally, the chapter outlined some limitations of the study to inform readers about the issues found in the study.
Conclusion of the study
Stakeholder theory was used to help the researcher identify and understand stakeholders' perceptions of CSR. However, the chapter acknowledged that there is no universal definition for SMEs and that the definition varies from country to country. The chapter also outlined CSR strategies for SMEs and discussed various CSR-related benefits for SMEs.
This chapter outlined the research methods the researcher used to achieve the objectives of the study. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, drawing insights from theoretical frameworks and business concepts from a wide range of secondary sources such as peer reviewed journal articles and non-peer reviewed publications on the topic. A mixed method approach was used to collect primary data and understand the interplay between CSR concepts in SMEs.
In-depth interviews were conducted first and the results were used to design questions to be used in the second phase. Convenience sampling technique was used as a non-probability method to select participants for the study. It also described how validity, reliability and a pre-test were used to check the effectiveness of the research instruments used in the study.
Several themes were identified from in-depth interviews, while SPSS (descriptive and inferential statistics) results were presented and analyzed in accordance with the objectives of the study. The findings also show that the varying perceptions of SMEs are influenced by the nature and functions of the business. The findings revealed that there are several drivers that push SMEs to engage in CSR activities.
Some of the activities identified include donating food parcels to children's and elderly homes, participating in local community HIV/AIDS awareness programs, helping to build and donating to community clinics, schools and underprivileged students, and donating food parcels to children's and elderly homes. The results showed that SMEs form partnerships as a strategy to deal with challenges they face when implementing CSR initiatives. The results revealed that this approach helps SMEs with the advantage of drawing their limited resources, learning from each other and having the ability to achieve successful CSR programs.
Research Contributions
- Managerial contributions
Although the study acknowledges the diverse views of stakeholders on CSR, the researcher identified that CSR benefits overwhelm the generic challenges faced by SMEs. Therefore, the contributions made through the study will help entrepreneurs/managers to recognize and embrace CSR as it is not only limited to large firms.
Research Limitations
Recommendations
Large companies should act as mentors to SMEs and educate them on the importance of integrating CSR into their business functions.
Conclusion
Corporate social responsibility in SMEs: Application of stakeholder theory and social capital theory. The impact of corporate social responsibility factors on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. The questions in this questionnaire refer to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
