CSR in Africa: introduction to the special issue

Citation

SJ, J.F.M. (2012), "CSR in Africa: introduction to the special issue", African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Vol. 3 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ajems.2012.43903aaa.001

CSR in Africa: introduction to the special issue

Article Type: Guest Editorial From: African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Volume 3, Issue 1

This special issue on CSR in Africa is the result of the efforts of many. First, the suggestion of the Guest Editor, who identified the convenience of offering the African Journal of Economic and Management Studies (AJEMS) as a platform for debate in such an area. Second, the support of Prof. John Kuada, AJEMS Editor, for this initiative. Third, the contribution of authors who have submitted their papers and have worked hard in the double-blind review processes. Fourth, the job of reviewers, who have been patient and thorough. And fifth, the silent presence of Emerald, which has created AJEMS as an institution for debate on the future of economy and management in Africa.

The process has resulted, first, in the clarification of the “core meaning” (Lakoff, 2006) of CSR. Effectively, the reviewers and the Guest Editor have suggested a bibliography to authors; a bibliography that has helped everyone to understand better the reality and challenges of CSR in the continent. A second result has been the improvement of skills in writing academic articles for young authors who have received the conceptual support of reviewers. The excellent pattern offered by Emerald to write the Abstract has undoubtedly guided all participants in shaping the articles in a logical, meaningful way.

A geographical note is also relevant at this point. The research on CSR in Africa is usually restricted to a small cluster of countries: mainly in South Africa (Visser et al., 2006, p. 14). In contrast, this issue enlarges the geographical scope of CSR with articles from Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Egypt and the DR of the Congo, plus two contributions focused on West Africa and on Sub-Saharan Africa in general. Besides, the vast majority of authors are African: in fact, in this issue, Africa offers its own voice in the global context, where too often authors or actors from other areas speak about the complex reality of the continent.

CSR approaches

CSR is an incipient discipline. Garriga and Melé (2004) summarize the main CSR approaches or theories in four groups: instrumental, political, integrative and ethical theories. Each group responds to one main aspect or dimension of social reality according to T. Parsons: economics, politics, social integration and ethics. Instrumental theories understand CSR as a means to an end of financial profits for a company, and include the reflections on the business case for CSR, the possibility to enhance the firm’s competitive advantage, and the use of CSR as a means of maximizing profits. Political theories stress the power of companies in society, and their correlative responsibility in the political arena; they try to articulate the presence of firms in relation with the other political actors. Integrative approaches study the relationships between companies and social demands, crucial for the survival and growth of business itself; these theories try to formulate how a company can be legitimized by the different stakeholders. Finally, ethical theories consider the ethical values framing the relationships between business and society, and discuss the ideas of universal rights, sustainable development or common good (Garriga and Melé, 2004, pp. 51-3). This division, however, does not assume that one theory is incompatible with the others. Instead, each theory or family stresses an important dimension of the discipline (Garriga and Melé, 2004, pp. 64-5).

The articles included in this special issue illustrate the four dimensions of CSR. The instrumental approach is particularly present in the paper by Passent Tantawi and Amr Youssef on corporate social performance in place branding of retail banks; and in the one by Thomas Kimeli Cheruiyot and Loice C. Maru on CSR related to employees in the hospitality sector. CSR political theory is dominant in Rhuks Temitope Ako’s work on the new role of oil companies in society to be defined and developed after an important political change in the country. Integrative CSR predominates in Bethel Uzoma Ihugba’s paper on the legitimacy of a tobacco company; in the article by David H. Tobey and B. Yasanthi Perera, which analyzes the cultural values of MNCs and of local communities; and in Josep F. Mària SJ and Miho Taka’s work on the contribution of mining companies to the development of artisanal miners, an important local stakeholder. Finally, the ethical approach is especially present in Happy Mickson Kayuni and Richard I.C. Tambulasi’s paper on the relationships between Ubuntu and CSR; and in Fredrick Onyango Ogola’s article on the contribution of financial institutions to the development of an African society.

Instrumental approach

In the framework of an instrumental approach, two articles analyze, respectively, the connections between CSR and marketing, and between CSR and human resources management, in order to make CSR a profitable practice.

First, Tantawi and Youssef’s study considers retail banks as place brands, and advises place brand managers on how to integrate their values with corporate social performance (CSP) and branding issues. In fact, in Egypt, retail banking is experiencing significant changes and entails the marketing of intangible services rather than tangible products. The results of this study indicate that there is a lack of association between CSP measures and brand equity measures of retail banks in Egypt. It is therefore important to synthesize the brand equity of a place with CSP in the banking sector.

Second, Cheruiyot and Maru explore and advocate employee CSR practices in 20 classified hotels in the coastal region of Kenya; they evaluate perceived job satisfaction, employee turnover/retention and organizational commitment by employees; and explore any inherent paradox in employee perceptions on both employee CSR practices and job-related outcomes.

Political approach

Rhuks Ako’s paper highlights the opportunity that exists within the environment of peace in the Niger Delta precipitated by the federal government’s amnesty deal; an opportunity particularly interesting for the oil multinationals that operate there, to re-invent the delivery of CSR to maintain peaceful relations with their hosts as a requisite for the sustainable exploitation of oil resources in the region and country.

Integrative approach

Ihugba’s article investigates the stakeholder engagement approach, the level, rationale and implication of CSR management and governance in the Nigerian tobacco subsector. The author uses data from the published social reports of British American Tobacco Nigeria. His findings suggest, first, that the firm’s engagement is contrived and lacking in authenticity; and second, that a stakeholder engagement framework needs to be developed to improve informed and balanced stakeholder participation and progressive CSR programs. Therefore, entirely discretionary CSR and stakeholder engagement may reduce its developmental impact and sustainability.

Focusing on Western Africa, Tobey and Perera address a primary question: how might differences between the personal and cultural values of multinational organizations and the local African community affect the acceptance and implementation of CSR efforts? They use the stakeholder perspective to analyze the conditions under which multinational corporations create CSR programs that are considered to be effective in a local context. They posit value alignment between various stakeholder groups as an important component in the acceptance and ease of implementation of these companies’ CSR initiatives.

Mària and Taka present the potential and actual contributions of socially responsible mining companies to a public policy on artisanal miners. Both the theoretical effort and the illustration of this connection between companies and artisans in the context of the east of the DR of Congo are an original contribution. A basic recommendation for responsible mining companies consists of the implementation of dialogues with local communities and local governments in order to cover the multiple needs of artisanal miners and discover innovation opportunities for the firms.

Ethical approach

Kuada (2010, p. 21) contends that “[…] leader development agents in Africa must exhibit an attentiveness that is grounded in existing cultural values”. This care of existing cultural values shapes the work of H. Kayuni and R. Tambulasi in their attempt to relate the Western model of CSR with the African tradition of Ubuntu. The authors analyze whether CSR can be applied cross-culturally by using the concept of Ubuntu. Departing from a qualitative research study conducted amongst nine sampled Malawian organizations, they conclude that the application of the idea of CSR depends on the prevailing cultural context and that Ubuntu values influence and facilitate the application of CSR activities.

F. Onyango’s article provides a framework for analyzing the social responsibility of financial institutions in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, in the horizon of the potential contribution of such organizations to development. The author focuses on the micro level of the connection between finance and development, and uses Amartya Sen’s idea of development. Onyango combines Sherraden’s “Asset-building policies” with Cabraal, Russel and Singh’s “microfinance ideals” as a strategy to implement the broad developmental agenda in the field of socially responsible financial institutions. The author posits that financial institutions must view social responsibility in development not only as a tool for economic growth but also as a tool for promoting equality and freedom through economic and social inclusion.

Concluding remarks

In the opening article of the first issue of the AJEMS, its Editor John Kuada states:

Research must improve insight into how Africans behave as leaders, why they behave the way they do, and the implications of such behaviours for organizational and national economic performance. Research is also required to guide the choice of approaches that African leaders may adopt to achieve sustainable improvements in their behaviours (Kuada, 2010, p. 10).

This special issue on CSR in Africa has reflected on different firms and organizations whose leaders are shaping the future of African countries. We hope that the research developed by our authors will stimulate the awareness of African leaders of their styles of leadership (Mària and Lozano, 2010) and the different approaches or dimensions of the relationships between business and its context.

Josep F. Mària SJInstitute for Social Innovation ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain