ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to identify what cooperate social responsibility Communication strategies are being used by mobile phone companies and to determine the extent to which these cooperate social responsibility Communication strategies infuences  customers. The study sampled staff from globacom limited lagos as population study. The study revealed that Radio, TV and Newspapers are the top three most used medium as cooperate social responsibility Communication channels and the greatest challenge in identifying the cooperate social responsibility Communication strategy was monitoring. A key objective was to determine the extent to which these cooperate social responsibility Communication strategies customers and the two top most reasons were given as brand awareness and knowledge and recall. The researcher recommends that Globacom’ cooperate social responsibility Communication strategies should be regularly analyzed including all internal and external factors affecting them to measure their influence on customers.  

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background to the study

Issues concerning Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have become prominent among organisations recently (Carroll, 1999; Dawkins & Lewis, 2003; Lantos, 2001; Snider et. al., 2003). Many corporate organisations have adapted the concept of CSR into their operations, thus, making the concept popular. Organisations by their very nature have responsibilities (i.e., economic, ethical, legal and social) assigned to them by law, and highly expected of them by stakeholders and the society at large (Carroll, 1979). These responsibilities have to be diligently executed in order for organisations to secure their continuous existence. Even though definitions of CSR are varied, there is consensus in the literature that in looking at the concept, corporate organisations are not motivated by self-interest, but rather the collective interests of society, which might be local or global (Theaker, 2000). CSR has been a key element in business practices over the last decade and this has led many corporations to dedicate sections of their annual reports and corporate websites for CSR activities (Servaes & Tamayo, 2013). This interest in CSR could be said to be arising as a result of the many benefits that an organisation can enjoy by engaging in strategic corporate social responsibility activities. In particular, customers collectively get attracted to social and environmentally conscious businesses (Marin & Ruiz, 2017). According to McDonald and Rundle-Thiele (2008), the benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for companies include; increased profits, customer loyalty, trust, crisis management among others (Brown & Dacin, 1997; Drumwright, 1996; Maignan & Ferrell, 2001; Sen & Bhattacharya, 2001; Sen et. al., 2006). Research suggests that consumers increasingly consider CSR as something important, and are highly interested in knowing about how firms deal with CSR (Dawkins & Lewis, 2003; Schmeltz, 2012). Corporations out of this concern themselves with practising corporate social responsibility and also communicate such activities to their stakeholders.

Kotler and Lee (2005) hinted on a shift in CSR practices from mere obligations of society to long-term strategies that companies dedicate resources to. They (Kotler & Lee, 2005) further indicated that before the 1990’s, CSR activities were usually executed out of pressures for “doing good to look good”. However, today CSR has shifted towards a strategic approach which is described as “doing well and doing good” (Kotler & Lee, 2005 as cited by Carlsson & Akertsom, 2008 p.2). This shift being experienced in the corporate world has introduced new challenges and opportunities for corporations as to how to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and how to communicate such CSR activities (Matten and Moon, 2004). The understanding of CSR being viewed as a strategy has paved way for a new phenomenon where corporations integrate communication in their CSR activities.

1.2 Statement of the problem

CSR has gradually risen to a state where companies are not just interested in its practice but also how to communicate such activities to stakeholders, (Moir, 2002). One of the issues surrounding companies’ CSR communication is “what to say, to whom and how often to say it” (Kotler 2003, p. 536).  The literature points out that CSR has been a major practice among companies today but issues of how to effectively and successfully communicate it has not been fully answered (Carlsson & Akerstom, 2008). Maignan and Ferrell (2004) made a significant statement: “Businesses cannot hope to enjoy the benefits for CSR unless they intelligently communicate…their activities to relevant stakeholders (p. 17).

Extant literature on CSR and CSR communication in the Ghanaian context ranges from practices among companies (Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Baah, 2011; Dashwood & Pupulampu, 2010; Lichtenstein et al., 2013) to CSR as a strategy (Hinson & Kodua, 2012; Mahmoud & Hinson, 2012); and issues around CSR communication in general (Gyampo 2014; Hinson et al., 2010; Jelil 2014).

Although there is some research on CSR and CSR communication in Ghana, it has been recommended that more studies are needed to be conducted since CSR is still an emerging phenomenon in the country (Amo-Mensah & Tench, 2015). Also, there is the suggestion for further research on CSR communication in Ghana particularly with emphasis on how companies communicate CSR via social media (Tench & AmoMensah, 2018). This study therefore sought to examine the CSR communication practices of Globalcom.  It investigates the nature of CSR activities communicated as well as the platforms that are used to communicate CSR. It also explores the communication strategies that are exhibited on the online platforms of Globalcom

1.3 Objectives

This study looks at how Globalcom communicates its CSR initiatives

1. To identify what cooperate social responsibility Communication strategies are being used
2. To determine the extent to which these cooperate social responsibility Communication strategies influence customers

1.4 scope of the study

This study is focused on how CSR is communicated by Globalcom. The aim of this study is to discover the communication strategies that are employed by Globalcom to communicate CSR and to explore the CSR activities that are communicated to stakeholders.

1.5 Significance of the study

This study contributes to literature as far as CSR communication as a research area is concerned. This research probes deeper into how organisations utilise their online presence to communicate their CSR agenda. Findings of this research will enable corporations to fully understand the need for CSR communication and the communication strategies that are appropriate for disclosing CSR information. Finally, this research adds to the growing body of CSR communication research (e.g. social media) as the phenomenon gathers momentum.

1.6 Organisation of the study

The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter one is the introductory part of the research study which includes the background of the study, the problem statement, objectives, research questions that this study seeks to address, delimitation and the organisation of the study. Chapter two details the literature and the theory underpinning this study. This is followed by the methodology in chapter three which involves the research approach and design, the sampling techniques and how data were collected and analysed. Chapter four sheds light on findings and discussions of the study, whilst chapter five presents a summary of the entire research study, recommendations for future studies and also the conclusion.