Assessing Perception and Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by Energy Sector Firms in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
Andrew Victor Kabenlah Blay Jnr ◽  
Augustine Senanu Komla Kukah ◽  
Julius Akotia

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in Ghana are spearheaded by large-scale multi-national companies and have gained momentum in recent years possibly due to the discovery of oil. The goal of this study is to learn more about how energy companies in Ghana view and practise CSR. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted for this study. Structured questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data from selected energy companies and inhabitants. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and content analysis were the analytical tools adopted. The findings suggest that CSR was seen as a voluntary activity in the Ghanaian energy supply industry, with enterprises being obliged to work within societal norms rather than regulatory standards in the country. In the lens of the level of CSR practiced by the energy supply company, the findings indicate that the companies do practice CSR but based on their own planned policy objectives with most of the interventions geared towards social interventions like education, provision of potable water for communities, scholarship schemes, and road development. Policymakers will make use of the findings of the research to inform their knowledge in designing policies related to CSR. The outcome will also guide corporate firms in the energy sector to make decisions to either consider stakeholders as vital movers of development in the communities they operate, or they are being a hindrance to their CSR mandate. This study is unique as it extends knowledge on CSR in the energy sector of Ghana.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3815
Author(s):  
Magdalena M. Stuss ◽  
Zbigniew J. Makieła ◽  
Agnieszka Herdan ◽  
Gabriela Kuźniarska

If corporate social responsibility (CSR) is expected to work efficiently, there should be a standardised approach for implementation of the CSR concept for all businesses, including companies operating in the energy sector. Although many companies declare compliance with CSR standards, further investigation should be undertaken to evaluate if and how those standards have been applied in practice. The aim of this research is to examine the level of standardisation of the CSR activities within Polish energy companies and explore the good practices developed by those companies. The Polish energy companies have been selected for the investigation as the literature review we conducted demonstrates that there is limited research in this area and there is a knowledge gap regarding how Polish energy companies apply CSR regulation in practice. To accomplish the stated aims, the following research questions were developed: (1) What is the essence of applying the CSR concept in Polish energy companies, and at what level of development is the concept applied? (2) To what extent do Polish energy companies have a common approach to the CSR concept, and in what areas are there differences? (3) To what extent have Polish energy companies applied global CSR standards and solutions? (4) Is there a gap between the declared measures of CSR and their actual implementation in Polish energy companies? The research methodology of this study is based on a systematic literature review of the sources acquired from databases such as ProQuest, Emerald, SCOPUS and the Jagiellonian University Library. The multiple case study approach was identified as the most suitable research tool. Companies for the study were selected according to their affiliation to the energy sector and listing on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. These two assumptions allowed us to base this study on the largest Polish energy companies that have international status. Six areas of CSR annual report disclosures have been identified and used for the investigation and analysis. This research looks at similarities and difference between these six aspects of CSRs disclosed by Polish energy companies. The investigation allows us to conclude that the top three energy companies use similar tools to build their CSR strategies: formalised CSR concept, published CSR reports, disclosure of CSR information on the company website, CSR related activities offered to stakeholders, obtained CSR certificates, and CSR awards. This indicates the existence of a standardised approach to CSR across Polish energy companies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-241
Author(s):  
Alan Bandeira Pinheiro ◽  
Thicia Stela Lima Sampaio ◽  
Daniel Barboza Guimarães ◽  
Sílvia Maria Dias Pedro Rebouças

This study examines the effect of the cultural system on the disclosure of corporate social responsibility by companies in the energy sector. The survey analyzed a sample of 62 leading energy companies from 25 countries. The dependent variable is the level of environmental disclosure of the companies. The independent variables are composed by the cultural system of the analyzed countries, according to the Hofstede cultural dimensions. The data were analyzed using descriptive, inferential statistics, correlation, and regression of panel data. The findings show that in more individualistic and masculine cultures, companies disclose more CSR information. It was found that companies based in cultures with a higher level of indulgence and with a greater orientation for the long term tend to have greater environmental disclosure. The results show that the level of disclosure of corporate social responsibility is different depending on the country's cultural system. There are institutional pressures, which encourage companies to publish a more complete sustainability report. The results of this study have academic and managerial implications.


2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepankar Sharma ◽  
Priya Bhatnagar

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the community development approaches of large-scale mining companies, with particular reference to how they may engender community dependency. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a review of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the mining industry, corporate community initiatives and the problem of mining dependency at a national, regional and local levels. Findings – It outlines some of the reasons why less-developed countries (LDCs) experience under-development and detrimental effects as a result of their linkages with industrialized countries. LDCs are not able to take advantage of advanced technology and management skills due to being relatively poor in capital and skills, and foreign technologies compete unfairly with and destroy local production techniques, creating a pool of unemployable “marginalized” people. Holder’s of investments in LDCs demand annual returns for continued support – profits are taken out of the country or guaranteed by tax concessions. Unwillingness of foreign firms to train local people to take over management positions. Originality/value – This paper explores how the need to address sustainability issues has affected communities, and whether community development initiatives have been effective in contributing to more sustainable communities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-81
Author(s):  
Abdisa Olkeba Jima

Mining, specifically, large-scale gold mining has become one of the primary economic activities that play a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of one country. But there is no consensus among scholars whether gold mining companies maintain mutual benefits with local communities. The main objective of this research is to scrutinize the mechanism to be employed in reopening Lega Dambi large-scale gold mining by maintaining mutual benefits between the company and the local community. The researcher employed a qualitative method and a case study research design. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the local community, elders, religious leaders, Abbaa Gadaas, Guji Zone, and Odo Shakiso Woreda investment office, land management office, social and labor affair, mineral, and energy office administrators, and Odo Shakiso Woreda health station and Adola hospital. Secondary sources and regulatory frameworks such as FDRE Constitution and Mining Operations Proclamation No. 678/2010 were used to triangulate with primary data. The finding shows that Lega Dambi's large-scale gold mining company failed to maintain mutual benefits between itself and the local community. Basic tenets such as national and regional corporate social responsibility, community development agreement, impact and benefit agreements, social and labor plan, and social license were not implemented properly to balance the mutual benefit between the company and the local community. The researcher concluded that Lega Dambi large-scale gold mining company disregarded the role of the local community during commencement time albeit it had a strong relationship with the central government. Consequently, the company was terminated because of a bad relationship it had with the local community. It is recommended that national and regional corporate social responsibility that shows the company’s specific joint administration of the central and Oromia region governments should be designed and implemented fully. It is also recommended that discussions should be held with local communities and arrived at a consensus concerning the reopening of the company.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jintao Lu ◽  
Licheng Ren ◽  
Jiayuan Qiao ◽  
Siqin Yao ◽  
Wadim Strielkowski ◽  
...  

This paper focuses on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its relationship with sustainability. The authors investigate the linkages between CSR and sustainability at both enterprise and country levels. The main focus of this study is the energy sector due to its importance in terms of economic, environmental, and social impacts. There are some doubts as to whether a socially responsible business meets public welfare expectations and fosters the country’s social and economic development, as well as the successful achievement of sustainable development objectives. However, it becomes apparent that the development of corporate social responsibility in the energy sector faces a plethora of challenges. Corruption is one of the most important challenges of sustainable energy development. The study analyzes the main areas of CSR policies where energy companies are expected to make a positive contribution to sustainable energy development: mitigation of environmental impact, economic and social development, and good governance. The authors argue that the corruption risks represent a very important issue that is hampering sustainable energy development, and CSR can be applied to mitigate these risks in the energy sector. In addition, government policies might be necessary to create a favorable environment for corruption risk mitigation. The study analyzes the main tools of corporate social responsibility in the energy sector and addresses the impact of CSR on the sustainability of energy sector and corruption risk mitigation. The study analyzes a corruption risk mitigation model in the energy sector and provides recommendations for strengthening corporate social responsibility and mitigating corruption risk. Our results show that CSR can play a vital role in dealing with corruption in the energy sector at the enterprise level. It becomes apparent that anti-corruption standards represent the main supporting means for achieving other CSR goals and principles. Therefore, mitigation of corruption risks should become a priority for socially responsible companies that are operating in the energy sector.


Author(s):  
Luciana Aparecida Barbieri da Rosa ◽  
Maria Carolina Martins-Rodrigues ◽  
Tais Pentiado Godoy ◽  
Waleska Yone Yamakawa Zavatti Campos ◽  
Clandia Maffini Gomes ◽  
...  

Corporate social responsibility is conceptualized as a voluntary activity of organizations, which evidence the inclusion of environmental and social objectives in the interactions with stakeholders, as well as in their operational activities. Thus, the general objective was to analyze the characteristics of the publications related to the topic corporate social responsibility in the last three decades, in the Web of Science and in Scopus databases. There was an increase in the number of articles published per year with the “boom” in the years 2013 to 2018, in both databases. The authors at the Copenhagen Business School (79; 129) and York University (92; 104) were where the most scientific articles published on the subject on both databases. Regarding the main research areas in publications on corporate social responsibility, there seems to be a convergence in the main research areas of most published articles.


Author(s):  
Jessica Steinberg

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the practice in which firms voluntarily provide social and economic goods to communities affected by their operations. This chapter addresses several questions related specifically to CSR in the energy and natural resources sector. How is CSR in the energy sector unique relative to other sectors? What about the energy sector is likely to affect the way CSR among energy or extractive firms is conceived, implemented, and studied? This chapter provides a critical literature review and lays the groundwork for a research agenda in the area of CSR in the energy sector.


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