Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs: a shift from philanthropy to institutional works?

Amaeshi, K.; Adegbite, E.; Ogbechie, C.; Idemudia, U.; Seny-Kan, A.K.; Issa, M.; Anakwue, O.I.J.

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) amongst Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is often characterised in the literature as unstructured, informal and ad hoc discretionary philanthropic activities. Drawing insights from recent theoretical/analytical frameworks (i.e. Crane et al., in Corporate social responsibility: Readings and cases in a global context, 2013; and Valente and Crane, in Calif Manag Rev 52(3):52–78, 2010), and on empirical data collected from both Nigeria and Tanzania, we found that CSR practices in SMEs are much more nuanced than previously presented. In addition, SMEs undertake their CSR practices to varying degrees in multiple spaces—i.e. the workplace, marketplace, community and the ecological environment. These CSR practices go beyond philanthropy and in some instances involve institutional works aimed at addressing some of the institutional gaps in the environments where these SMEs operate. The paper makes a contribution by drawing attention to the multiple spaces of CSR practices amongst SMEs, and the institutional works they do, which are often taken for granted in the extant literature. We provide a unique perspective—by arguing that what is frequently conceptualised as philanthropic CSR in Africa is (or may include) ‘institutional works’.

Citation

Amaeshi, K., Adegbite, E., Ogbechie, C., Idemudia, U., Seny-Kan, A., Issa, M., & Anakwue, O. (2016). Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs: a shift from philanthropy to institutional works?. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(2), 385-400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2633-1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 21, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Mar 31, 2015
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Mar 23, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 31, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Business Ethics
• Print ISSN: 0167-4544
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-0697
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 138
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 385-400
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2633-1
• Keywords: Corporate social responsibility (CSR), Nigeria, Tanzania, Sub-Saharan Africa, SMEs, Institutional works.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1443944