Effective Service Delivery on Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Within Financial Institutions
Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is something that has taken a new craze in recent
times. Many organizations are spending countless amounts of money towards various
CSR activities including having media visibility for the same efforts. Even though CSR
has largely been embraced by organizations worldwide and dubbed a way of such
organizations „giving back to the community‟, such activities have also been a subject of
much scrutiny especially by those who feel that such efforts does not go deep enough to
address societal issues they are meant to address.
This research project was centered around three key objectives; to investigate the impact
media coverage on CSR, to examine how participants of Equity Bank „Wings to Fly‟
program have benefitted and to assess whether financial institutions should adopt CSR
initiatives. To this end, the target population was education stakeholders such as parents,
students, head teachers of secondary schools, alumni of the programme and managers of
Equity Bank. A sample size of 300 respondents was deemed to be big enough to get the
required data to achieve the objectives of the study. Purposive sampling method was used
to pick this sample. This was because this sampling technique ensures that the researcher
only includes in the sample those he fills are in a position to give required information.
Given that the data to be collected was hugely qualitative, questionnaires and interviews
were used to collect data. These two tools gave the researchers wider depth of seeking
clarification where necessary and therefore best for this kind of research. The data
collected was analysed by use of various statistical techniques such as calculation of
means, variances, percentages and proportions. The statistical software SPSS was
employed to give these values.
The key findings of the research were that there is need for the bank to widen its reach by
extending its visibility on the various social media platforms. However, the use of
traditional media has been effective in reaching wider audience. However, the adoption
of CSR activities by institutions keen on reaping financial benefits such as increased
market share should be taken with care. This is because despite wider knowledge about
the population on the „Wings to Fly‟ scheme, it was found that there was negligible
uptake of Equity Banks products by the respondents. Therefore, CSR initiatives should be
coupled by increased service to the consumers.
This research contains various eye opening points which tends to go against widely held
beliefs and therefore adds an important segment to the knowledge in this area. It is hoped
that this will increase the understanding of CSR as an activity.
Publisher
University of Nairobi