Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility Project Activities on Creation of Internal Brand Ambassadors in Commercial Banks: a Case of Kcb Bank in Nakuru East Sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of corporate social responsibility project activities on creation of internal brand ambassadors in commercial banks, a case of KCB Bank in Nakuru East sub-county, Kenya. The objectives of the study were establishing the extent to which CSR financial support, examining the extent to which CSR training support and assessing the extent to which CSR mentorship support influence the creation of internal brand ambassadors in commercial banks. The study was based on the Stakeholder theory and its models of CSR. The study adopted a descriptive survey and simple random sampling technique was the sampling technique. The study targeted a population of 77 KCB employees and a sample of 73 using the Krejcie & Morgan table. Questionnaires containing close ended questions were used to gather the necessary data for this study. This tool was tested for validity before data collection and a reliability tested using the Split half technique where the questionnaire variables were separated into two same halves and the outcome correlated by use of spearman’s correlation to test its consistency level. The questionnaire was pretested with employees from the head office units in the pilot study. Data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics mainly percentages, frequencies and inferential statistics especially correlation coefficient. Data analysis was done with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Frequency tables were used to present the data collected for ease of understanding and analysis. Correlation was conducted to determine the relationship between the dependent variables and the independent variables. Among the findings were, there is a positive relationship between Financial Support activity, Training Support activity, Mentorship Support activity and creation of internal brand ambassadors. The relationship (r=0.733; p<0.01) is significant with CSR Financial Support activity(r=0.801; p<0.01) with CSR Training Support activity and (r=0.635; p<0.01) with CSR Mentorship Support activity. The study concluded CSR Financial Support activity, CSR Training Support activity and CSR Mentorship Support activity all enhance the creation of internal brand ambassadors in commercial banks. The study recommends for CSR mentorship, financial and training support improvements and enhanced employee engagement. A continuous scheme for financial incentives is recommended for employees who actively participate in CSR project activities. Continuous monitoring and evaluation of performance of trainees is recommended to ensure the training programmes are productive. It is also recommended that there should be enhanced mentorship networking with other institutions for relevancy and diversity. Review of the mentorship programmes is also recommended so that it can create a concise platform for career planning for upcoming entrepreneurs. Employees should continually be well orientated, educated and actively involved in the project activities of the CSR programmes. The study recommends further research studies on Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility Project Activities on Creation of External Brand Ambassadors, Factors influencing implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility project activities in Kenya, The Role of Internal stakeholders in Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility Project Activities, The Role of External stakeholders in Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility Project Activities.