CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
This chapter provides the background to the study by exploring the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It does so by placing CSR in a setting where it becomes a subject of discussion in the Ghanaian media by looking at a brief history, definitions and the nature of CSR. It delves into the problem statement of the study, research objectives and questions, significance of the study and provides operational definitions of certain concepts as used in the study. The chapter ends with an overview of the organization of the study.
Background to the study
Organizations do not operate in a vacuum, but are set up to perform specific tasks or various functions irrespective of the sector of economy into which they may be classified. Organizations, usually business corporations, and the society within which they operate are said to be interdependent in that for an organization to accomplish the purpose for which it was established, it needs an enabling society “to create expanding demand for business as more human needs are met and aspirations grow” (Porter & Kramer, 2006). In a similar way, a healthy society needs a business to provide needed products and services, create jobs to help generate income, assist governments in its operations by paying taxes, and make an impact in the physical and social conditions of the community (Atuguba & Dowuona-Hammond, 2006). The nature of some activities of businesses corporations or organizations can be such that they impact societies positively or negatively. An aluminum smelting company, for instance, can cause air pollution (a negative impact) by releasing toxic fumes into the atmosphere during its production of aluminum
for the society’s usage (a positive impact). Organizations therefore have a duty towards society, specifically towards stakeholder groups which include their customers, investors, their employees, suppliers, communities from where they function, regulators, various groups that have some kind of interest in their operations and the entire society (Carroll, 1999; Oppong, 2014a). The organization’s duty towards its stakeholders, especially the society, is encapsulated in the term Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR).
Over the past four decades, researchers have discussed and explored what Corporate Social Responsibility signifies, as well as what its patterns and its nature are (Isa, 2012). Studies have found different labels and terminologies synonymous to CSR (Matten & Moon, 2004). The different definitions of CSR according to Ofori, Nyuur and Darko (2014) could be as a result of the existence of different interchangeable terminologies given to CSR. The most mainstream terms which have turned out to be synonymous with the CSR construct are: “business ethics, corporate citizenship, sustainability or sustainable development, corporate environmental management, business & society, business & governance, business & globalisation and stakeholder management” (Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Dapaah, 2012). World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) formal definition for Corporate Social Responsibility is the “continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large” (World Business Council, 1998). Amponsah (2015) explained Corporate Social Responsibility as the commitments of organizations to society, all the more explicitly, commitments to partners and the individuals who impact
corporate policies and practices. Simply put, CSR is a reflection of organization’s acknowledgement of its responsibilities towards the society from which it operates.
In Ghana, CSR is viewed as developing abilities to create sustainable livelihoods, revering differences in cultures and situating businesses in developing the abilities of employees, as well as the community and the body that govern them (Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Baah, 2012).
According to Oppong (2016), CSR in Ghana is mostly done by organizations in the telecommunication industry, banking sector, and organizations in the extractive enterprises, for example, mining, oil and gas industries. Usually, these institutions are large multi-national companies from other nations which are members of the Organization for Economic Co- Operation and Development (OECD) which helps in normalizing and solving conflicts associated with CSR. These institutions are therefore required not only to guarantee profits to shareholders, pay salaries or wages to workers and deliver products and services to consumers, but also pay attention to the concerns of the community and what they uphold (Oppong, 2016; OECD, 2001). Thus, their involvement in CSR can be said to be an adherence to their code of conduct to do businesses ethically (Chan, 2014). Subsidiaries of such multinationals companies in Ghana according to Ofori & Hinson (2007), are “strategic, moral, and ethical in their approach to CSR”. They are known to follow some set of laid down procedures and principles in their engagement in CSR as compared to small and medium sized companies.
In recent times, small and medium sized companies in Ghana are also working hard to set up various programs that can help balance both the areas of profitability and social responsibility, and media institutions are no exception to this (Chan, 2014). “The media industry is slowly
starting to integrate CSR practices in their corporate vision and policies but they are not as much a subject of the CSR-competition as commercial enterprises in other sectors are” (Geiger, 2016). Considering the fact that media companies are usually private, profit-orientated organizations who get entangled in an area of pressure between what they deem important to their profession, monetary and societal power (Geiger, 2016), what could inform their choices of CSR activities? This is the question that comes to mind as media institutions in Ghana are making the effort and initiating CSR activities in an environment where there are no set laws governing the practice (Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Baah, 2012).
History of CSR
The phrase ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) was first used in 1953 by Howard R. Bowen, whom some recognize as the father of CSR, in his book “Social Responsibility of Businessmen”. In this publication, Bowen referred to CSR as “… the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society” (Bowen, 1953; p. 6). This marked the beginning of modern CSR. Arguments can be made about the fact that CSR took form before the 1950 though it is mostly associated with the twentieth century.fIatr dbaatceks as
the 1800s, during the Industrial Revolution when “businesses were especially concerned with employees and how to make them more productive workers” (Carroll, 2008 p. 20). In this era, philanthropy came onto the scene and it was difficult to differentiate between individual and business philanthropy because of certain individuals like John D. Rockefeller associated with the practice. CSR evolved over the years due to factors like globalization of the economy and the CSR promoting campaigns which were initiated by politics, public opinion, the business environment and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) (Farcane & Bureana, 2015). Also, society’s engagement in the practice led to close monitoring by institutions like the World Bank and Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) who were to help normalize and solve the problems related to CSR that came up as mentioned earlier (Farcane & Bureana, 2015). In the 2000s, CSR has become an imperative issue and has been logically rationalized and connected with broader organizational objectives like reputation and stakeholder management (Moura-Leite & Padget, 2011; Lee, 2008). In addition, business communities are fascinated about the idea of sustainable development which has become an integral part of the debates on CSR.
CSR in Africa
The practice of CSR in Africa is said to have been adopted from the Western world though “there is evidence to suggest that Western theories are not totally applicable to Africa” (Dartey- Baah & Amponsah-Tawiah, 2011). The practice of CSR in Africa and other developing countries contrasts from the western point of view because it concentrates more on ecological issues and philanthropic responsibilities rather than focusing on legal and moral business practices to close up governance gaps (Hamidu, Haron & Amran, 2016; Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Baah, 2012). CSR in Africa is targeted at the provision of social amenities and helping to improve the lives of individuals and the country as a whole. The forms CSR take in most African countries is heavily dependent on the culture which has set a particular tone that demands that businesses act responsibly (Dartey-Baah, Amponsah-Tawiah & Agbeibor, 2015). According to Mohammed, Xiao and Hilton (2019), however, there is still a dearth of research on CSR in Africa.
CSR and media
The media in Africa is considered as a business that owes it to the society to act responsibly in all its endeavours. However, the picture that has been painted of the media in the continent is one that has “assumed a partisan, highly politicized, militant role” by the way it separates citizens into good and bad based on the political parties they are affiliated with (Nyamnjoh, 2009). This has accounted for the tension that has been created between what they do as part of their profession and their cultural belonging (Geiger, 2015; Nyamnjoh, 2009). Yet, this does not erase the reality that the media engages in other activities that positively affect citizens which they term as CSR.
What this history suggests is that in fulfilling their responsibilities to the society there is a tendency of the media to be influenced by factors that lie outside the pale of their primary function as producers and purveyors of news, information and entertainment. Beyond this general principle, however, the specific motivations of the media in Ghana to choose and undertake particular CSR activities must be a subject of empirical enquiry.
Problem Statement
Organizations and other corporate bodies conventionally rely on the media to give visibility and value to their CSR activities. However, the media have been noted to move rather slowly behind these other organizations in CSR engagement and performance (Schranz, 2007, p.31; Gulyás, 2009). Media institutions in Ghana among other institutions engage in various voluntary activities which are classified as CSR activities. However, unlike other institutions in sectors like mining (Owusu- Ansah, Adu-Gyamfi, Brenya, Sarpong & Damtar, 2015; Gavin, McGee, Smoyer-Tomic & Aubynn, 2009; Hilson, 2007), banking (Hinson, 2011; Asare & Asmild, 2012; Hinson, Boateng & Madichie, 2010) and telecommunication (Abubakari & Abdul-Hamid, 2018; Mahmoud & Hinson, 2012; Boateng & Abdul-Hamid, 2017) which have been the subject of much research attention in the CSR literature, far less is known about CSR in the media sector. Furthermore, while scholars have proposed multiple drivers or motivations for CSR (Dhanesh, 2015), some of which are aligned to developing countries (such as cultural influences) and others (such as stakeholder pressure) are universally accepted (Hamidu, Haron & Amran, 2016), not much can be said about the Ghanaian media in this sense. There is scant literature on what types of CSR activities Ghanaian media institutions engage in and what motivates the choices of such activities. Visser (2006) recommended that there is a pressing need to explore CSR in developing countries at sectoral levels since research in this area is underdeveloped and there seems to be a heavy reliance on studies conducted on the basis of convenience and global conventions. It is important that the media is studied because the media in Ghana are a particularly pivotal part of the social, political and cultural realities of the population.
Consequently, this study attempts to examine CSR activities in the media sector of Ghana, specifically the types of CSR activities the media engages in and what drives the choice of those activities considering that, the practice of CSR is nested within particular sociocultural settings and needs to be explored in those contexts (Mohan, 2001; Visser, 2013, p. 9; Lindgreen & Swaen 2010).
Research Objectives
The overall research aim is to gain a better understanding of the types of CSR activities in Ghanaian media organizations and what drives the choices of these activities. To address this aim, the following specific objectives were pursued:
- To identify the different types of CSR activities of media institutions in Ghana.
- To explore the motivations behind the choices of the various CSR activities in the media institutions.
Research Questions
The research will be guided by the following questions:
- What types of CSR activities do Ghanaian media institutions engage in?
- What drives the choices of the CSR activities in the Ghanaian media institutions?
Significance of study
Although studies have been conducted to find out what specifically drives CSR in media institutions in various parts of the world, (Gulyás (2009) very few studies have focused on such activities in Ghana. Recently studies like that by Mohammed, Xiao and Hilton (2019) which was conducted in Ghana’s field of CSR, have recommended the need for further studies into CSR in Ghana to throw more light on the possible evolution of an indigenous CSR paradigm. This study is an attempt to contribute to that scholarly conversation. Specifically, therefore, this study will contribute evidence of CSR in Ghana’s media sector and give a Ghanaian perspective to global theorizing of the drivers of CSR activities. It will serve also as literature for researchers who would want to conduct further studies into CSR in Ghana. Also, the findings of this study will
provide empirical information about Ghanaian media institutions and the types of CSR they undertake, in order to provide informed feedback on future CSR endeavours.
Definition of Terms
The following terms were used in this study:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity
Corporate Social Responsibility activity as used in this study refers to any voluntary and consistent project undertaken by a corporate body, in particular the media institutions being studied, which is budgeted and planned for with the aim of impacting the environment and society.
