Assessment of Corporate Social Responsibility Performance of Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State

Assessment of Corporate Social Responsibility Performance of Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State

Egwurugwu, B.C., Prof. Amadi, R N.,  Dr. Harcourt, D.W

Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Rivers State University, Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7529

 Received: 25 March 2023; Revised: 15 April 2023; Accepted: 17 March 2023; Published: 23 May 2023

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the corporate social responsibility performance of Gokana Local Government area of Rivers State.  Two specific objectives and two research questions guided the study.  A descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study.  The population of the study comprised of 229,114 respondents and a sample size of 402 was adopted in the study.  A self-structured questionnaire was used in collecting the data for the study while mean was used in analyzing the data collected.  Findings in the study revealed that; the council engages in corporate social responsibility, the CSR undertaken by the council are on the areas of providing educational grant, provision of infrastructures, improving public /private partnership in its host communities, assesses the needs of the people before embarking on CSR and the CSR has a positive impact on the host communities.  Based on these findings, conclusions were made and it was recommended that more CSR activities should be embarked on by the local government council.

Keywords: Corporate organizations, corporate social responsibility, assessment, local government    administration.

INTRODUCTION

Corporate organizations, establishments, institutions and parasatals have played significant roles in the development of its host communities through the provision of numerous infrastructural and social amenities. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a concept embodies similar approaches like Corporate Accountability (CA), Corporate Sustainability (CS), Corporate Citizenship (CC) as well as stewardship and responsible business pursuit of sustainable development.  It focuses on the triple bottom line including the economic, social and environmental aspects together (Industry Canada, 2011).  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a strategy whereby businesses or public enterprises integrates its host community into its economic, social and environmental obligations and corporate activities (Witknowsha, 2014).  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an inbuilt, self-regulating mechanism whereby corporate bodies would monitor and ensure their support for law, ethnical, standards and international norms (Wood, 2009).  It is, therefore, important that corporate entities embrace responsibilities for the impact of their activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders as well as members of the public sphere.  Corporate social responsibility is the response of businesses and other parastals to societal and environmental challenges experienced by their host communities and creating proactive and innovative solutions as well as collaborating with stakeholders whether internal or external of the organization for the purposes of crushing the effects.

Local governments are extension of government at the local level.  Local Government Councils did not have definitive Constitutional recognition until it was enshrined in the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as contained in Section 7 which provided the legal framework to implement the 1976 reforms.

The primary goal was to ensure that every State Government should by law provide for the establishment, structure, composition, and finance of Local Government Councils, according to Diejomoah and Eboh (2010).  The 1979 Constitution did spell out the functions and responsibilities of local government as a way to bringing government presence closer to the people.  The functions of local government fall into various categories ranging from the provision of social amenities like building and maintenance of primary schools, building and maintenance of community markets, registration of births, registration of deaths, registration of marriages etc. (Diejomaoh and Eboh, 2010).

Gokana Local Government Council in Rivers State as one of the local government in Nigeria, was established in 1992 with it’s secretariat at Kpor Community.  It is charged with the responsibility of implementing it’s Corporate Social Responsibility in a way that it can benefit the communities where it is located.

Local Government Corporate Social Responsibilities are the duties that a local government owes the community or locality where it is domicile.  Local Government Corporate Social Responsibilities can be seen as the duties or responsibilities that the local government authorities is expected to discharge within the communities that make up the local government with a view to improving the lives of the individuals that are living in these communities (Onyia, 2013).  These corporate social responsibilities by the local government can be in the term of construction of markets, provision of pipe borne water, building of some schools in the communities, provision of employment to qualified individuals, construction of primary health centres and other responsibilities that will be beneficial to the communities (Deng, Kang & Low, 2013).  The essence of providing these facilities for these communities in the local government is to better the life to the residents and indigenes of the communities and enable them feel government presence within their localities.

Assessment in the context of this work is the process of determining the level to which local government authority have been able to effectively carry out their corporate social responsibilities as to better the life of the indigenes of it host communities.  It is the process of making an indepth evaluation of the activities of local government authority if it is effectively carrying out it’s responsibilities as enshrined in the constitution/bye-law.  It is the act of making a thorough check on the activities of local government authorities to ascertain if it conforms to the stated objectives of local government authority to better the lives of people at the grassroots.  It is also the act of consciously looking at the various actions of local government authority and ensuring that it is geared towards the enhancement of lives at the grassroots.  It is the calculated effort made in determining the rate at which social amenities are provided to enhance the livelihood of people at the grassroots.

Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

In their contribution to the CSR debate, Okoh and Ojoh (2008) argued that most organizations that are introducing CSR programmes to their businesses’ expect to gain real and tangible benefits that will impact positively on their employees and consumers, the community  and environment in  general.  It is true that  such programrnes  may initially be very costly, but when a cost-benefit analysis is done, short-term and long-term benefits associated with the implementation of the right CSR programmes are found to offset the initial high costs. According to Hopkins (2004), “There will be increased costs to implement CSR, but the benefits are likely to far outweigh the costs”. Furthermore, Porter and Kramer (2006) believed that “The billions of dollars already being spent on CSR and corporate philanthropy would generate far more benefit to both business and society if consistently invested using the right approach, i.e. via integrating social considerations effectively into core business operations and strategy”.

Many researches that have been done show the benefits of engaging in social responsibility. In fact, CSR offers several of the paramount opportunities for the organizations to benefit society. “If corporations were to analyze their prospects for social responsibility using the same frameworks that guide their core operational choices, they would discover that CSR can be much more than a cost, a constraint, or a charitable deed- it can be a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage” (Servaes & Tomayo, 2013).

Organizational Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibilities

According to Hohnen (2007), a number of benefits accrue to .organizations as a result of their involvement in corporate social responsibilities notably:

Better business risk management: Effective management of operational risks emanating from the external operating environment, with larger oversight and stakeholder inspection of corporate activities, can enhance the security of supply and generally market stability. Taking into account the interests of members’ concerned about a firm’s impact is one proactive approach of anticipating and managing risk (Vander, Essens, Wahlstrom, & George, 2015).

Improved organizational image: Reputation of an organization can be greatly improved either with retail brands which are of high value and/or organizations under the spotlight or with organizations that have indirect exposure of retails. Values such as credibility and quality are foundations of reputation (Fisher, 2007).

Enhanced talent management ability: Recruitment and development of staff are enhanced. This can be due to a dignified sense in the organization’s merchandise and customs and also the result of its operations that improves the employees’ moral sense and their loyalty (Fisher, 2007).

Improved   innovation, competitiveness   and market positioning:  New markets are better accessed, due from the organization’s innovation and differentiation of its products and its sound .CSR practices (Husted & Salazar, 2007).

Enhanced operational efficiencies and cost savings:  More   efficient organizational operations and cost savings which may result from systematic approaches that involve constant improvement, and bring in changes from wastes to revenues.

Improved management of supply chain relationships: Inter-organizational relationships are strengthened, so as to yield a more profitable deal with suppliers. To attain this stage, both workers’ and suppliers’ compliance to the organization’s codes and ethics is required.

Enhanced ability to manage change: A firm that keeps consistent stakeholder dialogue is in a more favorable position to anticipate and attend to regulatory, economic, social and environmental changes that may arise. CSR is a tool that can help companies identify evolving trends in the marketplace.

Building Corporate Social Capital in the community: Proper dissemination of organisation’s information, including its goals and activities, may lead to better stakeholders’ relations. That may consequently develop into stronger and long-term public, private, and civil society alliances.

Access to capital: Financial institutions who are believers of the socio-environmental criteria may support organizations with similar views. Therefore, providers of capital will rely on efficient CSR management indicators.

Improved relations with regulators: Regulators’ approval processes are made easier to companies who have made socio-environmental operations beyond what the regulation requires. This brings about a better corporate reputation and having close  and invaluable interactions.

Acting as catalyst for responsible consumption: Firms with CSR strategies should assume their active role in supporting sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles through the products and services they deliver and their production processes. Responsible consumerism does not only consist of altering consumers’ preferences but also viewing the nature of the supplied goods, their correlation to consumers’ rights and sustainability concerns, and how regulatory authorities manage the relationship between producers and consumers.

According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (2012), positive outcomes that arise when businesses adopt a policy of social responsibilities are not only viewed on the business level, but also on the community and the general public level. The main CSR benefits to the community and general public are: Charitable contributions; Employee volunteer programmes; corporate involvement in community education, employment and homelessness programmes; Product safety and quality.

Environmentally, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (2012) believed that in addition to the benefits that C§R offers to the community and general public, there are also environmental benefits that accrues to the organization from the adoption and implementation of CSR. These benefits it recognizes as: Greater material recyclability; Better product durability and functionality; Greater use of renewable resources; Integration of environmental management tools into business plans, including life-cycle assessment and costing, environmental management standards, and eco-labeling.

Corporate social responsibility promotes a vision of business/organizational accountability to a wide range of stakeholders, besides shareholders and investors (Crowther & Aras, 2008). The key areas of concern are environmental protection and wellbeing of employees, community development and civil society in general, both now and in the future.

Since the traditional competitiveness, survival and profitability are being swept aside, Ikon in Okoh and Ojoh (2008) is of the view that the concept of corporate social responsibilities is now underpinned by the idea that corporations can no longer act as isolated economic entities operating in detachment from broader society. There are therefore drivers that push organizations towards corporate social responsibilities programmes in every society:

1. The shrinking role of government which before now had relied heavily on legislations and regulations to deliver social and environmental objectives in the business sector. Shrinking government resources, coupled with a distrust of regulation has led to the exploration of voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives instead
2. There is now a-greater demand for disclosure from stakeholders; customers; suppliers; employees; communities; investors and activist organizations.
3. Increased customer interest. There is evidence that the ethical conduct of –   companies exert a growing influence on the purchasing decisions of customers. In recent survey by Economics International, more than one in five customers reported¹ having either rewarded or punished companies based on their perceived social performance.
4. Growing investors’ pressure is another driver towards social responsibility. Investors are changing the way they assess companies’ performance, and are making decisions based on criteria that include ethical concerns. The social investment forum reports that in the US in 1999, there was more than $2 trillion worth  of assets   invested  in  portfolios  that  used  screens  linked to  the environment and social responsibility.    A separate survey by Environics International revealed that more than a quarter of share-owing Americans took into account ethical considerations when buying and selling stocks.
5. Competitive labour markets: Employees are increasingly looking beyond pay cheques and benefits and seeking out employers whose philosophies and operating practices matches their own principles.   In order to hire and retain skilled employees, companies are being forced to improve working conditions.
6. Suppliers’ relations: This is  yet  another  driver, toward corporate  social responsibility as stakeholders are becoming increasingly interested in business affairs; many organizations are taking steps to ensure that their partners conduct themselves in a socially responsible manner.   Some are introducing codes of conduct for their suppliers to ensure that other Companies’ policies or practices do not tarnish their reputations.

The work of Ikon cited   in Okoh and Ojoh (2008) supported the view that corporate  social  responsibilities  bear  some  benefits  to  the  organizations,  the environment and host communities and that it is necessary for effective corporate governance. Okoh and Ojoh (2008) agreed that CSR benefits cuts across organizations, communities and environments.

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2012) held the view that the concept of corporate social responsibilities is now firmly rooted in the global business agenda. It maintained that in order to move from theory to concrete action, many obstacles need to be overcome. It however, identify the key challenge facing business as the need for more reliable indicators of progress in the field of corporate social responsibilities, along with the dissemination of corporate social responsibilities strategies. IISD (2012) advised that transparency and dialogue can help to make a business appear more trustworthy and push up the standards of other organizations at same time.

Corporate Social Responsibilities and Sustainability

In recent years, in the debate about corporate social responsibilities, the idea of a link between this concept and the one of sustainability has been we’ll established, Regarding this relationship, it is possible to find some hints in the literature of the 1990s, but today the debate has intensified.

This discussion developed more in the institutional arena rather than in the academic arena – as it happened to the discussion about CSR – thanks to the contributions of supranational organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU).

The concept of sustainability was defined for the first time in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development of the UN. In that report, sustainability was defined as a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (USD, 2012). This definition makes very clear the main point of sustainability: whoever wants to act in a sustainable way must be sure to operate every day in a way that does not take away the basis for future generations to do the same.

When applied to CSR, this concept can be interpreted as “an approach finalized to value creation in the long term – value not only for shareholders but for all the stakeholders – based on the ability of taking the opportunities and managing the risks that are coming from the changes of the context” (Vander, Essen, Wahlstrpm & George, 2015)

The concept of sustainability is traditionally related to the management of the environmental impact of human activities, but when applied to CSR it gains other two dimensions; the economic and social dimensions.

This point is the hub of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework. This theory made its first appearance at the beginning of the ’90s and since then it has developed hand in hand with the concept of sustainability and CSR (Coombs, 2010).

The McGraw-Hill book publishing organization defines the TBL frame as “a I calculation of corporate economic, environmental and social performance” (Ernest & Young, 2012). As a matter of fact, some people refer to the TBL as the 3P approach, where the three Ps stand for People, Planet and Profit.

According to this theory, the good balance of these three dimensions makes the company sustainable. In this perspective CSR is nothing more than an instrument used for the attainment of a three dimensions sustainable development.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Local Governments

The concept of CSR has evolved during the past few decades.  While the main focus has been put on large corporations at the beginning, later on which more evolved definitions, it went beyond large corporations and other organizations such as small firms also got involved in it.  The growing importance and significance of CSR is being driven by owners, investors, managers, customers, and even employees.  Therefore, organizations are also monitored based on their responsible behaviors and reporting, and are expected to show transparency and accountability.  In their book entitled ‘Corporate social responsibility’, Crowther and Aras (2008) insisted that the central tenet of social responsibility is the social contract between all the stakeholders and society, which is an essential requirement of civil society.  According to them, social responsibility is not limited to the present members of the society, but should also be expanded to its future members, as well as environment since it will have implications for members of society, both now and in the future.  Organizations are not operating in vacuum and apparently their operation will affect their external environment. According to Crowther and Aras (2008), this effect can take the following forms:

1. “The utilization -of natural resources as a part of its production processes.
2. The effect of competition between itself and other organizations in the same” market
3. The enrichment of a local community, through the creation of employment Opportunities.
4. Transformation of the landscape due to the raw material extraction or waste products’ storage.
5. The distribution of wealth created within the firm to the owners of that firm (dividend) and the workers of that firm (wages) and the effect of this upon the welfare of individuals.
6. And more recently the greatest concern has been with climate change and the ways in which the emission of greenhouse gases are exacerbating this.”

According to Chapeleo and Simms (2010) local government authorities, should be responsible towards society   and   their   stakeholders.   Stakeholders   according   to   the   duo,   provide organizations with a range of resources such as capital, customers, employees, materials   and   legitimacy   (Mainardes,   Alves   &   Raposo,   2010;   Asia-Europe Foundation, 2011). They also provide the “license to operate” to the organizations in return for the provision of socially acceptable, or legitimate, actions. To strengthen is social contract which allows organization to continue operations, they need to be socially responsible (Nagy & Rbbb, 2008). This can be an underlying reason why we would expect universities to be involved in CSR and reporting it to society. However, as already highlighted above, although there is a high level of acceptance of the importance of pursuing sustainability – with its economic, social and environmental dimensions – there is a significant misunderstanding regarding the meaning of this term, and a considerable portion of this terminological confusion is generated in university field.

The best approach for universities to local government authority to become good corporate citizens for their stakeholders, communities, and societies is by adapting the concept of social responsibility. Universities and indeed tertiary educational institutions can and should develop further and achieve sustainability and competitiveness by applying social responsibility concepts.

Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) has become an Increasingly important concept globally, and it has become part of the debate about competitiveness and sustainability in the context of globalization (Vasilescu et al., 2010). A widely used definition of CSR is from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2012) and states as following: “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.” Based on many definitions and discussions of CSR, Vasilescu and colleagues explained the concept of CSR as follows: stakeholders are increasingly requiring  that business  should function in a responsible way (Vasilescu et al., 2010). While pressures to make profits are higher, stakeholders expect ever increasing standards of accountability  and transparency.  Business responsibilities including its relationship with communities in which they operates and seeks to serve are becoming more important than ever. CSR includes the ways an entrepreneur can add value to his business by taking a closer look at some of the social and environmental aspects of the operation.

                Local government’s social responsibility (LGSR)  encompasses many different areas including the  following:  the  need to  strengthen  civil  commitment’ and “active citizenship; to provide services to the community through community engagement and outreach; to promote  economic and national development; to promote ethical approaches to issues; to develop a sense of civil citizenship by encouraging the students and the academic and administrative staff to provide social services to their local community; to promote ecological or environmental commitment to local and global sustainable development; to develop local and global human resources; to expand human knowledge through quality research and education for the nation and for humanity (Vasilescu et al., 2010; Shawyun, 2011). Reiser (2008) defined the LGSR concept as “a policy of ethical quality of the performance of the Local government (students, faculty, and administrative employees) via the responsible management of the educational, cognitive, labour and environmental impacts produced by the university, in an interactive dialogue with society to promote a sustainable human development.” According to Mendez (2012), USR provides an approach to science, technology, and research in which contributions to the economically disadvantaged are given value and attention.

LGSR can be put into practice when local government officials emphasize responsibility to the public, ethical behaviour, and the need to practice good citizenship. The leaders .should be role models on ethics and the protection of community health, safety, and the environment. Practicing SR refers to support of issues that are important to the public but that are within the limits and resources of the university. Examples of such issues include; improving education in the community, pursuing environmental excellence, practicing resource conservation, promoting and improving the health of the community, performing community service, conducting research to generate socio-economic development, and providing guidelines for the development and sustainability of society. Universities can also influence other organizations and institutes, whether private or public, to form partnerships for addressing these issues and concerns.

Therefore, local government may ensure CSR by guaranteeing that their research activities benefit stakeholders, communities, and society. Universities should play the leading role in promoting CSR because it provides  an  approach  for  contributing  to  the development and sustainability of science, technology, and research. They can tailor their research missions to produce research that benefits the public, the local economy, and society (Turk-Bicakci & Brint, 2005). This can be accomplished through the joint efforts.

Corporate Social Responsibilities Expectations of Local Government to Host Communities

The study by Ogula (2012) identified four ranges of communities’ CSR expectations: Community development, economic empowerment, Participation and transparency.

Statement of the Problem

There have been mixed feelings among citizen of Nigeria for years now on whether local government councils in Nigeria engages in the social responsibilities by way of construction of health care, provision of pipe born water, market, roads that has direct bearing to the people of the country.

Some sets of Nigerians are of the views that since the enshrinement of the local government administration into the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, much as been done in the development of various communities.  Another sets claims that the creation of local government area brought blessings and attributing the structure existing presently in the areas to the dividend of the local government area creation.

The above scenario however propel this study whose purpose is to assess the corporate social responsibility of the Gokana local government area of Rivers State; whether the local government did carried out developmental gesture and how that gestures impacted on the peoples.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to assess the corporate social responsibility performance of Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State.  Specifically, the study sought to;

1. Find out whether the Gokana Local Government Council have carried out Corporate Social responsibility to its host communities.
2. Ascertain the kind of Corporate Social Responsibility undertaken by the Gokana Local Government Area .

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study;

1. Has Gokana local government Council engaged in corporate social responsibility to its host communities?
2. What are the kinds of Corporate Social Responsibility undertaken by Gokana local government Council?

METHOD

The study was conducted in Gokana local government area of Rivers State. A descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study. Two specific objectives and two research question guided the study. The population of the study consists of 228,828 in the host communities in the local government area while the 286 administrative staff in the local government council.  The total population for this study was 229,114. The sampling technique that was used in this study was simple random sampling technique and purposive sampling technique. The sample size for the residents was 399 while the sample size for the administrative staff in the Local Government Council was 3.  The sample size for the residents was obtained with Taro Yamen formular. The data for this study was collected by the researcher with the aid of a questionnaire. The Questionnaire titled ‘Corporate Social Responsibility of Gokana Local Government Area to its host communities’. The questionnaire was divided into two section (section A and B). Section A contained the demographic data of the respondent while section B contained the questionnaire items and response options. The questionnaire was structured on a four point rating scale of Strongly Agreed (SA), Agreed (A), Disagreed (DA), Strongly Disagreed (SDA). The data collected in the study was presented using mean responses.

RESULTS

Research Question 1:  How does Gokana Local Government Area Council Engage in Corporate Social Responsibility in its Host Communities?

Table 1:  Data on How Gokana Local Government Council Engages in Corporate Social Responsibility to its Host Communities

Source:  Field Survey (2022)

The analysis in table 4.1 shows that all the mean responses analyzed are above 2.50 acceptance region.  Thus, it was agreed by the respondents that Gokana Local Government  Council engaged in Corporate Social responsibility to; advance its host communities, advance education, advance infrastructural development and also carry out empowerment  and skill acquisition programmes in its host community.

Research Question 2:What are the kinds of corporate Social responsibility undertaken by Gokana Local Government Council?

Table 2: Data on the kind of Corporate Social Responsibility undertaken by Gokana Local Government Council

Source:  Field Survey, (2022)

The analysis in table 2 shows that all the mean responses analyzed are above 2.50 acceptance region.  Thus: it was agreed that the kind of Corporate Social responsibilities undertaken by the council are; provision of educational grant to indigenous members of host communities, provision of infrastructures, provision of intervention programmes and provision of public / private partnership in its host communities.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Findings in table 1 shows that Gokana Local Government Council is engaged in effective Corporate Social responsibility through the advancement of educational system, infrastructural development, empowerment and skill acquisition programmes in its host communities.

This finding is in agreement with the view of Dang, Dang and Danladi (2014) who opined that Corporate social responsibility is an effective tool for good communities relations and that corporate social responsibility activities such as donations, sponsorship, infrastructural provisions and programmes.

Findings in table 2 shows that the kind of corporate social responsibilities undertaken by the councils are; provision of educational grant to indigenous members of host communities, provision of infrastructures, provision of intervention programmes and provision of public / private partnership in its host communities.

This finding is in agreement with the view of Ogula (2012) that majority of host communities from their expectations on corporate social responsibilities expected of companies, agencies, parasatals and organizations operating within its domain.  Some of these expectations are on infrastructures such as link roads, and funds to enable them embark on commercial ventures.

CONCLUSION

The study investigated the Corporate Social responsibility performance of Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.  The following areas were assessed; the corporate social responsibility carried out by the council, if the CSR carried out is in line with the needs of the people in the host communities and the impacts of the CSR on its host communities.

It was concluded based on the findings that; the local government council engages in CSR, the CSR undertaken by the council are; provision of educational grants, provision of infrastructures, provision of intervention programmes and provision of public / private partnership in its host communities.  The council assesses the need of the people before embarking on any form of CSR and the council’s corporate social responsibility impacts positively on its host communities.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings, the researcher made the following recommendations;

1. The council should embark on more corporate social responsibilities in its host communities.
2. The council should critically assess areas of need in its host communities and attend to its appropriately.

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