Corporate social responsibility programmes and their beneficiary organisations : an examination of the sustainability of the relationships between corporate social responsibility programmes and their targeted beneficiary organisations.

Abstract

This study raises important questions about the motivation that is driving companies to adopt social responsibly programmes, and why they should engage in the field of social development in the first place. Many would argue that the role of business is to make profit and that their only responsibility is to act within the law, while others urge the need for business to get more socially involved and become more accountable in terms of their actions. Particular in developing countries, where governments are often dysfunctional and ineffective, private sector hold the key to resources that does not exist elsewhere, and should contribute to improve those societies. As a result of increased awareness of the role of business in society, which has been triggered through numerous corporate scandals throughout the past decades, the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained great attention. Today, most big companies invest a notable amount of money in CSR programmes of various kinds, however, it is not always clear why they do this. Is it because they really care and want to make a change, or is it because they want to gain or maintain a good public reputation? CSR has long been accused for what has been called “green-washing”, in the sense that it is only an attempt to conceal any forms of unethical and irresponsible behaviour. Nevertheless, there has also been a growing perception that business should play a greater role in the social aspects of society, and by carefully selecting their programmes, this can lead to win-win situations for all the stakeholders involved. This study aims to examine these issues by addressing the need for more sustainable and transparent stakeholder relationships between the companies and the beneficiary organisations. This attempt is achieved through the selection of case studies, as well as examinations of a wide range of literature existing in the field.