Making Corporate Social Responsibility Work: Do Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) in Ghana Care at All?

Authors

Henry Kofi Mensah Dr., Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Ahmed Agyapong Dr., Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Eric Fosu Oteng-Abayie Dr., Kwame Nkrumah University Science and Technology

Abstract

Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) were set up to provide banking services by way of funds mobilization and offering of credit to cottage industry operators, farmers, fishermen, and regular salaried employees. These banks are not obliged to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities but are expected by some stakeholders such as citizens in the community to devote part of their profits to meet social developmental activities. This study examines the CSR practices among RCBs in Ghana by adopting a mixed method approach. A combination of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and cross-sectional survey was employed to gather detailed information from 86 respondents who are associated with the selected RCBs. Data collected from Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and annual reports were analyzed using content analysis and presented in themes and models. Using the binomial test and descriptive statistics, questionnaire responses were analyzed and presented. We found that among RCBs, CSR has become synonymous to community and social development as managers accept the value that CSR can create in business. Additionally, it was found that three major stages are involved in the planning and implementation of CSR by RCBs. The researchers recommend that RCBs put together CSR policy guidelines, which will form the basis for CSR engagements in their respective banks.

Keywords

Mixed Methods, Rural and Community Banks, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ghana, Community

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Henry Kofi Mensah is a Lecturer with the Department of Human Resources and Organisational Development at the School of Business of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana. He teaches various courses in management and organisational development. His research interest spans from Social Responsibility, Employee Development, Business and Community interactions and Sustainability. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: hkmensah@knust.edu.gh.

Dr. Ahmed Agyapong is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Marketing and Corporate Strategy at the School of Business of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana. He teaches various courses including strategic management and Policy, Marketing Management and Competitive Analysis. His research interests are focused on issues of entrepreneurship development in the informal sector, management strategy execution for performance development among others.

Eric Fosu Oteng-Abayie is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Economics of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana. He has experience in management consulting for microfinance and strategy. He has published articles in the area of financial and macroeconomics. Eric's current research focus has gravitated towards economics of labour, demography, health, and development issues narrowing on micro (household and firm) level analysis. As a Lecturer, he teaches Labour Economics, Mathematical Economics, Research Methods, Macroeconomics, Statistics for Economists, and Statistical Reporting.

Publication Date

11-12-2017

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2787

Recommended APA Citation

Mensah, H. K., Agyapong, A., & Oteng-Abayie, E. F. (2017). Making Corporate Social Responsibility Work: Do Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) in Ghana Care at All?. The Qualitative Report, 22(11), 2904-2925. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2787