Corporate social responsibility practices in small to medium enterprises in Zimbabwe.

Abstract

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement has become a strategic issue in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe. However CSR practices by SMEs in Zimbabwe are currently unknown. It is against this background that this study investigated corporate social responsibility practices in small to medium enterprises in Zimbabwe. This study sought to (a) gain an understanding of the meaning attached to CSR by SMEs in Zimbabwe, (b) have an insight into the impact of CSR practices on the operations of SMEs in Zimbabwe, (c) establish the legal, economic and ethical factors that motivate SMEs to engage in CSR practices, (d) highlight the legal, economic and ethical CSR activities undertaken by SMEs in Zimbabwe and (e) examine the legal, economic and ethical barriers to CSR practices by SMEs in Zimbabwe. The literature on CSR showed that the following areas have not been explored: 1) the meaning attached to CSR by SMEs in Zimbabwe is currently unknown,2) the impact of CSR on SMEs is currently unknown,3) the legal, economic and ethical factors that motivate SMEs to engage in CSR are currently unknown,4)the legal, economic and ethical activities of SMEs are currently unknown, and 5) the legal, economic and ethical barriers to CSR are currently unknown. Data was collected through 274 questionnaires and six semi-structured and open-ended interviews with owner-managers of SMEs in the Harare Region of Zimbabwe. The systematic random sampling method was used to select respondents for quantitative research while the purposive method was used to select respondents for qualitative research. The SPSS (version 20.0) was used to analyse quantitative data while the reduction method was used for qualitative data. Findings reveal that there is no standard meaning for CSR in Zimbabwe. SMEs consider CSR as having no quantifiable benefits. Legal, economic and ethical factors motivate SMEs to engage in CSR. SMEs in Zimbabwe engage in legal, economic and ethical CSR activities. Money, weak legislation and managerial attitudes are major barriers to CSR practice by SMEs in Zimbabwe.