Social Antecedents and Sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives: In Developing Country Perspectives

Abstract

This paper aims to determine whether the social endeavour approach of CSR initiatives leads to sustainability of projects; especially within an environment where economic wounds are still being healed and new opportunities are evolving within a society that has endured civil unrest for over 30 years. The pilot study revealed that a majority of corporate businesses in Sri Lanka are using CSR merely for charitable and social work, whilst only 11% are practicing CSR for strategic purposes. The most important factor of all is the continuous support that a government and society at large expects from its corporate businesses in the rebuilding of its economy; ensuring projects are correctly selected and being sustainable. The study used primary collected data for analysis collected from a  sample of 360 shareholders /directors /managers /employees of 40 companies and 360 direct/indirect beneficiaries of 40 initiated CSR projects in Sri Lanka; these projects had been completed within a period of 5 years following a long civil war and. The researcher used frequency percentage to summarise, descriptive data analysis, structural equation methods to test hypotheses and in-depth interviews. Interestingly, it was found that implementing CSR initiatives focused on merely benefiting society does not deliver sustainability of those initiatives. In conclusion, it is advisable for corporate businesses to rethink their existing approach; considering the sustainability of these projects.

Keywords: Social endeavour, CSR, sustainability, biological environment, social environment, core competencies and satisfaction.