The Effect of Ethical Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Identification in Safaricom Limited Company: A Case of Kajiado County

Abstract

Studies on the determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have identified several factors like economic, philanthropic, ethical and legal. Little is known about consumer identification with these factors more so with the ethical factor. Furthermore these relationships have lacked evidence on consumer’s ability to appreciate these programs, which may well depend on consumers personality trait, the surface trait that affect their everyday choices. To fill this gap the study hypothesizes that Ethical CSR has no significant effect on Consumer Identification. Personality trait may also not moderate the above relationship hypothesized. The world business council (2000) looks at ethics and economic issues, in that majority of the council members are concentrating on economic development in emerging nations, CSR is therefore focusing on development agendas. Sustainability is seen as a replacement of CSR in the world commission on environment and development report, where CSR is defined as a term to mean that the needs of the present generation are satisfied as well as the protection of the future generations needs. Marrewijk, (2003) argues that a debate among consultants, academicians and corporate executives, on the definition of CSR is a more humane, ethical and a transparent way of looking at issues in the organization. These individuals have coined concepts such as sustainable development, corporate citizenship, sustainable entrepreneurship, triple bottom line, business ethics and corporate social responsibility. This study sought to establish the effect of ethical corporate social responsibility on Consumer identification among Safaricom Company limited n Kajiado County. Cluster sampling was used to obtain a sample size of 325 respondents who were used in the data collection procedure by use of administering questionnaires. The study found out that there was a strong positive correlation between ethical CSR and consumer identification rejecting the applied Hypothesis.

Keywords: ethical corporate social responsibility, consumer identification, Safaricom limited, ethics, stakeholder.