Browsing by Subject "corporate social investment"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Open Access
    Decoupling of Corporate Social Investment in South Africa: Optics over Impact
    (2019) Morkel, Dayne L; Kruger, Ryan; Toerien, Francois
    Examining corporate social investment (CSI) in South Africa through a lens of institutional theory, this study investigates the validity of criticisms found in literature and society of the practice of CSI in the country. Using a two-phase explanatory sequential research design, an initial quantitative study of archival data provides insights into the current state of CSI in South Africa. Regression and principal component analysis are then used to investigate the relationship between CSI levels and indicators for corporate financial performance and social need. A subsequent qualitative study utilising thematic analysis of interview data addresses questions arising from the quantitative analysis. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with leading corporate executives and academics in the field of CSI regarding their perceptions of the efficacy of CSI and the motivations driving corporate funding of CSI, including their concerns regarding CSI and suggestions for improvements. This study reveals profound concerns amongst corporate practitioners and in academia regarding the practice of CSI, including perceptions that the social impact of CSI is low and that the quality of many CSI programmes is poor. The motivations behind the funding of CSI were also seen to be largely inauthentic, with companies driven primarily by regulation or self-interest in their funding of CSI, rather than a sense of moral imperative. Companies appear to embrace CSI in an attempt to adhere to the social expectations and laws of society, thereby gaining legitimacy, stability, and improved long-term survival prospects. The formal structures and rhetoric surrounding CSI have become decoupled from the underlying activities that characterise its practice, however, a result of relative corporate indifference to its social impact. This ceremonial commitment to the practice of CSI has led to an emphasis on the optics rather than the impact of CSI activities. The results of this study suggest that enhanced incentives or disincentives and greater accountability may be required in order to make CSI contributions more impactful, as may improvements to best practices in the field.
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    Open Access
    Innovative Finance Week 3 Video 3 - Types of funders
    (2019) Patton, Aunnie
    This video focuses on the types of funders available. The video discusses the different types of funding and how they can be put together to achieve the outcomes identified. It discusses funders from the private sector and the government as a source of funding. Lastly, it touches on institutional partners, development agencies and new technologies as sources of funding. This is video 3/7 in week 3 of the Innovative Finance: Hacking Finance to Change the World course.
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    Open Access
    Understanding corporate social investment practice in South Africa
    (2020) Perrie, David; Alhassan, Abdul Latif; Biekpe, Nicholas
    In this study, the researcher employed an inductive qualitative approach to explore the rationale and dimensions of corporate social investment (CSI) practice in South Africa. While the globalised CSI literature is robust, the South African literature is fragmented and insufficient, despite the growing social need for this type of funding in the context of South Africa. Thus, with this paper, the researcher fills this research gap by providing an exploratory analysis of the structure and evolution of CSI practice in South Africa. The motivation behind this research is to use the research to optimise the social impact that CSI participation can provide, as well as integrating corporate funding into the broader approach of addressing the country's poor socioeconomic conditions. In the study, the researcher covered a sample of 15 CSI professions operating in positions in either large South African corporations or established NGOs, with an average CSI experience of 13 years. The results of the inductive qualitative analysis show that the CSI functions operated using a traditional corporate function structure. The history and rationale of CSI practice have been key elements in defining current CSI practice. Initially, governmental regulation resulted in adherence strategies. However, growing social considerations have shifted CSI policy from adherence to impact. This has driven the growing sophistication in CSI practice in the country. The researcher breaks down this evolution and discusses the key strengths and weaknesses of each element to provide sufficient detail to the function. The findings are used to derive recommendations for CSI best practice. Internal commitment, sustainability, process management and key stakeholder relationships are prioritised in these recommendations. The exploratory findings provide a baseline in accordance with which more statistically robust or comprehensive research methods can be used to assess the identified elements of CSI more thoroughly and in more depth. The research provides a generalised benchmark for corporations to assess their CSI practice against an established peer group, while providing ideas about improving their CSI practice going forward.