An empirical study on the attitudes of bank managers towards corporate social responsibility in Angola
Authors
Ferreira, Enia
Issue Date
2014
Degree
MBA in Finance
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
In recent years, the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an important research topic, with studies appearing quite frequently. However, research has largely focused on developed countries. This research seeks to explore attitudes towards CSR in developing countries in the context of banks in Angola. The study is also concerned with establishing the main forces driving CSR in Angolan banks and the type of CSR practices banks are pursuing. A structured questionnaire was completed by middle level bank manager’s to test their attitudes towards the four dimensions of CSR proposed by Carroll (1979). The study found that bank managers ranked the economic dimensions as the most important responsibility followed by legal, philanthropic and ethical. Furthermore, Interviews were held with two senior bank managers to investigate the reasons why the order of priority differs from Carroll (1979) and Visser (2008) who adapted the priority of dimensions in developing countries. The study found that the political action is not only having an immense effect on the attitudes towards CSR but that it is also the main reason banks are motivated to practice CSR. The study also revealed that banks were mostly involved in philanthropic and charitable activities. By the end of this study, it is intended to highlight the fact that banks and government have different perceptions of CSR. As a result, it is recommended that banks align their CSR values and behaviour with the expectations of the government. Author keywords: Corporate social responsibility in Angolan banks