Ugandan companies giving back to communities more

 

By Jude Katende

 

Very often, companies indulge in what they call Corporate Social Responsibility (csr). Such companies and organisations are mainly those in the mould of what is known as corporate institutions.

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALBUM

 

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business and corporate social opportunity is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model.

According to wikipedia.com, deally, CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business monitors and ensure its own adherence to law, ethical standards, and international norms.

“Business would embrace responsibility for the impact of their activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere,” the site says.

Furthermore, business would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality.

 

Essentially, CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the honouring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet and Profit.

 

Nile Breweries corporate affairs director Francis Onatipol handing

over items to orphans and vulnerable children

Social responsibility is an ethical or ideological theory that an entity whether it is a government, corporation, organisation or individual has a responsibility to society but this responsibility can be negative. In that it is a responsibility to refrain from acting (resistance stance) or it can be positive, meaning there is a responsibility to act (proactive stance).

There are several organisations and companies that practice CSR in Uganda. CSR programmes come in different ways with no specific design of going about them. However, standing out in the programmes is that they all give back to the community or so they say. Worldwide, CSR programmes have been met with criticism.

According to wikipedia.com, there is a large inequality in the means and roles of different entities to fulfill their claimed responsibility. This would imply the different entities have different responsibilities, in so much as states should ensure the civil rights of their citizens, that corporations should respect and encourage the human rights of their employees and that citizens should abide with written laws.

But social responsibility can mean more than these examples. Many Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accept that their role and the responsibility of their members as citizens is to help improve society by taking a proactive stance in their societal roles. It can also imply that corporations have an implicit obligation to give back to society (such as is claimed as part of corporate social responsibility and/or stakeholder theory).

The criticisms aside, CSR programmes in Uganda have helped some people and communities that the “rewarding” corporations have chosen to give back to. Some communities have through Habitat for Humanity and many other corporations, been able to get decent accommodation facilities.

 

Some schools have received text books and other scholastic materials, some health centres upcountry have received equipment and some communities have received property in the wake of a disaster.

For instance during the flooding in Eastern Uganda in 2008, some Rotarians aided communities with household items such as cooking stoves, saucepans, jerricans and basins among other items.

In urban areas some poor people especially those in slums have had projects such as borehole installation, construction of pit latrines and extension of water pipes done.

Some corporations have re-painted zebra crossings, painted buildings or washed vehicles to raise money for charity. By “giving back”, the corporations are indicating that they feel duty bound to extend a hand to the needy.

The corporations also want to show the beneficiaries that the corporations are together with them in their struggles.

In a way, they are saying: “Although we make lots of money, we have not forgotten you yet. We enjoy our relationship with you and you should strengthen it by embracing our products.

This is what critics view as a clever but silent way of wooing the beneficiaries to the corporations’ side.

The criticisms and shortcomings aside, CSR programmes go a long way in bridging the gap between the common man and the elites.

Since the beggar has no choice, it is entirely the corporations to decide who to give what and what form of CSR they are interested in.

It could be something benefiting one community, a school or a few individuals whose plight calls for urgent attention such as giving disabled persons wheel chairs or giving the elderly shelter and food. Since there are many corporations out there, survival is key.

Those in similar businesses will always endeavour to have something that would win over the prospective beneficiary.