CSR in domestic and foreign SMEs in Kenya: on the relationship between the SME manager’s values, emotional commitment to long-term socio-economic development and the firm's CSR practices

Clara Lina Dziuron and Tilo F. Halaszovich

International Journal of Emerging Markets, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1393-1414

Abstract: Purpose - Corporate social responsibility (CSR) remains a prevalent topic for businesses worldwide, especially for those operating in developing countries. The attention on small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs') CSR engagement in developing countries has been neglected, although SMEs play a vital role in socio-economic development in African countries like Kenya. This paper aims to conceptualize the relationship between the SME manager's values, ethics, emotional commitment to long-term socio-economic development and the firm's CSR practices. Design/methodology/approach - The authors conducted seven semi-structured interviews with Kenyan and German SMEs located in Nairobi. A deductive-inductive analysis approach was chosen, confirming previous findings and contributing new ideas to the International Business (IB) literature. Findings - This paper develops a concept linking the values and beliefs of the SME manager with the firm's CSR practices in developing countries via the manager's emotional commitment to local long-term socio-economic development. The Kenyan managers tend to show a higher degree of emotional commitment, which the authors explain by two drivers: (1) philanthropic, self-motivated driver and (2) expectation-based, environment-motivated driver. The authors' findings add to the literature on SMEs' CSR engagement in developing countries by looking at the individual level of analysis. Originality/value - This paper develops a concept linking the values and beliefs of the SME manager with the firm's CSR practices in developing countries.

Keywords: CSR; Developing countries; Kenya; Emotional commitment; Domestic and foreign SMEs; SME manager (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:ijoemp:ijoem-08-2022-1210

DOI: 10.1108/IJOEM-08-2022-1210

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