Challenges of aligning corporate social responsibility to corporate strategy for Safaricom foundation

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility has become part of the overall corporate strategy incorporating various stakeholders in the business ecosystem to ensure success and attainment of objectives. Companies are aligning their CSR strategies with their corporate strategy to offer unique solutions to the world’s problems. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the challenges to aligning CSR to corporate strategy in Safaricom Foundation. The study employed a case study approach to evaluate the challenges of aligning CSR with corporate strategy. An interview guide was constructed and interviews conducted with strategists and foundation personnel who have utilized CSR and corporate strategy initiatives in Safaricom Foundation in order to elicit responses for an in-depth understanding and analysis of key aspects of the research and the data analysed using content analysis. Findings of the study established that Corporate Social Responsibility was found to be a fundamental part of corporate strategy. Globalization has not affected implementation of CSR strategy as it is a reflection of the company focus on its strategy and the stakeholder rather than global benchmarks. Political and regulatory environment is key to ensuring successful completion of CSR projects.Safaricom Foundation CSR policies are aligned with the Vodafone policies which are the parent company and are not impediment in the planning and execution of the CSR strategy. As recommendations, the management and the cross-functional teams of Safaricom Foundation were encouraged to also benchmark the CSR program against global standards without necessarily losing the focus on its corporate strategy. This will facilitate adoption of best practice where applicable.