Corporate social responsibility as a factor in strategy development and implementation at East African Breweries Limited

Abstract

Governments, activists, the public and the media at large have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their actions. In response to this, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has emerged as an inescapable priority for business leaders in every country. Frequently, though, CSR efforts are counterproductive, for two reasons. First, they pit business against society, when in reality the two are interdependent. Second, they pressure companies to think of corporate social responsibility in generic ways instead of in the way most appropriate to their individual strategies. The purpose of this research was to examine how East African Breweries Limited‟s corporate social responsibility programs act as a guiding factor in strategy development and implementation. Towards this end, the study collected primary data from the members of staff involved in strategic planning and implementation. Primary data was collected through the personal interviews with the respondents while secondary data was sourced from the company‟s publications as well as other form of media highlighting CSR activities undertaken by the firm. The data collected was analyzed by use of content analysis technique. The study established that the company is involved in carrying out CSR in different sectors, CSR has been incorporated in designing of the company‟s strategic plans, budget allocation on CSR has been on an upward trend for the last five years and that CSR influences strategy development and implementation. The study therefore recommends the incorporation of CSR in strategy development and implementation.