Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Brand Building in Africa’s Emerging Markets

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), despite being considered as relatively new in emerging markets compared with developed markets, plays a significant role in corporate brand building. Diverse studies examined show that CSR activities have a positive effect on corporate brand image, credibility, reputation, and association, resulting in increased customer loyalty and corporate performance, in addition to the enhancement of social, environmental, and philanthropic programmes among the target beneficiaries. Thus, CSR activities are integrated with corporate brand building in Africa’s emerging markets, as opposed to being segregated, since it serves both the economic and social dimensions of a firm. This way, CSR engagements resonate well with firms’ core values, attributes, and business activities. Interestingly, despite diverse viewpoints on business concern and the social responsibility dimension, this chapter finds that striking a balance between the continuums offers reciprocal and mutual benefits in the short- and long-term. Thus, whether CSR is understood from a normative or descriptive perspective, for business continuity, a firm has to leverage CSR activities for the growth and development of all stakeholders.