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Corporate Community Involvement In Bangladesh: An Empirical Study
Author(s) -
Sharmin Shuchita,
Khan Niaz Ahmed,
Belal Ataur Rahman
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
corporate social responsibility and environmental management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.519
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1535-3966
pISSN - 1535-3958
DOI - 10.1002/csr.1304
Subject(s) - empowerment , public relations , rhetoric , focus group , conceptual framework , business , empirical research , process (computing) , political science , sociology , marketing , social science , philosophy , linguistics , epistemology , computer science , law , operating system
This paper empirically examines a corporate community involvement (CCI) initiative in Bangladesh. Drawing on a conceptual framework of ‘collaborative betterment’ and ‘collaborative empowerment’ and by using focus group discussions and interviews, it assesses the initiative to examine the extent to which it meets expectations of the community where it operates. Some of the key findings of the paper include: (i) although the initiative provides vital healthcare services to some of the most vulnerable and desperately poor communities, the level of actual engagement of the local people – the main stakeholders – has been marginal; (ii) when the principles of collaborative betterment and empowerment are considered, it can be concluded that the initiative struggles even as a ‘betterment’ process; and (iii) notwithstanding the rhetoric and high‐blown statements, corporate role in terms of practical efforts in the field has been mostly superficial and limited. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.