Awareness of the Concept of Corporate Communication among the Youth: A Case of Equity Bank’s Social Responsibility Programmes in Kisii County, Kenya

As one of the components of corporate communication, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is gaining currency in both for-profit as well as not-for- profit organizations the world over as it enhances good corporate management and sustainable development. Although many corporations in Kenya are engaged in CSR activities, Equity Bank has tended to employ a more transformative approach. Majority of those who are targeted to benefit from the bank’s CSR programmes comprise the youth. However, there is very little known about the extent to which the public, including the youth, is aware of these programmes, particularly in Kisii Central sub-county of Kisii county, Kenya. Thus the study sought to fill this gap. The descriptive survey research design was used. The study population comprised 897 youths in the sub-county who had benefitted from the bank’s CSR programmes. Simple random sampling was used to select 180 of them to participate in the study. Additionally, five (5) respondents who were knowledgeable on the bank’s CSR programmes concerning youth empowerment were purposively involved as well. An interview guide and questionnaire were used to gather information to be analyzed. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages and graphs were used to present the data. The study revealed that the level of awareness among youths of the bank’s range of CSR programmes was low. The study recommends that the youth be sensitized on all the bank’s CSR programmes. Apart from laying ground for further research, the findings are of great benefit to the concerned policy makers, academicians and other stakeholders.