Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational Performance in Nigeria

Abstract

Attaining organizational goals and maximum organization performance and effectiveness requires giving complete attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The location of a business, the society in which it thrives, is crucial in determining its corporate culture, internal structure, processes and organisational behaviour as well as its overall performance. This paper examines corporate social responsibility and organizational performance in Nigeria. The study’s aim is to determine the effect of environmental issues, cost of doing business, competitive advantage, and corporate social responsibility on organizational performance. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature were examined. Resource-Based View and Kohlberg's Model of Cognitive Moral Development were employed as the theoretical framework. This paper is a qualitative research that relied so much on documentary method. The study found out that environmental issue has a significant effect on an organization’s performance, and that social initiatives and competitive advantage have significant effects on organizational performance. The study recommends that government should put in place policies that will create a good business environment for firms operating in the country and that organizations should be socially responsible in order to strengthen their legitimacy, competitive advantage, and realize their long-term goals.