Abstract
M.Comm.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a tool that promotes, besides profit
making, empowerment of members of the community as a way of giving back to
them. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the Further Education and
Training (FET) sector are facing increased competition to project a positive
image to their internal and external stakeholders. In an emerging economy such
as South Africa, FETs have to play a major role in developing entrepreneurs in
their communities, responding to the needs of industries and improving the
standards of living within communities. Therefore, CSR is an important inclusive
concept which has forced organisations to involve stakeholders in their decisionmaking.
In other words, while it is justifiable for a company to make a profit, it
should do more than that by being philanthropic, by doing more for society and
by complying with the laws that govern that country, including caring for the
environment.
The purpose of this study was to understand how the FET sector is addressing
CSR challenges.
A qualitative study was undertaken to investigate how FETs are operating and
what their responsibility should be with regard to CSR. Due to the fact that CSR
has many definitions, a qualitative study was adopted to give participants an
opportunity to express themselves in terms of how they are addressing CSR in
the colleges they are connected to. A qualitative study was used to capture rich
information from the participants. An interview guide was used and was
integrated with theory from the literature.
The study was conducted in four FETs in Gauteng and participants who had
more extensive knowledge on CSR were selected.
The results indicate that FETs are addressing the CSR challenges they are faced
with. The findings from the study indicate that CSR is critical for the survival of
colleges. It has many benefits for the colleges and is the only way to proceed if
they want to stay in business. The research finding indicates that FETs are
committed and consider themselves to have a responsibility towards CSR.