Corporate social responsibility: an Engine for sustainable development or a legitimate tool to maintain the status-quo

Abstract

CSR is an emerging trend that has received significant attention in the past few years in the Egyptian context. This research is an exploration of the actual effectiveness of CSR initiatives that are being undertaken in Egypt and whether they truly participate as engines for the development of local communities or, on the other hand, are tools to maintain the local status-quo. Aiming for a comprehensive account of CSR in Egypt, a historical overview of the emergence of the CSR concept at the international as well as the local level is undertaken. This research does also analyze the different conceptualizations of the CSR ideology as understood by its practitioners in Egypt; it studies the interplaying/overlapping understanding of CSR, philanthropy, development and other business-oriented concepts such as public relations and marketing. Exploring the main players and CSR practitioners constitutes another cornerstone of this study, as it analyzes the CSR functions developed by the most active multinationals in Egypt: such as Vodafone, Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Shell and Microsoft. In analyzing these initiatives, an exploration of their conceptualization of CSR, their structures, missions, motives and dynamics of implementation is introduced. In evaluating the performance of these CSR programs, two projects are selected for in depth analysis: the Madrasty project undertaken by Vodafone and the Mokkattam Recycling project developed by P&G. Through the analysis of the above mentioned questions, this study presents a qualitative evaluation of these CSR measurements and their potential contribution to sustainable development. In addition to the immediate evaluation of CSR, this research tries to provide a critical perspective of power dynamics between the selected CSR functions and the local partners; putting into consideration the nature of governmental/private sector relationship and also the nature of civil society organizations in Egypt. Additionally, the different attempts of CSR institutionalization and unification such as the P&G-CSR alliance and the Global Compact CSR Center are explored in this research; where an analysis of the successes and failures of these initiatives is provided.