Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reportage on websites and in annual reports: The case of CAL Bank in Ghana

Abstract

Purpose: The management literature in recent years have been paying attention to the concept of corporate social responsibility. This could be attributed to stakeholder concerns of ethical practices of companies globally. This study focuses on how an indigenous Ghanaian bank reports its CSR activities online and in the annual reports. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual framework was adopted from the extant literature and used as the basis of comparative content analysis of social responsibility data on CAL Bank's website, www.calbank.net and the annual reports. We compared the social responsibility reportage on the website with the social responsibility reportage from the annual reports of the Bank from 2003-2009. We also conducted in-depth interviews with senior management of the bank to develop a deeper understanding of CAL Bank's online CSR reportage. Findings: There seems to be a consistency between the annual reports and the corporate website CSR reportage of the bank. There however seems to be under-reportage of CAL Bank's CSR activity online as their CSR online reportage focuses mainly on external disclosures. It also came to light that the bank's CSR reportage is fragmented and is not integrated into a marketing communication plan. These findings demonstrate the challenges the bank faces in coordinating and integrating its marketing communication activities. Originality/value: Studies on online CSR communications within developing countries context is limited. This study does not only help bridge the gap but contributes to improving bank marketing practices in Ghana as well.