Corporate Social Responsibility In Commercial Banks: A Case Of Gweru

This study was carried out to assess the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by commercial banks in the city of Gweru in the midlands of the Republic of Zimbabwe. It was inspired by the perceived hostile relationship between business and society. It sought to assess the degree of awareness and appreciation of CSR issues among bank executives and employees as well as the extent to which they adhere to international CSR standards and codes of best practice. Issues in SCR include human rights, labour standards and environmental standards. The study focused on the Sullivan Principles, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines and the Equator Principles. The research study design employed was the descriptive survey design and all nine commercial banks in Gweru made up the population. The sample consisted of three commercial banks selected through stratified random sampling techniques. The respondents were mostly selected using simple random sampling except for bank managers who qualified for the role by virtue of the positions that they occupied. Questionnaires, interviews and content analysis were used to gather data.  The findings showed that banking executives and employees have very little knowledge of CSR standards although their practices are largely compliant with the standards. It was recommended that the banking sector should familiarise themselves with CSR standards and codes of best practice. It was also recommended that they sign up to and implement the Equator Principles, a benchmark of accepted practice in project finance. It was further recommended that the banking sector adopt a more stakeholder-centric approach to their practice of CSR and that they report on their practice of CSR.