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WHAT DRIVES THE CHOICES OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) 
ACTIVITIES IN GHANA: A STUDY OF SEVEN MEDIA INSTITUTIONS 
 
 
 
 
 
BY  
 
 
 
YAA SERWAH ANTWI  
10403781 
 
 
THIS DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON 
IN PARTIAL FUFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MA 
COMMUNICATON STUDIES DEGREE 
MARCH, 2019 
 
 
  
 
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DECLARATION 
I declare that, aside from works of other authors which have been duly acknowledged, this thesis 
is entirely the product of my own effort. It was conducted at the Department of Communication 
Studies under the supervision of Doctor Margaret Ivy Amoakohene. 
 
……………………………………    …………………………………….. 
Yaa Serwah Antwi      Dr. Margaret Ivy Amoakohene  
(Student)       (Supervisor) 
Date:……………………….     Date:…………………………  
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DEDICATION 
This work is dedicated to Mr. Alex Antwi Agyepong, Mrs. Mercy Ampadu Antwi, my siblings 
and all those who believed its completion was a possibility.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
I will never lose my praise for how far the Lord has brought me. I bless God for the people He 
brought my way and the miracles I woke up to each and every day of working on this research. I 
praise God for that He gave me a wonderful family that supported me every step of the way with 
their unflinching support, prayers and encouragement. 
 
I am grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Margaret Ivy Amoakohene, for her guidance, and 
suggestions. Doc, I could not have made it this far without your advice and support. God bless 
you.  
To every one of my friends and course mates who went out of their way to make data collection 
a possibility, I say, may the Good Lord remember your sacrifice and bless you whenever you call 
on Him. To Dr. Seth Ofori, Dr. Tietaah and Mr. Fidelis Sesenu, I say thank you for your 
selflessness and the pieces of advice.  
 
Finally to my colleagues, as I always say, we have a story to tell. Will God not do it? 
 
   
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ABSTRACT 
This study examined the drivers of the choices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 
activities by media institutions in the Ghana. It also investigated the nature and processes of CSR 
engagement by these institutions. Carroll (1991)’s CSR pyramid model and the systems theory 
provided conceptual logic, methodological insight and scholarly critique for the study.  A 
qualitative approach, entailing in-depth interviews with managers of CSR departments in seven 
media institutions, was used in data collection and analyses. The study found that CSR activities 
in Ghanaian media institutions were incidental, pre-programmed or built into the institutional 
structures and routines. Furthermore, CSR initiatives were instigated and inspired by various 
departments in the institution, but carried out as projects of the entire institution. The study also 
revealed that the types of CSR activities organized by the media were activities in areas of 
health, education, sports, religion, community development and awareness creation all of which 
can be grouped into two focus areas: community development and capacity building. The drivers 
of the choices of CSR activities, according to the findings, of this study were factors either 
internal or external to media institutions. The internal drivers were: the desire to be a responsible 
business, philosophy of the institution, values of Chief Executive Officers or top management 
and sensitivity to internal stakeholders. The external drivers were: competition, responsiveness to 
external stakeholders and bridging gaps in governance. In addition to emphasizing the ethical 
and philanthropic dimensions of CSR, this study recommends that media institutions focus on 
the economic imperative of CSR that demands that they are viable and profitable in their 
operations to be able to provide significant benefits to internal stakeholders (employees). 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Contents            Page 
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i 
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii 
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv 
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ v 
LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii 
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 
1.1 Background to the study ........................................................................................................ 1 
1.1.1 History of CSR ............................................................................................................... 4 
1.1.2 CSR in Africa ................................................................................................................. 5 
1.2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 6 
1.3 Research Objectives .............................................................................................................. 8 
1.4 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 8 
1.5 Significance of study ............................................................................................................. 8 
1.6 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................... 9 
1.7 Structure of study .................................................................................................................. 9 
CHAPTER TWO .......................................................................................................................... 11 
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RELATED STUDIES .................................................. 11 
2.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 11 
2.1 Theoretical framework ........................................................................................................ 12 
2.1.1 CSR Pyramid Model ..................................................................................................... 12 
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2.1.2 The Systems Theory ..................................................................................................... 17 
2.3 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 19 
2.3.1 Perception and communication of CSR among media companies ............................... 19 
2.3.2 Key drivers and barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility ....................................... 21 
CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................................................................. 25 
METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 25 
3.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 25 
3.1 Research design ................................................................................................................... 26 
3.2 Source of data ...................................................................................................................... 27 
3.3 Population and sampling ..................................................................................................... 28 
3.4 Data collection..................................................................................................................... 31 
3.5 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 32 
CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................................... 33 
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................................................... 33 
4.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 33 
4.1 Demographic Information ................................................................................................... 33 
4.2 Characteristics of media CSR in Ghana .............................................................................. 35 
4.2.1 How CSR decisions are made ...................................................................................... 35 
4.2.1.1 CSR as a Spontaneous and Indirect Effort ................................................................ 38 
4.2.2 Organizational Structure for CSR Enactment .............................................................. 41 
4.3 Focus areas of the media’s CSR .......................................................................................... 42 
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4.3.1 Community Development............................................................................................. 42 
4.3.2 Capacity development .................................................................................................. 44 
4.4 Rationale for CSR ............................................................................................................... 46 
4.4.1 Internal drivers .............................................................................................................. 46 
4.4.2 External drivers ............................................................................................................. 50 
4.5 Discussion of Findings ........................................................................................................ 53 
4.5.1 Internal driver or External driver? ................................................................................ 60 
4.5.2 The Systems theory and CSR in Ghanaian media institutions ..................................... 61 
4.5.3 CSR pyramid for Ghanaian Media? ............................................................................. 62 
CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 65 
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. 65 
5.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 65 
5.1 Summary of the findings ..................................................................................................... 65 
5.2 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 68 
5.3 Limitations of Study ............................................................................................................ 70 
5.4 Recommendations for Further Studies ................................................................................ 70 
BIBILOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 72 
APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 78 
Interview Guide ............................................................................................................................ 78 
 
 
 
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LIST OF FIGURES 
Figure 1.0: Carroll’s CSR Pyramid ............................................................................................... 12 
Figure 2.0: Visser’s CSR pyramid for developing countries ........................................................ 15 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CHAPTER ONE  
1.0 Introduction 
This chapter provides the background to the study by exploring the concept of Corporate Social 
Responsibility (CSR). It does so by placing CSR in a setting where it becomes a subject of 
discussion in the Ghanaian media by looking at a brief history, definitions and the nature of CSR. 
It delves into the problem statement of the study, research objectives and questions, significance 
of the study and provides operational definitions of certain concepts as used in the study. The 
chapter ends with an overview of the organization of the study.  
 
1.1 Background to the study  
Organizations do not operate in a vacuum, but are set up to perform specific tasks or various 
functions irrespective of the sector of economy into which they may be classified. Organizations, 
usually business corporations, and the society within which they operate are said to be 
interdependent in that for an organization to accomplish the purpose for which it was established, 
it needs an enabling society “to create expanding demand for business as more human needs are 
met and aspirations grow” (Porter & Kramer, 2006). In a similar way, a healthy society needs a 
business to provide needed products and services, create jobs to help generate income, assist 
governments in its operations by paying taxes, and make an impact in the physical and social 
conditions of the community (Atuguba & Dowuona-Hammond, 2006). The nature of some 
activities of businesses corporations or organizations can be such that they impact societies 
positively or negatively. An aluminum smelting company, for instance, can cause air pollution (a 
negative impact) by releasing toxic fumes into the atmosphere during its production of aluminum 
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for the society’s usage (a positive impact). Organizations therefore have a duty towards society, 
specifically towards stakeholder groups which include their customers, investors, their 
employees, suppliers, communities from where they function, regulators, various groups that 
have some kind of interest in their operations and the entire society (Carroll, 1999; Oppong, 
2014a). The organization’s duty towards its stakeholders, especially the society, is encapsulated 
in the term Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR).  
 
Over the past four decades, researchers have discussed and explored what Corporate Social 
Responsibility signifies, as well as what its patterns and its nature are (Isa, 2012). Studies have 
found different labels and terminologies synonymous to CSR (Matten & Moon, 2004). The 
different definitions of CSR according to Ofori, Nyuur and Darko (2014) could be as a result of 
the existence of different interchangeable terminologies given to CSR. The most mainstream 
terms which have turned out to be synonymous with the CSR construct are: “business ethics, 
corporate citizenship, sustainability or sustainable development, corporate environmental 
management, business & society, business & governance, business & globalisation and 
stakeholder management” (Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Dapaah, 2012). World Business 
Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) formal definition for Corporate Social 
Responsibility is the “continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to 
economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as 
well as of the local community and society at large” (World Business Council, 1998). Amponsah 
(2015) explained Corporate Social Responsibility as the commitments of organizations to 
society, all the more explicitly, commitments to partners and the individuals who impact 
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corporate policies and practices. Simply put, CSR is a reflection of organization's 
acknowledgement of its responsibilities towards the society from which it operates.  
 
In Ghana, CSR is viewed as developing abilities to create sustainable livelihoods, revering 
differences in cultures and situating businesses in developing the abilities of employees, as well 
as the community and the body that govern them (Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Baah, 2012).   
According to Oppong (2016), CSR in Ghana is mostly done by organizations in the 
telecommunication industry, banking sector, and organizations in the extractive enterprises, for 
example, mining, oil and gas industries. Usually, these institutions are large multi-national 
companies from other nations which are members of the Organization for Economic Co-
Operation and Development (OECD) which helps in normalizing and solving conflicts 
associated with CSR. These institutions are therefore required not only to guarantee profits to 
shareholders, pay salaries or wages to workers and deliver products and services to consumers, 
but also pay attention to the concerns of the community and what they uphold (Oppong, 2016; 
OECD, 2001). Thus, their involvement in CSR can be said to be an adherence to their code of 
conduct to do businesses ethically (Chan, 2014). Subsidiaries of such multinationals companies 
in Ghana according to Ofori & Hinson (2007), are “strategic, moral, and ethical in their approach 
to CSR”. They are known to follow some set of laid down procedures and principles in their 
engagement in CSR as compared to small and medium sized companies.  
 
In recent times, small and medium sized companies in Ghana are also working hard to set up 
various programs that can help balance both the areas of profitability and social responsibility, 
and media institutions are no exception to this (Chan, 2014). “The media industry is slowly 
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starting to integrate CSR practices in their corporate vision and policies but they are not as much 
a subject of the CSR-competition as commercial enterprises in other sectors are" (Geiger, 2016). 
Considering the fact that media companies are usually private, profit-orientated organizations 
who get entangled in an area of pressure between what they deem important to their profession, 
monetary and societal power (Geiger, 2016), what could inform their choices of CSR activities? 
This is the question that comes to mind as media institutions in Ghana are making the effort and 
initiating CSR activities in an environment where there are no set laws governing the practice 
(Amponsah-Tawiah & Dartey-Baah, 2012). 
 
1.1.1 History of CSR  
The phrase ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) was first used in 1953 by Howard R. 
Bowen, whom some recognize as the father of CSR, in his book “Social Responsibility of 
Businessmen”. In this publication, Bowen referred to CSR as “… the obligations of businessmen 
to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are 
desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society” (Bowen, 1953; p. 6).  This marked 
the beginning of modern CSR.  Arguments can be made about the fact that CSR took form 
before the 1950 though it is mostly associated with the twentieth century. It dates as far back as 
the 1800s, during the Industrial Revolution when “businesses were especially concerned with 
employees and how to make them more productive workers” (Carroll, 2008 p. 20). In this era, 
philanthropy came onto the scene and it was difficult to differentiate between individual and 
business philanthropy because of certain individuals like John D. Rockefeller associated with the 
practice. CSR evolved over the years due to factors like globalization of the economy and the 
CSR promoting campaigns which were initiated by politics, public opinion, the business 
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environment and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) (Farcane & Bureana, 2015). Also, 
society’s engagement in the practice led to close monitoring by institutions like the World Bank 
and Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) who were to help 
normalize and solve the problems related to CSR that came up as mentioned earlier (Farcane & 
Bureana, 2015).  In the 2000s, CSR has become an imperative issue and has been logically 
rationalized and connected with broader organizational objectives like reputation and stakeholder 
management (Moura-Leite & Padget, 2011; Lee, 2008). In addition, business communities are 
fascinated about the idea of sustainable development which has become an integral part of the 
debates on CSR. 
 
1.1.2 CSR in Africa  
The practice of CSR in Africa is said to have been adopted from the Western world though 
“there is evidence to suggest that Western theories are not totally applicable to Africa” (Dartey-
Baah & Amponsah-Tawiah, 2011).  The practice of CSR in Africa and other developing 
countries contrasts from the western point of view because it concentrates more on ecological 
issues and philanthropic responsibilities rather than focusing on legal and moral business 
practices to close up governance gaps (Hamidu, Haron & Amran, 2016; Amponsah-Tawiah & 
Dartey-Baah, 2012). CSR in Africa is targeted at the provision of social amenities and helping to 
improve the lives of individuals and the country as a whole.  The forms CSR take in most 
African countries is heavily dependent on the culture which has set a particular tone that 
demands that businesses act responsibly (Dartey-Baah, Amponsah-Tawiah & Agbeibor, 2015). 
According to Mohammed, Xiao and Hilton (2019), however, there is still a dearth of research on 
CSR in Africa. 
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1.1.3 CSR and media  
The media in Africa is considered as a business that owes it to the society to act responsibly in 
all its endeavours. However, the picture that has been  painted of the media in the continent is 
one that has “assumed a partisan, highly politicized, militant role” by the way it separates 
citizens into good and bad based on the political parties they are affiliated with (Nyamnjoh, 
2009). This has accounted for the tension that has been created between what they do as part of 
their profession and their cultural belonging (Geiger, 2015; Nyamnjoh, 2009). Yet, this does not 
erase the reality that the media engages in other activities that positively affect citizens which 
they term as CSR. 
What this history suggests is that in fulfilling their responsibilities to the society there is a 
tendency of the media to be influenced by factors that lie outside the pale of their primary 
function as producers and purveyors of news, information and entertainment. Beyond this 
general principle, however, the specific motivations of the media in Ghana to choose and 
undertake particular CSR activities must be a subject of empirical enquiry.  
 
1.2 Problem Statement 
Organizations and other corporate bodies conventionally rely on the media to give visibility and 
value to their CSR activities. However, the media have been noted to move rather slowly behind 
these other organizations in CSR engagement and performance (Schranz, 2007, p.31; Gulyás, 
2009). Media institutions in Ghana among other institutions engage in various voluntary 
activities which are classified as CSR activities. However, unlike other institutions in sectors like 
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mining (Owusu- Ansah,  Adu-Gyamfi, Brenya, Sarpong & Damtar, 2015; Gavin, McGee, 
Smoyer-Tomic & Aubynn, 2009; Hilson, 2007), banking (Hinson, 2011; Asare & Asmild, 2012; 
Hinson, Boateng & Madichie, 2010) and telecommunication (Abubakari & Abdul-Hamid, 2018; 
Mahmoud & Hinson, 2012; Boateng & Abdul-Hamid, 2017) which have been the subject of 
much research attention in the CSR literature, far less is known about CSR in the media sector. 
Furthermore, while scholars have proposed multiple drivers or motivations for CSR (Dhanesh, 
2015), some of which are aligned to developing countries (such as cultural influences) and others 
(such as stakeholder pressure) are universally accepted (Hamidu, Haron & Amran, 2016), not 
much can be said about the Ghanaian media in this sense. There is scant literature on what types 
of CSR activities Ghanaian media institutions engage in and what motivates the choices of such 
activities. Visser (2006) recommended that there is a pressing need to explore CSR in developing 
countries at sectoral levels since research in this area is underdeveloped and there seems to be a 
heavy reliance on studies conducted on the basis of convenience and global conventions. It is 
important that the media is studied because the media in Ghana are a particularly pivotal part of 
the social, political and cultural realities of the population.  
 
Consequently, this study attempts to examine CSR activities in the media sector of Ghana, 
specifically the types of CSR activities the media engages in and what drives the choice of those 
activities considering that, the practice of CSR is nested within particular sociocultural settings 
and needs to be explored in those contexts (Mohan, 2001; Visser, 2013, p. 9; Lindgreen & Swaen 
2010).  
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1.3 Research Objectives 
The overall research aim is to gain a better understanding of the types of CSR activities in 
Ghanaian media organizations and what drives the choices of these activities. To address this 
aim, the following specific objectives were pursued: 
1. To identify the different types of CSR activities of media institutions in Ghana. 
2. To explore the motivations behind the choices of the various CSR activities in the media 
institutions.  
 
1.4 Research Questions 
The research will be guided by the following questions: 
1. What types of CSR activities do Ghanaian media institutions engage in? 
2.  What drives the choices of the CSR activities in the Ghanaian media institutions? 
 
1.5 Significance of study  
Although studies have been conducted to find out what specifically drives CSR in media 
institutions in various parts of the world, (Gulyás (2009) very few studies have focused on such 
activities in Ghana. Recently studies like that by Mohammed, Xiao and Hilton (2019) which was 
conducted in Ghana’s field of CSR, have recommended the need for further studies into CSR in 
Ghana to throw more light on the possible evolution of an indigenous CSR paradigm. This study 
is an attempt to contribute to that scholarly conversation. Specifically, therefore, this study will 
contribute evidence of CSR in Ghana’s media sector and give a Ghanaian perspective to global 
theorizing of the drivers of CSR activities. It will serve also as literature for researchers who 
would want to conduct further studies into CSR in Ghana. Also, the findings of this study will 
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provide empirical information about Ghanaian media institutions and the types of CSR they 
undertake, in order to provide informed feedback on future CSR endeavours. 
1.6 Definition of Terms 
The following terms were used in this study: 
 
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity 
Corporate Social Responsibility activity as used in this study refers to any voluntary and 
consistent project undertaken by a corporate body, in particular the media institutions being 
studied, which is budgeted and planned for with the aim of impacting the environment and 
society. 
Driver 
A driver in this study is defined as the motivation or reason behind the carrying out of any CSR 
activity.  
 
Media Institution/ house 
A media institution, in this study, is a regulated, profit-based organization or enterprise that owns 
and produces mass media enterprises, specifically television, radio and internet content.  
 
1.7 Structure of study 
This study is organized into five chapters. The first chapter deals with the background 
information to the study which looks at placing the concept of CSR in a context where it 
becomes a subject of discussion in the Ghanaian media by looking at a brief history, definitions 
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and the nature of CSR. It delves into the problem statement of the study, research objectives, and 
questions, significance of the study, definition and structure of study.  
 
A review of literature relevant to this study is presented in Chapter Two. It analyzes the concept 
of CSR in different contexts and looks at what motivates the choices of CSR activities in other 
countries. It is followed by a theoretical framework for the study where the model for CSR 
developed by Carrol (1999) and the systems theory are discussed.   
Chapter Three focuses on the methodological approach used in the study. In this chapter are the 
research design, population, sample size, sampling techniques, data collection instrument and 
method, data processing and analysis.  
 
Findings from data collected, analysis and discussions are presented in chapter four. Different 
themes which emerged from analyzing the data collected with supporting quotes from the 
interviews that were conducted are also presented in this chapter.  
 
The fifth chapter summarizes the findings, draws conclusions and makes recommendations for 
further studies. The references and appendices follow this chapter. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CHAPTER TWO 
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RELATED STUDIES 
2.0 Introduction 
This chapter begins with an explanation of Carroll’s (1991) CSR model and the Systems theory 
proposed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1940) which formed the framework that guided this study. 
The use of the model and theory was informed by previous studies on Corporate Social 
Responsibility like Čavalić (2017) and Kalio, Zeb-Obipi and Ikenna-Amadi (2018). The 
application of the theory and model will give understanding into the decisions media institutions 
make in relation to their CSR activities.  This is followed by is a review of existing studies that 
have been done in various parts of the world on CSR in the media and drivers of CSR. The aim 
is to draw on these studies to direct the logic and processes of achieving the objectives of this 
study. The literature review is divided into two sections. The first sections focuses on the general 
perception and communication of CSR in the media and the second section takes a look at key 
drivers and reasons for CSR activities within media institutions.  
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2.1 Theoretical framework 
2.1.1 CSR Pyramid Model 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1.0: Carroll’s CSR Pyramid 
1
 
 
Source: Adapted from Carroll (1991) 
According to Carroll (1991) there are four aspects of social responsibility that make up total 
CSR: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary (philanthropic) expectations that the society has 
                                                 
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of organizations at a given point (Carroll, 1979). He presented a graphical representation of a 
four-part definition of CSR as shown in the figure above, known as the CSR pyramid. 
Economic responsibility appears on the bottom layer of the pyramid. The business is seen as the 
basic unit in the society. Its role therefore is to produce goods and services for the society and 
also make profit. Without the economic responsibility, the other parts become “moot” 
considerations (Carroll, 1991). In a review study, Carroll (2016) added that the economic 
responsibility is a fundamental condition or basic requirement of existence of any business to the 
society which allows it to be brought into existence and to be sustained. Also, the society sees 
businesses as institutions that will meet its needs and desire by producing and selling goods and 
services. This responsibility, according to Carroll (2016), is the baseline requirement that must 
be met by any business that hopes to be consistent in a competitive world.  
 
The next in the pyramid is the legal responsibility. Society expects businesses to follow the laws 
and regulations that govern a particular place in respect to the ground rules under which the 
business must operate. Legal responsibilities are said to coexist with economic responsibilities 
though shown on different layers of the pyramid. Both are seen to be major precepts of the free 
system (Carroll, 1991). Carroll (2016) in his review of the legal responsibility of businesses, 
Carroll added that it includes laws that govern the environment, consumers, employees, as well 
as satisfying every legally binding commitment and honouring guarantees and assurances 
(Carroll, 2016). It requires a business to act in a manner that is acceptable by the society in all its 
dealings.  
 
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The third is the ethical responsibility which according to Carroll (1991) covers those activities 
that the society expects or prohibits although they cannot be found in the laws. Ethical 
responsibilities encompass the standard or desires that mirror concerns for what consumers, 
representatives, investors and the community view as reasonable with regards to the moral rights 
of stakeholders (Carroll, 1991). In a sense, dynamic ethics is placed before law since these ethics 
become the force that drives the creation of the laws and regulations. Carroll explained that 
organizations should do what is right, just and fair to avoid and minimize harm to stakeholders.  
Also, ethical responsibility requires that businesses go beyond just abiding by the law as per the 
society. Laws are not always sufficient though very vital. According to Carroll (2016), business 
are not expected to compromise the ethics of the society with the aim of achieving a business 
goal but rather they need to recognize the existence of norms and ethics in the society as time 
changes. Ethical responsibility is said to cut through the whole pyramid though it is presented as 
a separate entity in the pyramid (Carroll, 2016). 
 
At the apex is the philanthropic responsibility which covers business activities that are carried 
out as a response to the society’s call for a business to be “a good corporate citizen”. This, 
according to Carroll (1991), is more discretionary or voluntary since it demands that the business 
contributes its resources to the society, and not doing so would not mean the business is 
unethical. It explains the need for organizations to support the community in various aspects like 
education and health. According to Carroll (1991), society requires that, businesses fulfil the first 
two in the pyramid, look forward to the third and hope for the last. 
 
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Visser (2006) rearranged the Carroll’s (1991, 2016) CSR pyramid to reflect the nature of CSR 
from the perspective of developing countries. The rearranged pyramid starts from the base with 
economic responsibilities followed by philanthropic responsibility, legal and then ethical 
responsibility. Figure two below shows this Visser’s pyramid.  
 
As indicated by Visser (2006), Carroll's CSR model is for the most part dependent on research 
carried out in the American context and experimental examinations (Burton et al., 2000) suggest 
that culture plays an important role in determining CSR priorities. The ideal CSR pyramid for 
developing countries according to Visser (2006) therefore differs from that of Carroll’s mainly 
because the drivers of CSR in both contexts are different. In that, fulfilling philanthropic 
responsibility in Africa is not bound by law unlike in the American context. Also, the issue of 
ethical responsibility on the African continent leaves less to be desired mostly because of the 
high level of corruption that cuts across businesses; the reason for its position at the top of 
Visser’s pyramid. Visser’s CSR model does not prioritize legal responsibility as much as 
Carrol’s because legal structures in Africa are generally not as developed as that in America.  
 
Carroll (2016) however makes it clear that, the CSR pyramid does not suggest that an 
organization should be hierarchical in fulfilling its social responsibilities instead, fulfilling social 
responsibilities should be done simultaneously where “Economic responsibilities + Legal 
responsibilities + Ethical Responsibilities + Philanthropic Responsibilities = Total Corporate 
Social Responsibility” (Carroll, 2016). 
 
2
Figure 2.0: Visser’s CSR pyramid for developing countries  
                                                 
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Source: Adapted from Visser (2006) 
If these CSR pyramids are anything to go by, CSR of Ghanaian media institutions must entail the 
four aspects of the pyramids. The first being the economic responsibility where in performing 
their CSR activities, the institutions are profitable, provide investment, create jobs and pay taxes. 
The media institutions’ CSR must have philanthropic activities where they carry out business 
activities that make them “good corporate citizens”. This should cover their setting aside 
corporate funds to invest in projects that give back to the society. In addition, the media 
institution must be abiding by the laws in Ghana as a legal responsibility and they must be 
ethical by operating in such a way that they do what is right and fair.  
From the above, this study was interested in finding out how the four-part pyramid models help 
to explain the motivations behind, or reasons why, a Ghanaian media institution will incorporate 
a socially responsible activity as part of their business endeavour.  
 
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2.1.2 The Systems Theory  
The systems theory is another theoretical framework guiding this research. It was pioneered by 
Bernard Chester and it is known to be one of the noticeable theories in the period of modern 
management. Ludwig von Bertalanffy, in 1940 suggested the theory and Ross Ashby developed 
it (Kalio & Zeb-Obipi, 2018) 
The theory depends heavily on the characteristics and functions of systems. According to Baran 
and Davis (2012) a system is “any set of interacted parts that can influence and control one 
another through communication and feedback loops” (p.183). Haris and Sherblom (2008; p.29) 
also define it as “a collection of interrelated parts or elements that function together to make a 
whole that is of a magnitude order totally different from any of the individual parts. It is set of 
elements bound together in interdependent relationships. The integrity of the whole depends on 
the mutual interaction between its parts.” These definitions of what a system is bring to light 
certain key characteristics: interdependence, interaction and feedback. A system is said to have 
four components: objects (which are the parts, elements, or variables within the system and could 
either be abstract or physical or both) attributes, internal relationship and its existence within an 
environment. The systems theory therefore emphasizes on the arrangement and relation between 
various parts of an entity which link them into a whole rather than reducing the entity in question 
to the property of its parts. This implies that a system is such that the failure or the success in the 
performance of one of the parts will have an effect on the general output of the system. Therefore 
to ensure that a desired goal is reached, it is necessary to ensure that all its parts are functioning 
effectively with a good feedback mechanism as Baran and Davis (2012) identified.  
 
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The theory states that a system can either be closed or opened. A system is referred to as closed 
if it does not have interactions with the environment; in that it does not take information from its 
environment. An open system on the other hand takes in information and uses it to interact with 
its environment in a dynamic way. Thus, it has inputs and outputs. Whilst closeness is said to 
cause the failure of a system, openness is said to cause a system to flourish. 
An organization like a media institution is considered as a system as it comprises employees, 
products, resources and information that come together to form a complex system. Defining a 
system like this however, without doing so in relation to its environment is incomplete because 
the environment is made up of parts like the organization and the community in which it carries 
out its activities (Macmillan and Gonzalez, 1973).  Thus, the media institution and the society 
from which it operates can be said to be different parts of the same system. This is because 
media organizations do not exist in a vacuum. It relies on other components of the environment 
or the system it belongs to for continuity. 
 
Putting this theory into context, media institutions and the societies in which they operate depend 
on each other as components of the same system. CSR activities are known to be initiatives that 
are extended from these media institutions to the societies. That is to say that, those activities are 
generated from the institution with the aim of benefiting the society in which it functions. 
Bearing in mind that these two entities belong to a system, the researcher in examining what 
drives the choices of these CSR activities is interested in finding out if and how this relationship 
plays a role in the choices of the media’s CSR activities. 
 
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2.3 LITERATURE REVIEW 
2.3.1 Perception and communication of CSR among media companies  
Gulyás (2009) analyzed CSR perceptions, acts and practices among media companies in Britain 
and CSR engagement in the national daily newspaper sector. The study made use of the 
quantitative approach. A survey was used as the method to explore the perceptions that media 
organizations had about CSR. CSR activities and practices of the companies were examined as 
well.  
 
From the findings, perceptions of CSR was dependent on the size of the media company. Large 
broadcasting companies were seen to more likely to consider CSR as an integral part of their 
businesses whilst small to medium sized ones were not likely to do so. Also, the larger 
companies saw that CSR engagement had a positive impact on business performance. Majority 
of the companies surveyed agreed that, over the past years, there had been an increase in the 
pressure on media organizations to improve their CSR performance. CSR in the larger media 
companies were seen to be pressured by internal factors like important stakeholders of the 
business whilst in smaller media companies, the pressure was from an external angle like the 
government.  CSR communication from the findings of the Gulyás’ (2009) study were done 
through directly stating them in mission statements, though annual reports  were completely left 
under the auspices of executives of the business. The types of CSR activities undertaken by the 
surveyed organizations were; community activities, employee engagement activities, 
environmental sustainability and media-specific CSR activities.  
 
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Similar to Laudal (2011) and Amponsah (2015), the sizes of the media organizations and 
ownership type used in Gulyás’ study had an influence on the perceptions of CSR. Those who 
were likely to say that CSR engagement yielded positive effects on business performance were 
from large companies. The conclusion drawn from findings in this study was that, CSR practices 
in the media sector varied and its communication was done differently.  This current study takes 
a qualitative approach in finding the drivers of CSR activities focusing on electronic media in 
Ghana which makes if differ from previous studies like Gulyás (2009). 
 
In another study, Hasan (2015) looked at three most watched and liked televisions stations in 
India to find out the impact of CSR practices in the media industry. The types of CSR activities 
identified in this study were leveraging job skills and specialized expertise, participation in 
voluntary work, donation and raising awareness on social issues. From the findings, CSR is 
organized and included in the media companies’ business strategy and values. Communication of 
the CSR activities were done through annual reports like Gulyás (2009) identified in Britain and 
through websites as well. Hasan’s (2015) study is important to this current study because the 
current study also seeks to find out what types of CSR activities the media institutions in Ghana 
engage in.  
 
In a related study, Ingenhoff & Koelling (2012) evaluated how media governance and CSR 
activities of media organizations are communicated. Websites and reports of selected media 
organizations in Germany, Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland were content analyzed in a 
quantitative study. The findings from the study showed that among the five countries, media 
organizations in Germany often mentioned CSR activities on their websites. These activities 
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were mostly society- oriented and employee- oriented. Private organizations from Germany and 
France were noted to be much more likely to communicate CSR activities than the others. This 
was attributed to the commercial orientation and the need for legitimization associated with 
private organizations. 
A limitation of this study is potential bias introduced to the findings by the unique media 
industry characteristics in the different countries sampled. To understand how the internal and 
external factors shape media CSR, this current study is undertaken in one country (Ghana), 
placing all the media organizations in a common context. 
 
2.3.2 Key drivers and barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility 
Different scholars have proposed various drivers of CSR and barriers of CSR as well as different 
labels to describe the literature on the drivers of CSR. Dhanesh (2015) investigated the key 
drivers of CSR in India. The aim was to produce “a more nuanced and socio culturally grounded 
analysis of the key drivers of CSR in India” by finding out the key motivations for companies’ 
engagement in CSR. The research approach used was qualitative. The purposive sampling 
technique was used in this study and the method used for data collection was interview with 50 
companies selected from a population of 500 Indian companies.  
 
The study found that companies were engaged in various CSR activities and the factors that 
drove the activities were moral and economic imperatives. The moral imperative was that the 
main driver of CSR was moral values coupled with the visions of founders and the existence of 
wealthier people in a less privileged area. The economic imperative looked at the long term 
benefits of engaging in CSR activities like creating corporate longevity and improvement of 
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relationship with the society and employees. The researcher recommended the need to study the 
drivers of CSR to be studied within a specific context and this current study represents an 
attempt to study the drivers of CSR in the Ghanaian context. 
 
Bansal (2003) identified three drivers of CSR. The first is that, engaging in CSR just makes good 
business sense because a responsible firm builds trust with its stakeholders. The second driver 
according to Bansal (2003) is that organizations engage in CSR activities simply because other 
organizations are. The third driver is that, sometimes there is a powerful individual in the 
organization, mostly a member of the top management crew, who is truly concerned about these 
issues and sees a chance to make the manner in which the organization is run an augmentation of 
her or his pledge to society. 
 
Hemingway and Maclagan (2004) also considered motives for CSR specifically, manager’s 
personal values as drivers of CSR which is the third motive Bansal (2003) identified. They 
hypothesized that in a particular social cause, the interests and personal values of executives or 
managers can be a motivating factor for CSR. Commercial imperative from the study is not the 
only driver of CSR decision in private sector companies; individuals also matter when it comes 
to championing social responsibility.  Hemingway and Maclagan (2004) focused on individuals 
as drivers of CSR in the private sector but this current study seeks to find out what the other 
types of drivers are not only in the private sector of Ghana but the media in particular as there is 
the presence of multiple motivations of CSR engagement (Mazzei, Gangloff & Shook, 2015). 
 
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Laudal (2011) analyzed how drivers and barriers of CSR vary with regard to differences in size 
and internationalization of enterprises. The research focus was on the small and medium-sized 
enterprises (SMEs) as well as the multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Norway. The main 
method used was a literature survey of 47 journal articles. The findings were validated with a 
survey of managers in Norwegian clothing business and showed that there were eight main 
drivers and barriers of CSR.  Each was peculiar to either SME or MNE.  Which is to say that, 
what existed as barriers in the small and medium enterprises were not necessarily barriers in the 
multinational enterprises. Barriers of SME were cost/benefit ratio (capacity) and external control 
(risk). The SME drivers were sensitivity to local stakeholders (reputation) and geographical 
spread (risk). MNE barriers were internal control (risk), following leading companies 
(conformity), sensitivity to public perceptions (reputation) and warding off government 
regulation (autonomy).  
 
The drivers of CSR varied due to size of companies from Laudal’s (2011) research. 
Consequently, this research seeks to find out the relationship between size of a media institution 
in Ghana and what drives their CSR activities. 
 
Hamidu et al. (2016) also identified motivating factors behind engagement in CSR practice to be 
socio-economic priorities, filling governance gaps, image creation and stakeholder pressure. 
According to Hamidu et al. (2016) drivers like religious practice, culture influence, bridging 
governance and response to natural disasters are more aligned to developing countries.  These 
are characterized by socio-economic environment like poverty, underdevelopment, poor 
infrastructure, weak government functionaries. 
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Amponsah (2015) identified and determined the relationship between CSR and Comparative 
Advantage (CA) in some selected Ghanaian industries. The study was a cross sectional survey in 
which both the qualitative and quantitative approaches were used for data collection. 179 
members of management from 16 companies were sampled from a population of all head offices 
of companies in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana who appeared regularly from 2010 to 2012 
on the Ghana Club 100 list. Findings showed that CSR activities were not planned for or 
structured in most of the companies. They were carried out when the need arose. The external 
CSR activities, especially education and health-related CSR, had more impact on CA and the 
companies with a large number of employees carried out more CSR activities which placed them 
in a more defensible position as compared to smaller companies. 
 
Österman (2014) conducted a research to find out the reasons why companies engage in CSR. 
The method used was a quantitative survey of 47 companies and in-depth interviews with 
company representatives in the United Kingdom. The hypothesis of this study was that 
companies in different industries engage in CSR for different reasons. Findings from the study 
showed that board of directors or top management, attracting employees, managing reputation, 
moral and economic value attached to CSR engagement were the main reasons why companies 
engaged in CSR. Österman’s (2014) study is relevant to this present study because parts of its 
methodology were relied on in the process of conducting this study.  
 
In another study, Yin (2017) investigated Chinese firms to find out why firms commit to socially 
responsible practices by focusing on both internal and external institutional factors. A mixed 
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method was used in this study; semi-structured interviews of 16 Chinese firms were conducted 
and a quantitative survey which yielded 225 responses was used.  
The findings showed that internal institutional mechanisms seem to be stronger predictor of CSR 
behavior towards non-market stakeholders. Also, factors like globalization pressure can be 
attributed to the external front. Yin’s (2017) research is important to this study as the researcher 
seeks to find out what drives the choices the media institutions in Ghana make when it comes to 
their CSR activities. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 3 
METHODOLOGY  
3.0 Introduction 
This chapter explains the research methodology used in this study by providing an overview of 
procedures used and reasons for the choices of the procedures employed. It discusses the 
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research design, population, research sample size, sources of data, data collection, and data 
analysis techniques used.   
 
3.1 Research design 
Creswell (2008, p.3) defines research designs as “plans and procedures for research that span the 
decisions from broad assumption to detailed methods of data collection and analysis”. It refers to 
all the details that add up to get the research question answered. According to Neuman (2003), 
the research design can be classified into three types such as explanatory, descriptive, and 
exploratory.  This study was an exploratory one. An exploratory research was useful here 
because there was limited empirical literature on the research topic. Therefore employing an 
exploratory research design according to Manerikar and Manerikar (2014, p.95) would give a 
greater understanding of the concept of CSR for both the current research and future researches. 
Also, not much has been done on the types and the drivers of CSR in Ghana and an exploratory 
research will help the researcher gather useful information on the topic. A qualitative approach 
was used in this study. Qualitative research is a type of research in which data is not presented in 
the numerical form (Punch, 1998; p.4). In qualitative research, an exploratory approach is used to 
“explain how and why a particular phenomenon or behavior operates as it does in a particular 
context” (McLeod, 2017). The main ways of collecting qualitative data according to Punch 
(1988; p. 174) are through interviews, observations and documents analysis notwithstanding 
whichever design or perspective a researcher employs. Qualitative method stresses on the part a 
researcher acts as an instrument in the study (Creswell, 2005). Drawing from this, the method 
used for data collection in this study is the individual in-depth interviews. This research method 
was appropriate because it enabled the researcher to ask relevant questions concerning the 
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practice of CSR in media institutions which helped to achieve the research objectives. This 
method also allowed respondents the opportunity to express themselves in the best way they 
could. 
3.2 Source of data 
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers in charge of CSR activities in the 
selected media institutions in Ghana as the data collection method. According to Gill, Stewart, 
Treasure and Chadwick (2008), the reason for research interview is to investigate the 
perspectives, convictions and inspirations on specific issues.  The aim of conducting the 
interviews in this study was to provide an in depth insight into the topic as “the value of 
interviewing is not only because it builds a holistic snapshot, analyses words, reports details of 
informants, but also because it enables interviewees to speak their own voice and express their 
own thoughts and feelings” (Berg, 2007, p. 96). Using semi-structured interviews allowed 
participants the room to answer questions on their own terms, while at the same time, allowing 
for comparison; more than the structured interview would enable. According to Kumar (2005), 
these types of interviews are the most suitable way to study difficult to understand and delicate 
areas because the interviewer has the time to psych the interviewee before questions are posed. 
This advantage and opportunity was the main reason for the researcher’s choice of this type of 
interviews in this research. The semi-structured interviews also allowed the researcher to explain 
complex questions to the interviewees. Inasmuch as interviews helped to generate rich data, they 
were costly and time consuming. There was also a risk of the researcher being bias with the use 
of this method and the existence of variation in the quality of data from interview respondents; 
which the researcher managed with follow-up questions and the self-consciousness about the 
inherent challenges.   
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3.3 Population and sampling  
Polit and Hungler (1999, p. 37) refer to population as the sum total of every object, subjects or 
members that follow a set of specifications. The overall study sought to find out what drives the 
choices of CSR activities in media institutions. Therefore, all media institutions within Greater 
Accra Region who engage in CSR formed part of the accessible population. 
 
A purposive sampling was used in selecting seven media institutions who engage in CSR for this 
study. Purposive sampling is “a technique widely used in qualitative research for identification 
and selection of information-rich cases for the most effective use of limited resource” (Patton, 
2002). This technique was used because information-rich cases of CSR were required to be able 
to achieve the study’s set objectives. The selection of the participants was also done with a type 
of sampling called intensity sampling. According to Patton (1990), this type of sample consist of 
cases which are rich in information that manifest the phenomenon of interest. Authorities on a 
particular experience are selected. Using this logic, the researcher identified the individuals who 
have in depth information about the CSR activities of the various institutions. These turned out to 
be those in charge of managing the CSR activities in the selected institutions. The institutions 
selected (the units of analysis) through this sampling method were TV3, Joy FM, Peace FM, 
Vision 1 FM, Angel TV, METRO TV and Atinka FM.  
 
TV3 is a private free-to-air television station in Ghana which began on-air transmission in 1997 
with firstly broadcasting in the southern parts of the country. Currently, it has a nationwide 
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3
coverage in all regional capitals in Ghana . TV3 belongs to the Media General group and 
according to Geopoll, TV3 held the second largest audience share after Adom TV in 2018. The 
station started operating in 1997, making it one of the oldest private TV stations, a reason for 
being one of the researcher’s sample. TV3 has a foundation (the 3 foundation) which was 
specifically set up to coordinate its CSR activities and this was another reason it was selected as 
part of the researcher’s sample.  
 
Peace FM is also a private radio station in the Greater Accra Region and belongs to the Despite 
Group of Companies. It is also part of the sample because it is one of the leading radio stations in 
the country as it ranked first nationwide, with an audience share the highest audience share 
among the radio stations in 2018 according to Geopoll’s report (2018). The Peace FM brand of 
the Despite Group was added to the researcher’s sample as it coordinates number of CSR 
projects prominent of which is the Kokrokoo Charities, an initiative of one of its presenters, 
which has over the past five years attracted many stakeholders including other media institutions 
all over the country.  
 
Joy FM, Ghana’s first private radio station to broadcast in English. It started operation in 1995 
when the airwaves were liberalized. Joy FM belongs to the Multimedia Group, one of the leading 
media houses in Ghana and according to Geopoll 2017 report, Joy FM held the second largest 
audience share after Peace FM in 2017. Joy FM is part of the researcher’s sample as it has a 
portal dedicated to its CSR activities on its website which shows details of all its commitments to 
the society. 
 
                                                 
3
   http:// http://ghana.mom-rsf.org 
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Atinka FM is a free to air private owned station in Ghana and other parts of West Africa. Atinka 
FM is a subsidiary of the Tobinco Group and it belongs to the Atinka Media village. Atinka FM 
which started in 2014, is the oldest in the Atinka media conglomerate focuses on the mass 
market with a language format of Akan and English, 80% and 20% respectively making it a 
choice for local content. The Tobinco Group has a foundation (Tobinco foundation) specifically 
set up to coordinate the CSR activities of its brands which includes Atinka FM and this was a 
reason for its selection as part of the researcher’s sample.  
 
The Metropolitan Entertainment Television (METRO TV) is a private owned free to air 
television station which started in 1997. It has nationwide coverage and can be accessed on 
DSTV. It has been part of the Jospon Group of companies since September 2018. Before 2018, 
METRO TV, made donations to specific communities during Ramadan as its CSR commitment 
to these communities. Bearing in mind that the researcher sought to find the drivers of the 
choices of CSR activities, METRO TV was included in the sample.  
 
Vision 1 FM is a private radio station which is a part of the Unity Group of companies. It is 
known for its Christian content and its regular donations to the needy, the reason for its inclusion 
in the researcher’s sample.  
Angel TV is a digital terrestrial Television Station which started operation in March, 2014. It is a 
part of the Angel Broadcasting Network which is a subsidiary of the Angel group of companies. 
Angel TV organizes various community projects as part of its CSR commitment to the society 
every year and this was the reason for its inclusion in the researcher’s sample.  
 
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These stations were selected by the researcher firstly because they are private entities unfettered 
by public service obligation which may require institutions to carry out some CSR related 
activities.  Also, they are part of bigger institutions or media conglomerates who have a number 
of CSR programs in common. Hence studying them can give a bigger picture of the drivers of 
CSR activities in the country’s media sector. In addition, limited time frame was a reason for the 
selected institutions.  
3.4 Data collection 
The data collection took place between October, 2018 and January, 2019. The researcher 
conducted interviews as a primary data collection means for the study with a semi-structured 
interview guide. The interview guide refers to a list of questions that guides both the interviewer 
and interviewee during the data collection process. Interview questions modified from Österman 
(2014) were tailored toward the research objective and questions. The questions were divided 
into two parts. The first part addressed what participants’ perceptions about CSR were and what 
types of CSR their institutions engaged in. The second part of the interview addressed the 
reasons for or drivers of their choices of CSR activities. Semi-structured interviews allows the 
interviewer to be flexible in their way of posing the question to each participant. The researcher 
can probe further for explanations or clarity on issues they see as important (Bryman, 2004). 
 
The institutions were initially contacted through personal visits. An introductory letter which 
explained the purpose, process, and implication of the research was then sent to the organizations 
and the prospective interviewees. A mobile phone was used to record the interviews for later 
transcription. Six respondents chose to have the interview in their offices where they could have 
access to all the information required by the researcher. The other interview was conducted 
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through the mobile phone. Each interview lasted between 15-45 minutes because of some 
illustrations respondents gave to explain their points and at other times interview was disrupted 
by official duties. Transcription was done over four months as there were very long intervals 
between the interviews. A report was then produced based on the objectives of this study.  
 
3.5 Data Analysis 
Marshall and Rossman (1999, p.150) describe data analysis as the process of arranging collected 
data in a way that makes it meaningful.  Following the transcription of the interviews, the data 
was coded, interpreted and verified. Coding, according to Gibbs (2007) is a way of ordering or 
categorizing content so as to create a structure of thematic ideas concerning it (Gibbs, 2007). 
Coding helps the researcher to organize the data collected in a structured way after perusing the 
text for the relevant data. The data was then analyzed, classified and arranged into themes and 
sub-themes through the coding procedure. The data was made meaningful by drawing particular 
attention to themes that showed up consistently and identifying those that did not. Also, 
observations during interviews were qualitatively analyzed. Data verification was done by 
revisiting the transcribed interviews (Sarantakos, 1998).   
 
 
 
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CHAPTER FOUR 
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 
4.0 Introduction 
This chapter discusses the data analysis and results of interviews with CSR managers of the 
seven media institutions that were selected for this study. This research sought to find out the 
motivations behind the choices of CSR activities of Ghanaian media institutions and was guided 
by the following research questions: 
RQ1: What are the types of CSR activities organized by media institutions in Ghana? 
RQ2: What drives the choices of the CSR activities in Ghanaian media institutions? 
Also, findings are discussed in relation to previous studies and literature where necessary to 
highlight the similarities and differences that exist between this current study and previous 
research findings and literature.  
4.1 Demographic Information  
The seven participant organizations engage in various CSR projects. The documented CSR 
projects of each media organization are profiled in subsequent paragraphs.  
To start with, as part of its annual CSR activities, Joy FM feeds over 30,000 people living on the 
streets around Easter and other times in the year. Also, it provides over 5,000 pints of blood in 
collaboration with the National Blood Bank and other institutions. The Joy Needy Fund also 
provides financial support to various child-centered charitable institutions and educational 
scholarships to brilliant underprivileged students. The media house in collaboration with the 
4
Multimedia Group donates millions of cedis in pro bono airtime to public and charitable causes.  
In collaboration with MTN Ghana Foundation, TV3’s CSR program “Think heart, save a life” 
works to ensure that every child living with hole in heart gets the necessary surgery to correct the 
                                                 
4
 http://multimediaghana.com/community.php 
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defect.  Also, its June 3 Disaster Support Fund raises funds to support the flood victims from the 
rd
June 3  disaster. Every year, the media house organizes blood donation exercises as part of their 
CSR commitment in collaboration with the blood bank. 
Atinka FM under the Tobinco foundation, as part of its CSR activities, donates medicines to the 
prisons and peacekeeping operations, organizes health outreach programs, and operates a 
scholarship scheme that pays monthly stipends to about 200 widows. Also, it has instituted a 
scholarship scheme that caters for the tuition of over 50 brilliant students in second cycle 
institutions. Atinka FM’s CSR commitment focuses on building infrastructure in the health 
sector as well.  In collaboration with TV3, the foundation donates cash and medical supplies to 
rd 5
support the June 3  disaster victims.  
METRO television as part of its CSR activities donates items to Islamic communities each year 
during Ramadan season. 
Peace FM as part of their CSR programs donate pints of blood to the National Blood Bank every 
year. The media house in collaboration with the Despite Group, builds infrastructure and 
organizes health outreach programs. 
Angel TV and Vision 1 as part of their CSR programs run educational funds which support 
brilliant but needy students in the society. In collaboration with the National Blood Bank, the 
institutions also donate pints of blood to the blood bank.  
The representatives of these institution (participants) are referred to as CSR Participants (CSRP) 
in subsequent paragraphs to ensure participants’ anonymity. 
 
 
                                                 
5
 http://tobincopharma.com/old/csr.html 
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4.2 Characteristics of media CSR in Ghana 
The practice of CSR and its attendant scholarship has been relatively established across many 
business sectors and industries. Though the media have historically been instrumental in 
communicating the CSR performance of other organization, CSR practice and scholarship in the 
media is a relatively new phenomenon. Particularly lacking is an understanding of how CSR is 
conceived and practiced in media sectors in developing countries like Ghana. Findings from this 
current study suggest that understandings of CSR in the Ghanaian media are characterized by 
how CSR decisions are made as well as the organizational structure within which CSR is 
performed. In the ensuing sections, these themes derived in the light of their understandings will 
be appropriately explored and discussed. 
  
4.2.1 How CSR decisions are made 
Some media institutions tended to be proactive and intentional in their CSR activities. CSR work 
was often planned in terms of the area of focus, resource mobilization, collaborations and its 
reflection of a media institution’s strong values and commitment. 
Some participants indicated that CSR activities in their media houses were institutionalized 
because it tended to be backed by “…a deliberate and a conscious plan that we (media 
institution) have decided to sort of advance with” (CSRP1). This deliberate plan was also often 
supported by a robust plan to mobilize and allocate funds for CSR-related activities. Findings 
showed that the media institutions either drew budgets for planned CSR activities or they left an 
open budget for cases where the support needed by the society were unforeseen. For instance, 
CSRP5 explained that these ways of budgeting were done to give management an idea of how 
much the institution was ready to part away with for the planned CSR activity: 
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 For the next year, there is education scholarship…we want to spend an amount of 
over 3,000 on that (scholarships) but it is opened because when you go through 
the auditions and someone wants to do medicine and the person is good, yes… 
you are doing a seven year project. 
 
CSRP3 also recounted an instance where his institution had to be intentional about financially 
supporting the society through a CSR activity:  
We had to go out to Kumasi and embark on getting a documentary to tell the story 
of the number of children that are lost through childbirth each and every day. It 
cost us a lot of money to do that documentary. It can go to twenty or thirty 
thousand just to bring one solid documentary...  
 
The study found that, in instances where the financial status of the media institution did not 
allow it to put aside enough money for a project, there were two options the institution chose 
from if indeed they were committed to carrying out that project. The first was that, members of 
the society were given the opportunity to contribute money to support the project. This, 
according to participants, was always fruitful mainly because their institutions had gained the 
trust of the society through similar activities funded by the institutions themselves earlier. All the 
participants acknowledged that support from their audiences was very key to their engagement in 
CSR. CSRP1 said: 
So we have about 7000 children every year who have hole in heart conditions. 
Half of them die before they are one year old… we decided then to involve our 
audience by putting the message out there that we are doing this on our own, we 
have put in X amount of money into it but this is how much we need can you 
come on board and help…we get a number of donations coming in to support 
these children. 
 
The second option was to seek financial support from other corporate bodies or non-profit 
organizations. Again, media houses leveraged the credibility and the positive relationships they 
have with some of these organizations to mobilize funds. CSRP3 gave an example of how his 
media house collaborated with a non-profit organization to fund a CSR activity: 
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 The recent building that was put up at Kumasi, which was a work between The 
Multimedia Group and The Rebecca Foundation…what happened? A new block 
for children, let’s say nursing mothers was built in Kumasi to address the issue.  
 
Another related feature of CSR practice in the Ghanaian media is the tendency to collaborate 
with other businesses or entities on CSR projects not only in terms of funding but also overall 
CSR performance. CSRP5 described an instance of such a collaboration:  
In Accra, we always have this partnership with the National Blood Service and 
annual blood donation exercise… As I speak, tomorrow we are having a heath 
walk. The target is to help society and also to help the blood bank. 
 
CSRP1 on the issue of partnership added that: 
So we partner with the likes of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for CSR activities 
for example. The various units within Korle Bu that we partner with…we have 
done mother and child unit, we have done with the cancers, we have done with 
the cardio centre. 
 
 
The study also revealed that, the deliberate and conscious engagement in CSR was a 
manifestation of strong organizational values and commitment. In that, institutions whose 
mission and vision statements and values required that the concerns of the society were as 
important as their businesses expressed no reluctance in consciously staying devoted to 
practicing CSR. CSRP1 again had this to say: 
Sometimes you are doing that at the expense of something else that you would 
rather do but you wouldn’t have it any other way.  For us this is something we 
have committed to do we want to be a responsible corporate citizen we know that 
beyond operating, being profitable, paying our taxes, paying our workers and all 
those other stuff, we also need to give back and if you are giving back at the 
expense of something else, we would do it if we had the chance again.  So it is  
 
 
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4.2.1.1 CSR as a Spontaneous and Indirect Effort 
The study revealed that, due to the importance placed on considering the needs of the society, 
CSR for media institutions in Ghana was sometimes spontaneous. As and when circumstances 
called for immediate attention, a CSR project was developed by the media house. This was 
mainly due to the fact that the media (radio especially) had an immediacy element. When a 
solution to a problem the society was facing could be solved by a media institution’s 
intervention, whether actively or instrumentally, some media houses often rose to the occasion. 
CSRP5 shared an experience on how impromptu one of their CSR activities had to be held to 
save some individuals in the society. He said: 
 A year ago, the national blood bank had a shortage ok. So immediately… that 
one is a call and response something. At the time we organized it (the blood 
donation exercise), it wasn’t planned for, but because there is a shortage. This is a 
life and death issue forget about every plan that you have! 
 
To add to this, CSRP7 also said that CSR for his institution was impromptu rather than being 
targeted at solving issues from a specific area.  In that sense, the CSR initiatives were centered 
on issues that demanded their assistance and these were usually not predictable by nature. He 
said: 
We look at the case and handle it as such. We don’t sit and say specifically we are 
focused on education only or health. We look at the case at hand and we come in 
to assist.  
 
The media houses that tended to adopt a spontaneous approach to CSR performance at least at 
the philanthropic level often did so because they did not have enough internal funds to perform 
CSR activities. However, these media houses were also cognizant of the potential for their efforts 
to negatively affect their brand and irritate their audiences. CSRP4 explained this as:  
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When we see the way the situation is and it needs urgent attention then we drop 
in.  But when we repeatedly do it someone will sit down and say that ah so you 
your station ‘erh’ you have been collecting money. You collect money ‘aa’. You 
know people have a way they like to tag you this station ‘dier’ they have been 
collecting our money I will not listen to that station again. So we do it 
spontaneously. 
 
Participants also identified other spontaneous or indirect ways of performing CSR. One way was 
through the use of the institution’s airtime. Airtime, according to all the participants, was the 
most valuable asset in the media business. Therefore, giving out airtime to rally behind an 
initiative which goes a long way to better the society was a CSR activity that came to them 
easily. CSRP3 explained that: 
 We have airtime, 24 hours a day. In our view it is a valuable resource. So if you 
can use that resource to turn around things in our nation, things in our community 
in our view we are being responsible and we are supporting our community. So 
our major Corporate Social Responsibility too is the way we use our airtime to 
impact our community. To change things in our nation is for us is the most 
important Corporate Social Responsibility. 
 
Another indirect way of doing CSR was through the media’s selection of topics and content for 
television and radio programs which is also a way of airtime usage. CSRP3 added: 
Even our choice of topics that will keep the government on its toes is part of our 
giving back to the society.  So issues of corruption, issues of governance.  We are 
always key to drive the agenda and from the year 1992 that the airwaves was 
liberated we have been at the forefront fighting for democracy, good governance 
and accountability and this for me is a very important part of the Corporate Social 
Responsibility. 
 
According to the participants, their media institutions knew the gravity of the impact they had on 
society. They therefore consciously chose programs that developed the community or helped to 
solve a problem as a way of giving back to the society. Some media institutions specifically 
chose topics that the community needed addressed as a way of giving back to them.  
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Interestingly, participants acknowledged that content deemed as ‘business as usual’ and CSR 
related coverage could be seen as overlapping at times. However the difference between the CSR 
related coverage and their day-to-day stories could be seen in how CSR stories were not covered 
because of their news value or news worthiness per se. The benefits accrued to the society in 
covering those CSR stories made them worth the organization’s airtime even though their 
newsroom values and editorial conventions may have led to the exclusion of such stories. 
The study also revealed that through reportage, media institutions engage in CSR indirectly. In 
that, journalists were empowered by their media institutions to report on issues and write stories 
that impacted directly, the lives of citizens. Some of these reports were directed to authorities in 
charge and follow up stories were done to update people on the solution or attention that was 
given to the problems. CSRP1 said:  
So we send our journalists to the remotest communities to bring to the fore the 
issues that surround education. So there are schools that are under trees, school 
students who go to school barefooted; schools that are completely dilapidated and 
could just break down and probably have fatal consequences. But that, on 
education, we do more reportage rather than directly putting, money into it. 
 
Nonetheless, the study revealed that the spontaneity of CSR activities of the media did not 
entirely prevent these institutions from treating CSR work as an important element in their 
operation. Here, CSR activities may not be anticipated, planned, and funded by the media house 
but as and when the opportunity arose, media institutions relied on their audiences to ‘do good’ 
in the society.  
 
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4.2.2 Organizational Structure for CSR Enactment 
For media operating within conglomerate meant that individual brands within a conglomerate 
needed to work towards achieving a specific CSR goal. This required that, media institutions 
communicated their CSR ideas to the bigger group they belonged to for approval before 
initiating. This practice was described by CSRP5:  
Because it is a big tree and whatever you do should stem out of the bigger plant.  
Like we have an annual meeting. Sometimes we travel outside, all the heads of 
management of the various brands… and then everybody does a presentation ... 
The group is doing an annual something so you can fuse the things in there.   
 
In conglomerates that produce different services aside from media services, products and 
services from other parts of the conglomerate was used to support the media’s CSR initiatives. 
CSRP6 whose media institution is a part of a pharmaceutical conglomerate on this issue said: 
rd
...the June 3  disaster victims, we provided medical supplies to the burns centre. 
We provided medicines and we paid the bills of about four people who were burnt 
in collaboration with Tobinco foundation 
 
Either ways, money was given out directly to benefit the society in question. In the cases of six 
out of the seven respondents, collaborations were mostly done with brands within the 
conglomerate the media house belonged to and such collaborations were seen to be very 
beneficial. The CSR activity in such cases stemmed from the “mother company”. CSRP1 said: 
 TV3 is part of a bigger group called Media General and for us we tackle CSR 
from a group perspective. So even though each of the brands including TV3 have 
their separate CSR initiatives it is coordinated by the 3 Foundation which is the 
umbrella body that does all the CSR initiatives on behalf of the different 
businesses.  
  
The study also found that CSR activities of media institutions were department specific. In 
essence, each department came up with an initiative that fitted in the main focus of the media 
institution and got the whole team to support its execution. This could also be said for the media 
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conglomerates. Each unit under the conglomerate had a focus when it came to what they did as 
CSR. CSR4 said: 
 … So for this year we have done about three (CSR-related activities) for Ghana 
beye yie (a department in the media house). Sports department too have their 
own. So they have their own social responsibility that they also tackle and it has 
more to do with the gala…. the entire company will back them so we do it as a 
company. 
 
 
4.3 Focus areas of the media’s CSR   
The study found two main focus areas of the media’s CSR activities: community development 
and capacity building and these were the two broad themes derived from their understandings. 
The media in giving back to the society focused on initiating CSR activities in areas that built the 
community such as education, awareness creation and building of infrastructure. Additionally, 
CSR activities aimed at building the capacities of individuals in the area of health, sports and 
religion.  
 
4.3.1 Community Development  
CSRP1 explained that engaging in CSR activities was a way through which his institution 
contributed to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The participants 
explained that the government of Ghana alone should not be the only concerned party in the 
quest to make Ghana’s development move at a faster rate. Each person needed to get involved 
and the media was not left out. The media therefore engaged in CSR activities that were geared 
towards helping to achieve the Global Goals. These activities organized by the media institutions 
included building of infrastructure, donations, organization of training sessions on issues that 
helped develop the community like proper sanitation as well as programs that helped to check 
unemployment. 
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In improving education in communities, participants mentioned that they provided financial 
support and wrote stories on communities that needed assistance with any educational related 
activity to help make sure there was quality education for all like the SDGs required. Among 
their CSR activities were the Joy FM’s Educare, and Angel FM’s Youth Education program. 
CSRP5 shared his experience on the direct way his institution focused on this area CSR: 
We have a lot of people across the country who are brilliant but less privileged. 
So we decided that next year why don’t we just you know sponsor twenty 
children across the country. At least each region has two, two, two, two. That is 
what we will start with. The agenda is do 100 in a year.  
 
Four participants acknowledged that their institutions granted free announcement space to the 
community on regular basis. This was used to send across very important messages like who was 
“wanted” on the police list and missing children which goes a long way to make the community 
a better place. CSRP5 explain that this was a way they gave back to society as the airtime used 
for these could be quantified in monetary terms. He cited an example of how his station can be of 
help to local manufacturer: 
…we are not doing it for ourselves but we believe that if we equip one farmer the 
kind of people that he will feed is beyond and further we are looking at equipping 
the construction of some of the roads where they can transport some of the things. 
 
He went on to explain that his institution took the initiative to raise awareness when there was an 
epidemic or an upcoming issue that needed citizens to be on the alert. He said:  
…in the 2016 election we decide to dedicate two months to educate the public 
concerning elections. It wasn’t electoral commission did not pay us, no it is 
something that we plan to do.  
 
 
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4.3.2 Capacity development  
According to participants, building the community was as important as building the people that 
lived in them. For this reason, they organized CSR activities to develop individuals in various 
aspects. Two participants revealed that, their institutions had sports related CSR activities that 
were organized in the form of sports gala which brought the youth together, sometimes created 
employment for local footballers and reduced social vices. CSRP4 said:  
…there is a gala that we organize. You realize that a lot of the young guys 
because of lack of employment and other things some of them engage in social 
vices so if there are people that are talented in football and other things why don’t 
we organize an annual tournament where we call in other coaches. Last year we 
were fortunate to have a black star coach who was with us throughout the 
tournament so some of the players were identified and then we invite foreign 
scout who also come in so they assess.  
 
In working to provide quality healthcare in communities for instance, all seven institutions had 
health related CSR activities with the aim of helping to build a society full of physically sound 
individuals. Among these activities were: blood donation exercises, health walks, health 
screening, health talk shows and donations towards people with medical conditions. Three of the 
participants acknowledged that more attention was given to the health-related CSR than others. 
CSRP1 explained that most of the issues that were bought to the attention of their institution 
were mainly related to health and needed their direct support in the form of financial support:  
A lot on health.  Health, directly through what we do. So we partner with the likes 
of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for example. The various function within 
Korle Bu that we partner with. We have with the done mother and child unit, we 
have done with the cancers, we have done with the cardio centre. So Health is one 
that we actively directly funding it ourselves in terms of putting money behind it 
but also soliciting the support of our audience and our viewers to support. 
  
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CSRP5 said that the health related CSR activities were done in collaboration with health care 
facilities as both parties sought the general wellbeing of individuals in the society as explained 
earlier:  
There are a lot of hospitals that associate with us… The current report that came, 
the reason why we decided to do this health walk at this time is this. The report 
that came said the age limit that people have kidney problem it was baffling.  And 
we were asking them what exactly may be the cause. Most of them…we have 
about 4 hospitals. Most of them were saying lack of exercise, stress,   alcohol. So 
we were like ok. Then it means that lets get the health walk get all the medical 
experts to come in and use the platform to educate the masses 
 
The study found that some media institutions in Ghana focused on building individuals up by 
addressing issues of spirituality and morality. One participant mentioned that his organization 
had CSR activities that were aligned to religion. In that, they organized activities that aimed at 
building the spirituality of individuals in the society. This was mainly because the society, he 
believed, would continue to be a peaceful one if people understood some basic principles in life 
which were associated with a particular religious belief. CSRP4 explained:  
There is a prayer movement too now. Salvation. The underlying factor is that 
people will be saved very important before we come to where we get five loaf of 
bread and two fishes. Our salvation is more important. We come to those who are 
sick and they will be prayed for. Those who are demon possessed, lot of them 
come here. 
 
The institutions, in this instance, presented themselves as associated with a particular religion 
and therefore operated based on the principles governing that religion. CSRP4 explained further: 
We are driven by God. See, one thing that Jesus stood for; he came for the lost. 
Who are the lost? People who are you know…they think there is no body who can 
help them. They can’t tell their stories to anyone. But they can come here and tell 
their story. As to whether it was good or bad they tell it. Because what they went 
through, they do not want anybody to go through it. So they will come here and 
tell the story all because of what we stand for, that is Jesus Christ. That is how 
you also got to know the fact that we stand for Jesus Christ. 
 
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CSRP7 agreed that his institution also performed some mandatory practices of a particular 
religion because that was what the institution was grounded in. He said: “Yes Metro used to have 
such specialized CSR…like what they were doing for the Islamic community under the previous 
shareholders…” 
CSRP4 further explained that individuals in the community were allowed on the premises of 
their media institution to seek for counsel and guidance on various types off issues affecting 
them:  
See they have been telling people about what happened to them, some through a 
lot of things. Morally, they get into all sort of immoral issues and how they come 
out we discuss.  At the end of the program there is a certain dispensation. 
 
These focus areas of CSR of media institutions in Ghana were selected by the institutions due to 
some forces or drivers that influenced their decisions.  
 
4.4 Rationale for CSR  
Participants identified a number of motivations and reasons for their CSR activities. These were 
broadly put into two themes; internal drivers and external drivers of CSR.  
 
4.4.1 Internal drivers  
Internal drivers referred to the reasons for an institution’s engagement in CSR activities that 
stemmed from within the organization. The study identified brand affinity, personal values of 
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), impact, religious beliefs governing the institution and the 
employees as internal drivers of CSR in the institutions. 
 
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4.4.1.1 Brand affinity  
In one way or the other, the participants acknowledged that engaging in CSR activities made 
their audiences develop some kind of attachment to their stations and this was a major reason for 
their commitment to CSR. Participants also said that although engagement in CSR activities 
caused some losses, specifically financial, the benefits far outweighed the losses which to their 
media institutions was worth it. All the interviewees mentioned continuity of the business and 
good will as the major benefits that CSR brought to them. CSRP5 shared an experience: 
There was this woman that I personally had an encounter with. She is now a 
“dog” viewer of listener of Angel. She is one person who will go to the market 
and talk about Angel TV. Indirect marketing.   So she has now become like a 
mouth piece why because of a support we gave to a society. Do you get it? 
Madina Estate, Adentan, all the people in this municipality or constituency after 
tomorrow, they know that Angel TV when you go to Angel TV you will get this. 
Because tomorrow we are going to do a massive announcement. Everyone in this 
constituency if you have funeral, those announcements, those petty things, we will 
just do it for free. 
 
Participants revealed that the benefits did not only come from the audience but also other bodies 
in the media sector. CSRP2 said: 
Our CSR activities have received lots of recognition from industry players and 
recent amongst them is the RTP Award which the despite group of companies 
(media group) was awarded the best group of the year 2018. However, the 
greatest influencers our CSRs are our listeners. 
 
CSRP3 added that engaging in CSR was a way by which his institution was distinguished from 
other media institutions and that to them was a direct benefit which was worth more than the 
money and resources they dedicated to CSR:  
We are in a very competitive environment so the perception of the people about 
the enterprise or business is key. The credibility of the enterprise is also key, and 
the number of people that listen to your station is also key. So once it is out there 
that we are a credible institution, that we are using our resources to impact the 
community for us it is a huge benefit... Then once we have huge numbers it 
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becomes a bargaining tool in our business process and then more money will 
come in and we can push more to the community. 
 
4.4.1.2 The personal values of Chief Executive Officer or top management 
The personal values and beliefs of the owner of the institutions or the one in charge of the 
institution was a major factor that determined the CSR activities media institutions did according 
to three participants. One of them, CSRP4, said:  
The owner of the company is coming from a background where he believes in 
helping people. He is a Christian. That is something that we need to establish. So 
he…a compassionate ministry. That is where he is coming from on the air waves. 
So he is to help people that is why one, he doesn’t allow alcoholic beverages to be 
advertised. He does not allow fetish priest. Because he believes in helping people. 
And one thing that we must establish. It is driven by his compassion for human 
kind so it goes through all of us 
 
Two participants stressed that, their CEOs were said to have been through situations where they 
lived on support from people. Being able to be outstanding members of the society despite their 
beginnings pushed them to initiate CSR activities which were meant to give back to people in 
similar situations. CSRP4 said: 
…so he understands when someone is going through difficulty. So he doesn’t 
have a challenge telling us “go ahead and do it” There hasn’t been a point in time 
when you go to him and you want to do something to help the society and you tell 
him no. He will ask you what and what do you need. Do a budget. If he has to add 
money to it he will do it. So you will realize that we are doing what we are doing 
because one person’s compassion is going through all of us. 
 
CSRP2 also agreed that past experiences of his CEO motivated his choices of CSR activities he 
carried out on behalf of the media institution: 
…because of the humble beginnings of our CEO, Dr. Osei Kwame Despite and 
also the unflinching support he received from the society when he started the 
media business in the local language (twi). 
 
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Moreover, where there was a group of managers in charge of this field, their decisions about 
how, when and where CSR activities should be done was what mattered.  
4.4.1.3 Impact  
Aside from providing citizens with information, media institutions sought to make positive 
impacts on the communities where they operated and this according to the participants explained 
not only their engagement in CSR activities but the choice of the institutions’ CSR activities. 
CSRP3 said: 
…I will say it is impact! It is impact! It is impact! Is it going to make the right 
impact on the intended recipient? Is it going to inure to their benefit so the 
overriding factor, the kind of impact the CSR will do to whoever is benefiting. 
We have one guy who is in GhOne we supported when he was in GIJ now you 
see him doing very well in GhOne. You feel satisfied  
 
4.4.1.4 Philosophy of the media institution 
The vision and mission and what a media upheld were also reasons for the media institution’s 
engagement in CSR and their choice of specific types of CSR activities. CSRP5 explained: 
Number one is that our vision statement has it in there; first thing to serve society.  
That is the first thing. Then we will say that if you are serving society how are 
you doing it? Society is suffering from ABCD so you are there. Society is going 
through stress so you entertain them we have to do it.  
 
CSRP3 added that there was a need to see explicitly the similarity between the CSR and the 
business’ philosophy before a project was selected:  
As you know every business has let’s say a vision, a mission and a philosophy  so 
if that particular activity is not in line with our vision, mission and philosophy, we 
won’t go for it. 
 
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4.4.1.5 Employees  
Employees were involved in the various types of CSR activities organized by their institutions. 
Two participants mentioned that employees were very often a major reason for their institutions’ 
engagement in CSR and sometimes the brain behind their choices of certain CSR activities. The 
CSRP1 said: 
Employees want an organization that is socially responsible. They want an 
organization that influence support their own aspirations to give back ok so if they 
keep coming to us...Funny enough we have employees who keep coming to us 
and say I have this personal CSR can you support, to maybe raise funds for it or I 
think I’m interested in volunteering in this type of CSR. If we have quite a 
number of people coming to you in a certain area we will create the avenue to be 
able to support. So these are the key influencers we have.  
 
Employees of media institutions have a sense of fulfillment when members of the society 
appreciate them because they (employees) belong to an institution that is not self- seeking. 
Employees therefore looked forward to working with organizations who had the concern of their 
societies at heart. This made them feel a part of helping the society especially because some of 
them were allowed to bring ideas on CSR initiatives and also helped to implement them. 
 
4.4.2 External drivers 
External drivers referred to those motives for which media institutions organized CSR activities 
that did not spring from within the organization. The study identified these to be sensitivity to its 
external stakeholders, specifically, the audience, the government and partners.  
 
4.4.2.1 Sensitivity to the Society Media Serve 
The media organizations sampled viewed CSR as going beyond the media’s responsibility to 
inform, educate and entertain. Participant organizations appeared to be acutely aware of the 
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society in which they were operating and the need to attempt to address some of the essential 
requirements of these communities or societies. In this light, one of the interviewees, CSRP1, 
aptly described CSR as a strategic function that was designed to benefit individual members of 
the society or the society as a whole “by tackling issues that concern them; by scratching them 
where they itch”.  
 
In explaining what the society meant to them, participants said the society did not refer only to 
the locality in which their institutions were situated but also, their stations’ reach or their 
audiences. Hence, for stations with nationwide coverage, the society referred to the various 
communities across the country where its audiences were located. CSR activities, according to 
participants, were therefore designed to have specific impacts on the various communities across 
the country in diverse ways. CSRP5 explained that his institution owned 10 radio stations and 
one television station across the country.  This meant that the institution catered for different 
groups of people with different needs as its audience. He said:  
… You are encountered with so many challenges unlike people who are having 
like two or three stations. Because the challenges in the Upper West cannot be 
compared to the challenges we face in Accra. So the kind of people we serve, we 
always have to give back and giving back differs. It varies.  
  
The differences in the demands of the media institution’s audiences brought to light the 
importance of communication between the institution and its audience in planning its CSR 
efforts. CSRP1 pointed out that, there was the need to interact with audiences before CSR 
activities were organized by media institutions. The reason being that, the same way different 
audiences required different media content, different CSR initiatives should be designed based 
on the different needs of the communities in question. He said: 
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Personally I’ve been involved in CSR for about 8 years and I know for a fact that 
sometimes you go to a community, you go and give them X meanwhile they need 
Y and the next time you go, it is there.  Nobody is touching it. So the first point of 
influence should be, what do the audience want?  What do the community want? 
So that will be the first thing we will consider.  
 
CSPR1 agreed that, those projects their audiences considered important were what his institution 
initiated as CSR activities. CSRP1 further explained this as: 
I think for a responsible corporate organization like ours, we wanted to really 
identify that what are the key challenges people have. What are the areas that 
need intervention? What do our audience want? What do the communities in 
which we go to support…What do they need? And we found out that these are the 
three key areas they wanted support which is why our focus areas has been in 
these three areas. 
 
The study also found that the needs of the society, which were an aggregate of the demands of 
audiences, were not the only considerations made by institutions before initiating their CSR 
activities. Some participants stated that the needs of the society were often juxtaposed with what 
the business deemed as priority before a decision on a CSR activity was arrived at. In order to 
strike a balance between the needs of the society and the assistance institutions were willing to 
offer, committees or units were responsible for developing a scale of preference and deciding 
which priorities could be pursued and executed. This invariably denoted a conscious and planned 
approach to CSR design and implementation.   
Also, participant organizations spoke of the government and some of their partners as influencers 
of the choices of their CSR activities though they agreed that these groups of people do not carry 
much weight like other internal factors. CSRP3 said: 
Currently because of the government policy we are moving to the tertiary level.  
We have done the first batch of tertiary students 17 of them have been given 
scholarship. So this one we are going a step further. 
 
CSRP2 on this issue also said,  
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…the government has also shown keen interest, evidence of this is the president 
himself coming to commission one of our projects donated to the Ghana Police 
Service. 
 
Partners from other sectors of the economy like the health sector, gave statistics to the media on 
a regular basis. This helped the media institution to determine which issues the society was faced 
with and how best it could extend its CSR activity to help solve the situation.  
 
4.5 Discussion of Findings 
This study sought to find, as its objectives, what the types of CSR activities organized by media 
institutions in Ghana are and also what drove the choices of the CSR activities. Findings from 
the study answered both research questions.  
 
First of all, different CSR activities which were classified as either focusing on community 
development or capacity building were identified from the study as the types of CSR activities 
organized by media institutions. Consistent with previous studies (Hasan (2015); Ingenhoff & 
Koelling (2012); Amponsah (2015)), the types of CSR activities identified in the media in Ghana 
are; health-related activities, education-related activities, sports-related activities, religious 
inclined activities and activities aimed at raising awareness on issues. These activities are carried 
out in two ways: directly or indirectly. The direct CSR activities refer to those activities that 
required that the institutions supports a social cause or an initiative financially. In that, the 
institution budgets some amount of money with which they carried out the CSR activity. The 
indirect CSR activities are those that need the support of the media institutions in any other form 
other than in the financial form. The institutions render help to the society through diverse means 
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which do not demand that the institutions invest fiscal cash. Each type of CSR activity identified 
was either done directly or indirectly.  
 
It was identified from the study that, the type of CSR activities which is mostly done by the 
institutions is the health- related CSR activity. This was attributed to the fact that members of the 
society often turned to the media for support on health issues. These issues are considered as 
CSR projects as the institutions either take the initiative to help address them by making 
donations to directly support or seek financial support from their audiences to address the 
situation at hand. The health issues are usually urgent in nature and therefore require that they 
are given immediate attention as and when they arose which accounted for the unstructured 
nature of CSR. This was contrary to Hasan’s (2015) argument. In that, CSR in Ghanaian media 
institutions are not always organized or structured though they are included in the media 
institutions’ business strategies and values. This was however consistent with Amponsah’s 
(2015) findings as the media institutions make plans and draw budgets for their CSR activities in 
addition to making provisions within their business plans to accommodate spontaneous 
(unplanned) activities.  
The study found out that the various types of the CSR activities identified are peculiar to 
societies. In that, the different societies in which the media institutions operate, have different 
needs which in most cases, form the basis for the choices of institutions’ CSR initiatives. The 
initiatives that benefit societies in the northern part of Ghana are not necessarily beneficial to 
societies in the southernmost part making the beneficiaries of CSR activities the most important 
stakeholders to the media houses as observed by Gulyás (2009).  
 
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The study found that some types of CSR activities are department specific since they are initiated 
by different departments within the organization. Although most of the media’s CSR activities 
can be traced to a particular department in the institution, the activities are a responsibility of the 
whole institution and not the departments alone since the various parts of the institution come 
together to make sure that CSR activity is carried out.  A sports-related CSR activity like the 
sports gala, for example, is planned by the sports department of some institutions but its 
execution is a responsibility of the institution as a whole. 
Additionally, the study found that these types of CSR activities identified took various forms. 
These were: the use of airtime for content that benefitted the society, coverage of community 
centered stories, fundraising to support causes, donations and infrastructural projects.  
The media is different from other businesses as the primary product it sells (content) can in itself 
be used to promote societal good. This therefore raises the issue of when the use of airtime or 
coverage is a CSR commitment and when it is the usual media business. The study on this found 
that covering a story is termed as CSR when the news value or news worthiness of that story 
does not exactly come to play in the news selection process like the other stories. The benefits 
accrued to the society in covering those CSR stories makes them in and of themselves worth the 
media’s airtime. 
 
Furthermore, the study identified six drivers of the choices of CSR activities in Ghanaian media 
institutions. These drivers were classified as either internal or external drivers. The internal 
drivers are the factors within the media institution which motivate the choices they make when it 
comes to their CSR activities. The study found these drivers to be; the institution’s desire to be a 
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responsible business corporation, the personal values of owner or top management, the 
philosophy of the media institution and the institution’s sensitivity to its internal stakeholders.  
 
The philosophy of a media institution was identified as the entirety of what it stands for. It 
includes the morals, values, beliefs and principles that govern the institution. Just as Gulyás 
(2009) and Hasan (2015) argued, this study found that the philosophy of a media institution, 
specifically its mission and vision, is a key driver of its CSR activities. The choices of CSR 
activities of media institutions in Ghana are driven by what it stands for. In that, what the 
institutions places priority on is what it directs its CSR activities towards. One interesting finding 
of this study is the fact that religious beliefs contribute massively to the media institution’s 
choice to give back to the societies in which they operate and beyond. This comes to confirm the 
findings of Hamidu et al. (2016) which indicated that religious practices were a driver of CSR in 
Africa. Some of the institutions choose specific CSR activities because the religion on which the 
institution is built demands that they act in that particular way. 
 
Consistent with previous studies (Hemingway & Maclagan (2004); Bansal (2003), Österman 
(2014)) , it became evident from the study that the personal values of the owners, Chief 
Executive Officers (CEOs) or those in top management in the media institutions played a key 
role in CSR engagement and selection of CSR activities in media institutions. The interviews 
conducted in the course of this research showed that the setting up of some of these institutions 
are a way through which their owners hope to extend a helping hand to the societies which 
established them in their businesses and accepted what they offered. Therefore, helping these 
societies is their way of showing their appreciation to them and also asking the inhabitants to 
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keep supporting their businesses. These values of the owners reflect in the general philosophy of 
the media institutions. In that, what the owners want or approve of, ends up becoming what the 
whole entity does. Again, the study showed that, the owners sometimes make donations in the 
name of the business. This is reflects to a large extent Carroll’s (2008) observation about how 
difficult was then in the 1800s to differentiate between individual philanthropy and business 
philanthropy because of individuals who were associated with the CSR practice.  
Moreover, the study found that media institutions in Ghana are driven by a sense to act morally. 
It became evident from the study that media institutions in Ghana are committed to helping the 
society through their CSR activities because doing so presents them as morally upright just like 
Dhanesh (2015) argued. Media institutions in Ghana engaged in CSR because it is “the right 
thing to do”. The interviews the researcher conducted revealed that most of these institutions see 
it as unacceptable to be benefitting from a society they contribute nothing to especially because it 
is through these societies that they have established what people had come to know as their 
businesses.   This also showed that the tension between professionalism and cultural belonging 
Nyamnjoh (2009) identified did not play a significant role in the media’s choices of CSR. This 
study found ethics as a better determiner of CSR in Ghana’s media institutions than politics. 
 
Another internal motivating factor or driver of the choices of activities of media institutions 
when it comes to CSR is their sensitivity to their internal stakeholders, specifically their 
employees. Employees play very important roles in the success stories of media institutions. 
They work in diverse ways to create the content that brings returns to these institutions. 
Therefore their perceptions about the organization are key to their decision to be associated with 
them. Hence, media institutions choose to do CSR activities to assure and reassure employees 
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that they were part of an entity that is not self-seeking but one that seeks the well-being of the 
society as Österman (2014) indicated. These CSR activities most at times, give employees the 
opportunity to be involved either through volunteering to support a program, donating or 
suggesting CSR activities for the institution. Findings indicated that the CSR activities are not 
geared towards the employees as Ingenhoff and Koelling (2012) argued because they are more of 
what the society demands than what the employees need. They however build the employees 
trust as Bansal (2003) identified. 
The external drivers identified in the study, on the other hand, refer to the motivating factors 
outside the confines of the media institution which play roles in the choices they make in relation 
to their CSR activities. The study found external drivers to be; responsiveness to external 
stakeholders, competition and bridging governance gaps.  
 
External stakeholders, especially audiences, the government and partners of media institutions 
motivate the media’s choices of CSR activities. Without viewership or listenership, media 
institutions have no cause to operate. Their survival in the market depends on their audiences. 
Audiences were therefore identified as forerunners of CSR activities in these institutions. They 
form the society within which the media institutions operate making their needs the priority of 
any institution that is seeking to help the society. Therefore what the audience seek help with is 
what the media institutions extended a helping hand towards. It became evident from the study 
that audiences do not only determine what the CSR activities of the media institutions should be 
but also, they support these institutions by volunteering or financing the activities when the need 
arises. Contrary to Gulya’s (2009) observation however, the pressure on the media institutions to 
initiate CSR activities is not from the government but these audiences and employees of these 
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institutions. The desire for both the employees and audiences to be associated with a brand that is 
socially responsible put some kind of pressure on the media institutions to act as such.  
 
 It was also revealed that, partners of media institutions also seek help from the media when they 
need to carry out some activities which were meant to benefit the society like blood donation 
exercises. This often pushes the institutions to initiate CSR activities through which these 
beneficial activities are done without going off course. These CSR activities are done in 
collaboration with the other partners to make the best possible impact.  
 
 The policies of the government also move media institution to make some choices of CSR 
activities but the pressure from this end is not as strong as that from the other stakeholders as 
mentioned earlier. Policies put in place by the Ghanaian government such as free education 
through to high school affected some of the CSR activities of the media institutions which were 
aimed at giving free education through High school. These institutions were therefore indirectly 
made to change such CSR activities to initiate new ones. Contrary to Laudal’s (2013) argument, 
the government had no CSR regulations as Amponsah (2015) indicated, consequently, their CSR 
activities do not ward off any governmental or tax regulations. The concept was more of a 
voluntary activity than one that exempted organizations from government regulations. Some of 
the policies of the government rather determine what the media institution does as its CSR 
activity. 
 
Media institutions in Ghana operate in a competitive environment like most businesses. Their 
CSR activities, according to findings of this study, are a way through which they build a 
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preferred brand. These institutions engage in CSR activities that places them ahead of their 
competitors as businesses that are not only focused on their successes but that of the society as 
well. Just as Österman (2014) identified, this was always a way by which these institutions 
managed their reputation.  They created an acceptable social image by what they did with 
activities like CSR.  
 
Consistent with Hamidu et al. (2016), this study found that CSR activities are driven by the 
media’s quest to help bridge governmental gaps. Media institutions through CSR activities like 
reportage, expose dents in governance and acted as a mouth piece for societies mostly to get 
results that benefitted various societies. They also provide for the societies, social amenities and 
the like, which the provision of the government failed to encompass. This evidently goes a long 
way to support government efforts in the working to achieve the Global goals.  
 
4.5.1 Internal driver or External driver? 
Yin (2017) found internal institutional mechanisms to be stronger predictor of CSR behavior 
towards non-market stakeholders (those who do not directly invest in a business). It was however 
noted in this study that, both the internal and external institutional mechanism are strong 
predictors of what the media institutions choose to do as CSR. Although societies, for example, 
may not be direct investors in the media institutions, they are a focus of the institution when it 
comes to CSR. Therefore they are external predictors of CSR behavior in the media institutions.  
Internal mechanisms like the philosophy of the institution also predict strongly how it goes about 
its CSR activities. Both become strong predictors of CSR toward non- market stakeholders 
because the media institutions treat both as equally important.  This is mainly because the media 
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institutions are very interested in building a good business image and also securing bigger 
audience shares which is dependent on the non-market shareholders in this instance whilst 
making a conscious effort to stay committed to their internal institution policies. 
 
Furthermore, drivers of CSR in Laudal’s study varied due to the size of the organization. In this 
study, the drivers do not vary.  However, it was noted the bigger media institutions, (those that 
belong to bigger media conglomerates) have more CSR activities they have committed to than 
the smaller ones have due to their financial capabilities and the magnitude of support they 
receive from the other businesses within their conglomerates. 
 
4.5.2 The Systems theory and CSR in Ghanaian media institutions 
Like the Systems theory emphasized, media institutions in Ghana are not limited to the various 
components (like departments) that make them up when it comes to their choices of CSR 
activities. They do not solely rely on what they are made up of and what they stand for when 
venturing into a CSR project. They consider their existence in their environment by opening up 
to the people and things around them when taking decisions on what to do, whom to target, how 
to go about the activities, especially because their existence within their environment contributes 
to their being a “system” on the whole.  
 
The study therefore found media institutions in Ghana to be open systems, in that, they interact 
with their environment, specifically individuals in the society, in making decisions concerning 
their CSR activities. The environment in which the institutions find themselves influence the 
type of CSR activities they choose to do by presenting them with issues that need to be 
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addressed. Also, the successes of these CSR initiatives depend mostly on how well the 
institutions interact with the environment. Society is more likely to support a media’s CSR 
activity if its members are involved in the selection of the CSR project. So even when the project 
does not directly benefit their society, there is the willingness to support the cause. The 
interdependence the systems theory emphasized was seen in the choices of the CSR activities of 
media institutions as they mostly relied on feedback to embark on various CSR project. This 
made the society, specifically the institution’s audience, a main driver of its choices of CSR 
activities.  
Also, the study found that another part of “the system” the media institutions belong to that plays 
an important role in the selection of its CSR were other institutions in a conglomerate the media 
institutions in question belonged to. In that, there are interactions between entities within the 
media conglomerates when there are plans to initiate CSR activities even when activities are to 
be done or initiated by only one of its parts. This shows that media institutions that are part of a 
conglomerate depend on the other organizations within the conglomerates in their practice of 
CSR. 
 
4.5.3 CSR pyramid for Ghanaian Media?  
The study found that, both Carroll’s (1991) and Visser’s (2006) CSR model showed the various 
aspects of CSR in the Ghanaian media. However, Visser’s (2006) pyramid reflected more of the 
situation of the CSR of the media institution than Carroll’s (1991) did. The study saw economic 
responsibility coming at the bottom of the pyramid, followed by philanthropic responsibility, 
then legal responsibility and finally, ethical responsibility. The researcher however sides with 
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Carroll’s (2016) assertion that, the combination of all the four elements made up CSR and not 
the order in which the various elements were arranged in the pyramid.          
Economic responsibility remained at the bottom of the pyramid as it is the major reason why the 
media institutions are set up although some of the institutions insisted that they were set up first 
of all to help the society. This did not affect the position of economic responsibility in the 
pyramid because in actual sense they are recognized as businesses by the state and as Carroll 
(2016) stated, the society expects its needs to be met through a business’ production of goods 
and services. The ability of a business to do this is dependent on how profitable it is in its 
operations. Drawing from this, the ability of a media institution to act responsibly primarily 
depends on whether it is making enough profit to sustain itself and also support the society in 
which it operates. The desire to be able to give back to the society (which was identified as an 
internal driver of CSR) gives the institutions a reason to fulfil their economic responsibility of 
staying profitable and providing the demands of the society. 
Like the previous arguments, the philanthropic responsibility comes after economic 
responsibility in the CSR pyramid for Ghanaian media institutions. The study showed that CSR 
in media institutions in Ghana goes beyond the fulfillment of economic responsibility. Media 
institutions consciously initiate activities that physically give back to the society. This 
responsibility usually demands that some resources, usually money despite the forms it took, was 
given out to support the society in various ways. Activities such as donations, deliberate 
selection of some issues to be discussed on air and clean up exercises were ways through which 
this aspect of CSR was carried out.  
Legal responsibility is at this stage of the pyramid not because media institutions do not consider 
law abiding as important, but because there is not much pressure on them in this sense as Visser 
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(2008) identified. Here again, the desire for a Ghanaian media institution to act morally in 
playing out its ethical responsibility causes it to also abide by the rules and regulations governing 
the environment in which it operates even when there are no laws that will necessarily enforce 
the practice of CSR.  
Ethical responsibility followed the legal responsibility at the apex in the CSR pyramid for 
Ghanaian media institutions. The study revealed that morality or appearing morally upright 
before the society is highly valued as this was driven by intrinsic values, beliefs and religious 
affiliations of the institution. However, it is expressed in aspects like the philanthropic 
responsibility explaining why it is the last in the pyramid. This was contrary to Carroll’s (2016) 
argument about the fact that laws were based on ethical premises and therefore ethics precede 
laws specifically because of Visser’s earlier argument on the little attention placed on laws in 
developing countries. To add to this, the importance most media institutions in Ghana placed on 
acting morally as an entity was seen to have no relationship with laws in the country as previous 
studies have shown that there are no specific laws guiding the practice of CSR in the country. A 
way by which media institutions in Ghana fulfil their ethical responsibility is seen in the way 
they pay particular attention to the ethics of their profession when producing content for their 
audiences. Additionally, the institutions expressed that they were in the known that doing what is 
right paid back. 
 
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CHAPTER FIVE  
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS  
5.0 Introduction  
The study sought to explore what drives the choices of Corporate Social Responsibility activities 
in Ghana studying seven media institutions in the country. Also, it sought to find out the various 
types of CSR activities that the different media institutions engage in. This chapter summaries 
the key findings of the study, paying particular attention to issues that address the research 
questions and objectives of the study as expressed in the first chapter of this dissertation.  
 
A qualitative approach was used in this research. The researcher employed this approach due to 
the exploratory demands of the research objectives and the need to gather rich information on the 
topic.  Data collection was done by conducting semi-structured interviews with seven managers 
of CSR units in the various institutions. The interviews were recorded with a mobile phone and 
were later transcribed and analyzed. This chapter also presents the conclusions drawn from the 
results of the analysis of the interviews and makes recommendations for further studies.  
 
5.1 Summary of the findings  
One significant finding from the study is the fact that media institutions in Ghana engage in 
different types of Corporate Social Responsibility. The dedication of these institution to the CSR 
activities was traced back to the priority they give to values and beliefs of major driving forces in 
the institution including its owner or Chief Executive Officer (CEO), corporate targets binding 
the institution (like its mission and vision statements), as well as the benefits that CSR 
engagement brought to their institutions.  
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A major feature of CSR activities in the Ghanaian media sector is its sensitivity to the society 
within which their media businesses is ran. It is interesting to note that, the institutions 
communicated with the beneficiaries of their CSR activities before initiating them. This is done 
to prevent instances where the institution attends to issues that are not regarded as problems by 
the society in the first place. To ignore this process of interaction means that, the institutions set 
themselves up for failure. This is because society’s involvement in CSR planning facilitates their 
implementation and sustainability. To bridge any gap between what the institution’s priorities are 
and that of the society, deliberations are done by committees that were set up to see how best the 
needs of the two parties can be met in the best possible way without having to compromise what 
the institution stands for. This in turn highlights the two main approaches to CSR performance in 
the Ghanaian media space. CSR in the media, though a major feature of media operation, is not 
exactly structured and planned for across all media houses. Some media houses considered it as a 
major part of the institution’s yearly plans and sometimes, its quarterly and yearly budgets. 
Others preferred to spontaneously respond to impromptu societal needs and demands.  
 
The practice of CSR, at times, requires much more than what the institution on its own can offer. 
Partnerships and collaborations are therefore very important to the media institutions. 
Occasionally, the support the community needs far outweighs the strength of the institution. In 
such cases, other businesses or organizations with the same or similar CSR ideas join resources 
with the media institution to be able to pull off that CSR activity. It was evident that media 
institutions in Ghana are part of bigger companies, mostly media conglomerates. These synergies 
also influence and characterize CSR performance by media houses.  
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The types of CSR the media engages in are geared towards either community development or 
capacity building. These are done through direct means where the institution gives back to the 
society by giving out money to address a particular issue or by indirect means where the society 
resorts to other means (reportage, the use of airtime and the choice of radio and television 
programs) that did not involve the direct use of cash to solve a problem. The types of CSR 
activities are specifically related to health, education, sports, religion, community enhancing 
projects and awareness creation. CSR activities related to health are the most organized by the 
institutions. This is attributed to the fact that, many of the issues the society sought help with are 
related to health. An interesting finding here is in relation to the religious inclined CSR activities. 
Some media institutions, as part of their CSR, give spiritual assistance to individuals. Parts of 
premises of these institutions are opened to all members of the public who need advice, prayer or 
religious consultation of any sort. Prayer movements and radio programs are also dedicated 
specifically to address the spiritual issues that are brought to the premises. Some employees have 
also been specifically trained to be able to handle cases of these sort. This draws a clear picture 
of why CSR activities in the media were department specific. CSR projects were noted to be 
designed by departments but the duty of its organization or execution is not left to the department 
alone. Each department in the institution has to make sure that the activity is successfully carried 
out. 
The motives behind every activity of the media in line of its CSR activities were noted to be very 
important because they are the main ways to distinguish between what the media does as 
‘routine’ work and what it does as a deliberate effort to help the society. In that, a media 
institution could produce two different documentaries in the same day. What makes one of the 
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documentaries an indirect CSR activity is the fact that the story will be an intentional one to 
draw attention to a particular problem in the society. Also, it will not be a documentary that is 
expected to bring any direct returns to the institution itself but rather the society. This was found 
to be a very common way by which the media institutions use their airtime to fulfil their 
responsibilities to the society. 
 
The media’s choices of CSR activities in Ghana are driven by a number of internal and external 
motives. The internal motives or drivers are the factors from within the institution that cause it to 
choose a particular activity as part of its CSR. These are: brand affinity, the personal values of 
the owner or the Chief Executive Officer, the institutions desire to make impact, the philosophy 
of the institution, religious beliefs underpinning the institution and the institution’s sensitivity to 
its employees. The external drivers, on the other hand, are the driving forces from outside the 
institution. These drivers also determine the choices of the media institution’s CSR activities. 
They were generally labelled as the institution’s responsiveness to its external stakeholders 
specifically its audiences, its partners and the government. Both the internal and external drivers 
of CSR in the Ghanaian media institutions are strong determinants of their choices of CSR 
activities.  
 
5.2 Conclusion 
The media institutions studied tend to emphasize ethical and philanthropic dimensions of CSR. 
Even so, the Ghanaian media may be seen to be trailing behind in CSR because, most of the 
things they do as their way of engaging in CSR could be seen more as what they are expected to 
do by professional standards than what they should be doing as giving back to benefit the 
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society. This should not necessarily be the case however, because the activities of media 
institutions termed as their CSR are deliberate acts that go a long way to support the government 
and other organizations whose main aim is to develop the country and improve the lives of 
citizens in all aspects.  
 
The CSR of Ghana’s media institutions, though not structured, are often crafted to be able to 
address societal issues. In doing this, media institutions make use of their most available 
resources, usually airtime or money, to gather enough financial support or attention to solve the 
problem at hand.  The non-existence of laws does not deter these institutions from acting 
responsibly. Rather, their consciousness of the fact that their businesses need the support of a 
healthy society to bloom is enough reason to make the society its most important stakeholder. 
Also, the media institutions’ prioritization of ethical responsibilities positions them to want to do 
what is considered right by society all the time. CSR is therefore not seen as a burden though it 
causes losses (especially financial) to the media institutions. This is because its benefits 
supersede the losses.   
 
Benefits accrued to these institutions however are not the only reasons for CSR performance. 
The media institutions take pride in making impact in the society and also adhering to their 
organizational commitments like their philosophy, religious beliefs and values of their CEO.  
 
Though this study may not be generalizable, it provides a Ghanaian perspective to the growing 
literature and scholarly interest on CSR practice reveals what types of CSR activities are 
performed by media houses in Ghana and what drives these choices.  
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5.3 Limitations of Study  
The researcher encountered some limitations during the course of the study. The most prominent 
was that, quite a number of the media institutions who engage in CSR were not willing to grant 
interviews which made it almost impossible to carry on with the research. In addition, time 
scheduled for the interviews had to be changed to farther dates on several occasions due to the 
unavailability of the interviewees, prolonging the duration of the study.  However, the use of 
semi-structured interviews was helpful in bringing out rich and relevant information pertaining to 
the study area and the media institutions. It also proved to be a very tactful way of gathering very 
meaningful data from the very few participants.  
 
5.4 Recommendations for Further Studies  
In addition to emphasizing the ethical and philanthropic dimensions of CSR, this study 
recommends that media institutions should also focus on the economic imperative of CSR that 
demands that media institutions should be viably and profitably operated to provide significant 
benefit to internal stakeholders (employees). 
Although this study represents an attempt at developing a larger body of research on Corporate 
Social Responsibilities of media institutions in Ghana, further studies are necessary. Future 
studies should widen the scope of media and also consider type such as print media and online. 
This will give some insight to the nature of CSR practice in other media houses not explored 
here. Such an expansion may consider other forms of radio and television like community radio 
and television stations in other geographical locations to find out what CSR in those areas look 
like.  
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Also, it will be prudent to examine the CSR activities of the public media institutions and a 
comparative study could reveal the differences that exist between the private and the public 
media’s CSR activities.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
Interview Guide  
I am Yaa Serwah Antwi, a Masters student with the Department of Communication Studies of 
the University of Ghana, Legon. I am conducting a research on what drives the choices of 
Corporate Social Responsibility activities in media institutions in Ghana. I would be very 
grateful if you would spare some time of your busy schedule to answer these questions for 
academic purposes only.  
Types of CSR activities 
Following is a list of questions designed to gather information relating to an organization’s 
thoughts on the concept of CSR and the various types of CSR activities it engages in. 
1. What do you term as CSR? 
2. What are the various types of CSR activities this institution engages in? 
3. What are the specific benefits (or otherwise) of the CSR activities to the institution? 
4. Which of the activity would you say receives the most attention in your institution?  
Reasons (Drivers) for CSR engagement  
Following is a list of questions designed to gather information relating to an organization’s 
motivation for its engagement in CSR. 
1. Why are you engaging in CSR?  
2. What sparked off your engagement? 
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3. How would you describe forces/voices within the institution that influence your CSR 
activities? - Which are the most prominent ones? - How do they influence? 
4. How would you describe the external forces (e.g. media, government, customers) 
influencing your CSR activities? - Which are the most prominent ones? - How do they 
influence? 
5. If you were to give a maximum of three reasons behind your institution’s choices of CSR 
activities what would they be? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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