Corporate social responsibility as a bridge between business and society: a strategic perspective

This study examines the extent of awareness and knowledge of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by communities; and people's perception of the motive why Nigerian companies are involved in CSR. It used Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc as case study. Data were generated through the primary and secondary sources. Descriptive statistics, specifically pie charts, were used to analyse the data while significance of the differences between the budget appropriations of the two case study locations was tested using t-statistic. The study revealed that there is no significant difference between the CSR budget appropriations for the case study locations, but showed a significant difference in the year to year CSR budget provisions. The study also revealed that an overwhelming number of people will give support to a socially responsible organisation. The findings suggest the adoption of CSR by firms as a strategy for bridging the gap between them and the society.