Internal Corporate Social Responsibility: a Perspective of Nigerian Commercial Banks

The study exploited the backdrop of the paucity of empirical studies on internal corporate social responsibility (ICSR) practices within indigenous organisations in Nigeria. The study adopted a qualitative research design to identify and explain internal CSR in Nigerian banks‟. The research tools included semi- structured interviews with six CSR directors and six executives in six key commercial banks in Nigeria. It also used open-ended questionnaire surveys to collect data from 101 employees from within the commercial banks in Nigeria. The data collected was analyzed using content and thematic analyses using the Nvivo 9 software package. As a knowledge base for the study, the ISO26000 was used to investigate the presence of internal CSR (health and safety, gender equality, diversity, fairness treatment, fair remuneration, fair selection in recruitment process and work-life balance) in Nigerian banks. The study found that internal CSR practices are common in Nigerian Banks but are not clearly defined or categorized as internal CSR. The major trend from the study highlights CSR in the Nigerian banking sector as a strategy for fulfilling societal expectations and contributing to the development of the educational sector, addressing social challenges and philanthropy gestures. Hence, the notion of internal CSR is not widely defined. This study contributes to knowledge by summarising the need for an integrated framework which promotes internal CSR practices in Nigeria. Among other things, the framework underlines the need for an integrated shared responsibility by all stakeholders in creating an enabling environment to maximise the benefits of internal CSR in the Nigerian banking sector. In conclusion, the study highlights the need for further research on the benefits of internal CSR from a public sector environment in Nigeria and the challenges of integrated networking by legislative and regulatory bodies of enforceable internal CSR expectations.