Examining Critical Corporate Social Responsibility Challenges in the Construction Industry in Ghana:

Justice  Williams; Emmanuel Adinyira; Kofi Agyekum; Fredrick Simpeh; Frank Desmond Kofi  Fugar

Justice Williams Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6987-1507
Emmanuel Adinyira Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7381-6105
Kofi Agyekum Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7903-5390
Fredrick Simpeh Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9986-3417
Frank Desmond Kofi Fugar Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8143-3195

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, construction industry, critical CSR challenges, sustainability, Ghana

Abstract

Background: In today’s competitive work environment, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is seen as a strategic management tool that provides win-win prospects for the community and the organisation. Unfortunately, this concept seems not to be a priority among construction companies in Ghana. Research Aim: This study examines the critical challenges preventing construction companies from engaging in CSR in Ghana.

Method: Through a cross-sectional survey, responses were retrieved from construction companies in Ghana. Also, there were 250 contractors that took part in the survey; 155 of them were building contractors and 95 of them were road contractors. To ascertain the underlying characteristics and degree of criticality of the highlighted challenges, two analytical approaches were used: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and the Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) model.

Results: This study found three challenges preventing Ghanaian contractors from engaging in CSR. Thus, lack of knowledge in relevant CSR implementation, insignificant financial resources and corruption and lack of attachment to the community. The study further reveals a lack of knowledge in relevant CSR implementation as the number one critical challenge preventing Ghanaian contractors from fulfilling their CSR. This study’s findings will be relevant to construction stakeholders in realising the challenges associated with practising CSR. This will potentially influence the firms to put in place measures to limit the challenges hindering their CSR implementation. This study contributes to the state-of-the-art by examining the critical underlying challenges preventing construction companies from engaging in CSR in a developing country context.

Author Biographies

Justice Williams, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development

Justice Williams, PhD, is a lecturer in construction technology, management and economics at the Department of Construction Technology and Management Education, Aketen Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), Kumasi. He is an entrepreneur with 24 years of industrial experience in construction project management, costing and civil engineering and with specialisation in steel design, fabrication and erection, His areas of specialisation include Health and Safety and Environmental Management (HSE), Construction Project Management, Quantities, estimation, and economics, Construction Technology, Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB), and Construction Knowledge Management. He is currently the M.D WILJUST COMPANY LTD and construction lab coordinator for AAMUSTED

Emmanuel Adinyira, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi

Emmanuel Adinyira, PhD, is a Professor of Construction Project Management at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, and a Visiting Professor at the cidb Centre of Excellence, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His areas of specialisation include risk management, safety and health management and sustainability. He serves as a guest editor, editor, sectional editor, editorial board member, and reviewer for several national and international journals and conferences. His global experience in construction education and training includes working as a visiting scholar at Loughborough University, UK; the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK; and the University of Johannesburg, SA.

Kofi Agyekum , Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi

Kofi Agyekum is an Associate Professor of Building Science, Engineering, and Materials at the Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. His areas of specialization include Circular economy in construction, Construction Project Management, Building Biology, Building Pathology, industrialized construction, and Net zero carbon buildings and construction. He holds BSc (Hons), M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Building Technology with extensive industry and research experience in his areas of specialization. He is a Commonwealth Academic Fellow (attained at Loughborough University, UK), a Fellow of the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre at KNUST, and a Research Fellow at the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab at KNUST. Professor Kofi Agyekum currently leads the KNUST Green Building Team. He is also the Team Lead of the Building Science, Materials and Engineering Research Team at the Department of Construction Technology and Management, KNUST.

Fredrick Simpeh, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development

Dr Simpeh PhD is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Construction Technology and Management Education at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), Kumasi, Ghana. He has presented papers, both locally and abroad, at conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals, written chapters in books, written course materials and developed curriculum for accreditation. He is also involved in programme accreditation for Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). His research focus areas are Facilities and Building Maintenance Management, and Construction Health and Safety.

Frank Desmond Kofi Fugar, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Prof Fugar PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Construction Technology and Management. He has been involved in teaching and research Department for more than thirty years. His areas of expertise include: Human Resource Management, Construction Management, Investment Appraisal and Development Economics, Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics. He has served as a Vice-Dean and Dean of Faculty and Head of Department. He has participated and delivered papers at national and international conferences on the Built Environment. He has been involved in construction and quantity surveying practice for several years. He is a Fellow of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (FGhIS), Fellow, Ghana Institute of Construction (FGIOC), Member, International Federation of Surveyors (MFIG), Member, Nigeria Institution of Quantity Surveyors (MNIQS) and Member, Society of Human Resource Management (USA) (MSHRM).

Examining Critical Corporate Social Responsibility Challenges in the Construction Industry in Ghana

Critical corporate social responsibility challenges in the construction industry

Abstract

Author Biographies