Social Corporate Responsibility of Champion Breweries and Socio-economic Development in Host Communities in Akwa Ibom State (2015-2022): A Critical Appraisal

Abstract

As organizations seek to expand their patronage for profit-making, they develop different strategies to establish equilibrium with the host communities. One such strategy is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which has been ingrained in the organizational culture of Champion Breweries, Akwa Ibom State. However, some of the approaches of CSR have not matched the intrinsic essentials of socio-economic development, which is why the paper is aimed at examining the CSR of Champions Breweries to the host communities. The Stakeholder’s Theory was adopted for the study. The qualitative method represented through the descriptive research design was used for the study. Data were also obtained through the interview method. It was discovered that Champion Breweries have contributed to socioeconomic development in the host communities through donations for power supply, provision of annual scholarships to at least 10 indigenes of the host communities, and sponsoring free medical services. However, it was observed that these contributions were majorly presented in monetary forms through donations to certain institutions and projects, without concrete supervision on their uses and effects. It was recommended that Champions Breweries should not only focus on the monetary aspect of CSR but also include services, infrastructures and skill-based programmes in its CSR package.