The influence of corporate social responsibility on sustainable development: Case of Zambezi Valley Development Fund
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to establish sustainability of corporate social responsibility
activities of Zambezi Valley Development Fund (ZVDF) in one of the ten districts it serves.
The study focused on ZVDF’s corporate social responsibility and was carried out in
NyamiNyami district. A sample of 106 participants from NyamiNyami district was used for
this study employing a survey method for data collection. The study sample included all
headmen, councilors, VIDCO chairpersons and WADCO chairpersons in NyamiNyami ward.
Use of statistical tests such as correlation and regression aided in analyzing the data findings
to come up with meaningful conclusions. The results pointed that the Fund consulted the
community leaders in its activities, the activities were executed in a transparent manner,
initiatives improved livelihood of the communities where they were implemented and
introduced sustainable development. Community involvement and community ownership of
development projects was found to be instrumental in ensuring sustainability of
developmental projects. The study concluded that sustainability has a linear causal
relationship with community ownership and community involvement in development
projects. The study also concluded that ZVDF consults community leaders and involves
communities in their corporate social responsibility projects. The study recommended that
ZVDF should prioritise community engagement as a way of ensuring that the development
which they brought was sustainable. It also recommended that the organization conducts
baseline studies before each project to ensure that it was relevant to the communities’ needs.
Further studies can be carried out to develop a framework for cooperation among
development agencies to enable sharing of resources and thereby delivering sustainable
development more rapidly.