Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in Banking Industry: An Analysis of Disclosure Levels in Botswana
This study intended to determine the disclosure levels of the CSR activities by banks in Botswana, to identify the types of information disclosed, and to determine the factors that influence the level of disclosure. The study used secondary data from the annual reports of the surveyed banks. The content analysis technique was employed and sentences that carried information relating to CSR were counted to arrive at the total of CSR reporting. Four themes of CSR, namely human resources, community involvement, environmental and ethical matters formed the bases for measuring level of CSR disclosure. The study found that a significant number of banks in Botswana are involved in CSR activities and report such engagements in annual reports. The findings of the study also suggest that the majority of banks engage extensively in and report their participation in community involvement and human resources activities. The results revealed that about two-thirds of variations in the CSR reporting levels could be explained by the combination of size, age and listing status. However, only size was found to have a positive significant relationship with CSR reporting levels. The implications of the study are that policy framework that addresses all CSR activities should be developed, and at micro level banks should come up with strategies for sustainable engagement in CSR and its disclosure.