Corporate Social Responsibility Methodology (Research Paper Sample)

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: METHODOLOGY Student’s Name University of Course Professor Date CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY This study aims to determine the effects of practicing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the competitiveness of a firm in terms of brand image and determine whether or not there is a difference between firms who have good CSR practices and those who do not, based on their CSR management strategies and their public brand image. In addition, this study also intends to determine the specific benefits of practicing CSR both to the firm and its clients. At the same time, the study also intends to gain an understanding of the perspectives of the respondents regarding the competitiveness of the chosen companies and how these perceptions affect the likelihood of their patronage of the company’s products and/or services.   Research Design The study would utilize a semi-structured interview to determine the management strategies of the participating companies with regard to the ethical and philanthropic components of their CSR. To evaluate the brand image of the companies, a short survey aimed at measuring the company’s perceived competitiveness from the perspective of the respondents will be conducted. This will establish the current standing of the company and its competitiveness as measured by prospective client perceptions of brand image. The researcher opted to use a survey as a method of gathering information from the respondents to gain a better understanding of what drives the company to CSR activities and how these programs affect the overall competitive performance of the company. The questionnaire aims to elicit participant responses that will help further the study. Participants of the Study  The researcher will interview sixty respondents from the same pool of prospective clients and determine their perceptions of the company’s brand image. The participants who were asked to participate were those individuals with working knowledge of corporate social responsibility. Sampling Design The researcher has opted to apply a purposive sampling technique since the number of participants is set. Purposive sampling will be done since it ensures that the participants will be the ones who can provide relevant information that will help the progression of the study. The participants will be any prospective clients fitting the description before who agree to participate in the study.  Data Gathering Procedures The thesis would be a quantitative-qualitative study. The researcher will first send forms of consent detailing the terms of company participation in the study. This will be done before conducting any part of the study, including reaching out to the prospective respondents. A copy of the consent form will be seen in Appendix X. After consent has been secured, the researcher will then proceed to gather relevant data from the company with their consent. This will be done through an interview with the relevant administrative employees of the company. This step will help gather data for the CSR management and strategies of the selected companies. Afterward, the researcher intends to gather participants who will give their full impartial consent to be interviewed in relation to the study. After this, a questionnaire will be disseminated through Google Forms which will be accomplished online. Before administering the survey, the researcher will first discuss the terms of the participation with the prospective respondents. The consent forms will be accomplished after the terms have been agreed upon by the concerned parties. A copy of the terms of participation and the consent form can be seen in Appendix X. Afterward, the questionnaires will be collected and all the data that will be gathered will be recorded as part of the official data and results of the study. Moreover, the interviews of the participants would be recorded and transcribed as this would be an essential part of the results and discussion section of this thesis.  This is to ensure the transparency and accuracy of the data that will be gathered.  Research Instrument The researcher will conduct an interview for the gathering of CSR management information from the company. This will be done through a survey done by sending an interview questionnaire to the concerned personnel within the company. Questions about the implementation of the current CSR programs will be included in the interview to gain a deeper understanding of how CSR is managed in the company, as well as issue resolutions regarding the said programs. To assess the brand image and perceptions of company competitiveness from prospective clients, the researcher will administer a two-part questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire will be composed of questions aiming to gather the respondents’ relevant demographic data as to their age, sex, services/products commonly availed from the company (if any), and general impressions of the company. The second part of the questionnaire will be a Likert Scale-type survey aiming to define the perceptions of the participants of the company. The weights of the responses will be as follows: Strongly Agree- 5; Agree- 4; Neither Agree nor Disagree- 3; Disagree- 2; Strongly Disagree- 1. For the questions aimed at rating the CSR involvement of the companies, the following weights were used: Excellent- 5; Very Good- 4; Good- 3; Fair- 2; Poor- 1. Ethical Considerations  The res...