Corporate Social Responsibility Communication and Community Perception: A Study of Enugu Corporate Firms and IMT Enugu Host Community

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication has become a critical dimension of organisational public relations in Nigeria, yet the effectiveness of such communication in building genuine community trust and goodwill among host populations remains contested in scholarly literature. This study examined how CSR communication strategies of selected corporate firms in Enugu State influence community perception within the IMT Enugu host community. The study was anchored on Stakeholder Theory, which holds that organisations must identify, understand, and respond to the interests of diverse stakeholder groups to maintain legitimacy and social license to operate. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with a population of 1,200 adult residents of the IMT Enugu host community. A sample of 291 respondents was selected through systematic random sampling, and structured questionnaires were supplemented with key informant interviews with five community leaders. Findings showed that community members had low awareness of CSR activities conducted by most corporate firms operating in their vicinity, primarily due to poor communication and limited community engagement. Where CSR communication existed, it was largely one-directional and mediated through third parties rather than direct community dialogue. Respondents rated corporate sincerity and long-term commitment as more important to trust-building than the scale of CSR projects. The study concluded that CSR communication in the Enugu corporate environment suffers from strategic and relational deficits that undermine its community trust-building potential. It was recommended that firms adopt participatory CSR communication models that actively involve community voices in project design and reporting.
Keywords: CSR communication, community perception, stakeholder theory, Enugu corporations, public relations