An evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility education initiatives : the case of Sun International

Abstract

The main objective of this qualitative study was to evaluate the learnership and bursary corporate social responsibility (CSR) education initiatives of Sun International in South Africa in terms of its role in improving the beneficiaries’ lives. The challenges that Sun International experienced in delivering these initiatives was also investigated. The aims of the study were to: (i) determine the mechanisms and processes used by Sun International to identify beneficiaries; (ii) examine the support the company provides to beneficiaries of its CSR education initiatives; (iii) determine the experiences of beneficiaries of the Sun International CSR education initiatives; and (iv) identify the challenges experienced with CSR education initiatives. A qualitative case study design was chosen to achieve the above aims. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select the research participants. The sample consisted of staff members and learnership and bursary beneficiaries of Sun International, a South African corporation in Johannesburg. The data collection was conducted via open-ended email questionnaire surveys due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were nine participants in total. Four of them were Sun International staff members and the remaining five were or had taken part in the learnership or bursary initiatives. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four main themes emerged from the data. Theme 1 was the processes used in identifying beneficiaries. Theme 2 was beneficiary support. Theme 3 encompassed the beneficiaries’ experiences. Lastly, Theme 4 was CSR education initiative challenges. The study's findings suggested that the beneficiaries benefitted from the CSR learnerships and bursaries because they were thereby empowered. These education initiatives provide beneficiaries with the tools, skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the world of work. Furthermore, they provide opportunities for employment, which in turn enables them to become financially independent. It is recommended that future researchers investigate similar scenarios in South Africa, perhaps by means of longitudinal studies.