CSR Intent, CSR Strategies, and Their Effect on Multinational Mining Firms’ CSR Performance in Africa

ABSTRACT The global demand for minerals is on the rise, driven mainly by developed countries. As a result, multinational corporations (MNCs) are turning their attention to developing countries with untapped mineral reserves. In today's business world, MNC managers must employ corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies to navigate the complex global environment. The MNCs face pressure to fulfil economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic obligations to the societies in which they operate. The extractive mining sector has drawn significant CSR attention due to its adverse effect on mining communities worldwide, notably in Africa. This study has noted the body of literature exploring the innovation of subsidiary managers and the micro-foundations of CSR in parallel. Therefore, this research combines these two dimensions to investigate how subsidiary managers' CSR intent influence their CSR strategies and firms' performances. These findings support the academic decision to view subsidiary managers as strategic human resources responsible for CSR strategy decisions which influence firm CSR performances. Micro-foundations are gaining traction in various academic fields, but literature on psychological micro-foundations and their application in CSR studies is scarce. This noticeable research gap underscores the need to explore further how managers' CSR intent shapes their CSR strategies and their firms' overall CSR performance. This research has addressed the micro-foundations of CSR literature by exploring individual CSR determining factor, manager's CSR intent according to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The approach has opened an opportunity for CSR, management, and international business to work together with social psychology discipline through the lens of TPB theory and CSR intent. Therefore, the CSR intent concept has created interdisciplinary cooperation while fusing micro-CSR factors at meso and macro-level level of analysis. Consequently, the study has demonstrated the complementary capacity of managers` CSR intent and TPB for other CSR theoretical approaches – for example, Caroll's CSR typology and the theory of corporate social performance – and other theoretical levels of analysis at the institutional, industrial, managerial capabilities and firm levels. A quantitative methodological approach was used to research a population of subsidiary firms of MNCs operating in Africa. A study included 820 operational mining MNC subsidiaries operating in the African market. The study obtained responses from 214 participants who completed the online surveys. Additionally, 214 community leaders participated in the survey to provide their opinions on the CSR performance of MNCs in the African market. For research robustness, the measurement scales of each construct were subjected to reliability and validity tests. These tests included scale reliability assessment, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and a meticulous evaluation of common method bias. The study further conducted a hypothesis-testing phase, investigating direct, mediation, and multiple moderating relationships. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses, ensuring a thorough and rigorous data analysis. The validity of the findings was ensured by cross-referencing the conclusions from primary data and secondary sources, confirming convergence validity. The study also highlighted the bottom-up approach to strategy planning, emphasising the significance of subsidiary unit innovation and community engagement in host countries. The African community's positive involvement in the study showcased how CSR managerial strategies can uniquely benefit local communities. This favourable response from the community positions mining subsidiary units as an asset for the firm's overall reputation and a safeguard against potential issues between head offices and subsidiaries. The fact that the firms studied operate in various parts of the world but align in the African market lends credibility to the study's findings, potentially influencing mining communities in developed and developing countries. Companies can utilise the results of this study to streamline their human resources activities, including training, recruitment, selection, and talent management. Additionally, a manager's CSR intent can bring value and practical application to management and business, as in previous research that considers micro-determinant factors like CSR attitudes, ideology, sense-making, person-job fit, personality, and mindset. As a result, managers can use CSR intent assessment to enhance the talent management process, just as management assessments and measures use intelligence tests, personality tests, aptitude tests, integrity tests, and social acumen tests, blending business, social psychology, and organisational psychology. Through inter-rater validity tests, managers can standardize CSR intent measurements, and managers, MNCs, governments, and other CSR stakeholders can utilise these concepts to select managers for subsidiary management positions.<p></p>