A Conceptual Framework for the Application of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Management of Housing Projects in Nigeria

The Nigerian housing project setting has been marred with challenges which have continuously led to project under-performance and failure. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is presented as a strategy to mitigate the challenges. CSR which deals with housing project firms’ responsibilities in service delivery towards shareholders, stakeholders and society comprises a landscape of theories. The absence of CSR application towards solving housing project life cycle challenges presented a gap which informed the study. Variables are presented in a suitable and explored framework with a view to examining the potentials of CSR as a panacea to the challenges. This study presents stakeholder and ethical theories as the underpinning theories for the application of CSR in the management of housing projects along the project life cycle phases. Stakeholder theory states that firms’ owe a responsibility to a wider group of stakeholders, other than just shareholders. Ethical theory of CSR applies to housing projects as ethics help to guide the practice of various stakeholders involved in the process of housing project management. Methodology used was a review of documented evidence from related literature. This study found that CSR application in Nigerian housing projects, although rudimentary has yielded positives when implemented. Proper CSR application in housing projects has the capacity to mitigate housing project challenges across each project life cycle phase. This study also recommends the proposition of CSR application in effective housing project management as a standard being a panacea to existing challenges. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility, Housing project, Theories, Framework DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-6-04 Publication date: June 30 th 2020