Communicating CSR: Content Analysis Project Plan (Griffith University)

This project plan outlines a content analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting within the Australian construction industry, focusing on first-tier companies. The report details the project background, emphasizing the growing importance of CSR and its impact on environmental concerns and community relations. It defines CSR, distinguishing between ethical, strategic, and altruistic approaches, and justifies construction companies' engagement in CSR for sustainability and organizational goals. The methodology involves analyzing CSR reports using a systematic framework, supplemented by primary data collection through questionnaires and interviews, with Python software used for data analysis. Expected outcomes include identifying reporting trends and developing a framework for comparing CSR reports. The plan includes a project schedule, resource requirements, and a risk assessment matrix addressing safety concerns. Ethical issues in construction projects are also considered. The analysis aims to provide insights into how Australian construction companies communicate their CSR efforts and contribute to sustainability.

Griffith University
Course code:
Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of first-tier construction companies
in Australia: Content Analysis of CSR Reporting.
Name and Student Number:
Submission Date:
Name of Industry Organization:
Industry Supervisor Name:
Academic Supervisor Name:
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Contents
1. Project Background...........................................................................................................................2
2. Purpose of the project.......................................................................................................................4
2.1 Ethical Corporate Responsibility..............................................................................................5
2.2 Strategic Corporate Responsibility..........................................................................................5
2.3 Altruistic Corporate Responsibility..........................................................................................5
Justification of engagement into CSR by construction companies....................................................5
3. Expected project outcomes...............................................................................................................6
4. Methodology.......................................................................................................................................6
Resources needed...................................................................................................................................9
5. Risk Assessment.................................................................................................................................9
6. Ethical issues in construction projects...........................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................12
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1. Project Background
Corporate social responsibility is a concept that is gaining momentum in the recent past and
has an influence on how construction companies account for adverse environmental impacts
caused on the natural environment [4]. As the relationship between construction companies
and the community strengthens, a number of internal and external factors interact thus
affecting the participation of companies in social welfare activities [5].
A tier 1 construction company can be defined as that which is the largest and most
experienced in the construction industry, with revenues in terms of billions or hundreds of
millions. Tier 1 construction companies work on the largest and most significant projects in
the country. Notably, there are only 6 tier 1 construction companies in Australia; CPB
Contractors Pty ltd, Thiess Pty ltd, John Holland Pty ltd, Lendlease, Bauderstone Pty ltd and
Abigroup.
Just like tier 2 and 3, first-tier construction companies form part of the community in which
they operate in, and they have an obligation to give back to the society. [1] postulate that
corporate reports have proved to be an effective way of in communicating the CSR efforts to
the public. There is need for construction companies to act responsibly by assuming CSR in
order to solve social and environmental problems to incorporate sustainability tenets in the
construction industry [1].
Construction activities have significantly higher number of environmental impacts that
results into a change of way of life, asset values and other environmental concerns [2]. These
concerns include emissions of GHGs, discharge of effluent and waste water into water
bodies, disruption of natural habitats resulting into disruption of biodiversity, health and
safety hazards. All these have a direct bearing on the environmental, social and economic
well-being of the inhabitants.
CSR is essential in enabling construction firms to have a proactive approach by adopting
mitigation strategies that would minimize some of these effects [2].
A lot of research work has been done on the Social Corporate Responsibility in construction
and how they report on ethical, social and environmental issues [3].
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However, in the context of Australia, especially for the first-tier construction companies,
there is still a gap to be filled in analysis of CSR Reporting. This paper therefore serves as a
brief project plan for content analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting. By
analyzing and reviewing a number of literatures that is already available, this paper aims to:
a) To predict overall reporting trends of Corporate Responsibility that are currently
emerging in the Australian construction industry by analyzing CR reports.
b) To come up with a relevant framework for comparison of CR reports available in the
Australian construction industry.
c) To use the framework developed and test the predictions in (a) by conducting a thorough
and in-depth review of CR reports in different construction companies.
2. Purpose of the project
There is a number of varied reasons why construction stakeholders use CR activities [6]. These
reasons stem up from the definition of SCR, which [6] defines as a process by which companies
undertake to regulate themselves in order to improve their performance related to the social,
environmental and economic expectations placed on them by the society in which they operate
in. Three forms of CR are proposed, which are similar to Carroll’s CR pyramid and gives the
importance of each tier to the operations of the company.
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Figure 1. Pyramid illustrating the 4-part model of CSR: Adapted from Carroll (1999)
The 3 forms that summarizes the importance of CR can be given as:
2.1 Ethical Corporate Responsibility
This plays an elemental role in minimizing the harm caused by the operations of the company to
the society. [6] argues that this should be based on moral standards and should be adhered to,
since they overrule self-interest of the construction company.
2.2 Strategic Corporate Responsibility
This is undertaken by the company to solely achieve the objectives of the business. This is
done by providing certain benefits to the community who are essentially not stakeholders, in
anticipation of financial gains in return. It is a strategy based on the fact that as a business
entity becomes socially responsible by making short term sacrifice, there are long-term
benefits that will be achieved by the organization.
2.3 Altruistic Corporate Responsibility
Involves genuine optional caring and are normally tied to philanthropic responsibilities.
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Justification of engagement into CSR by construction companies.
It is essential that construction companies become aware of the impacts created by their activities
to the environment. This will enable them to engage in CSR by self-regulation of the activities
they undertake in order to act morally. Construction companies engage into CSR to create
sustainability in the environment they operate in, give back to the society through social welfare
activities, and to achieve their own organizational goals by making profits due to the positive
image created [11]. As a way of giving back to the society, [5] suggests that construction firms
engage in the following operations.
 Carrying out pre-construction evaluation on the selected site and adopting
environmentally friendly materials to be used in the design and construction, for
instance the concept of green buildings. Construction techniques should be selected after
considering pollution and emission of GHGs so as to minimize the environmental
impacts.
 Social engagement by strengthening the relationship between the company and available
institutions like schools. Improving the reputation of the corporate means they should
offer study opportunities, internships and Industry Affiliate Programs for the learning
institutions around.
 CSR implementation requires cooperation and proper channels of communication with
employees. The employees’ welfare, health and safety, training and other incentives are
of utmost importance for the implementation of CSR to succeed.
3. Expected project outcomes
Communicating CR reports as described previously, is an effective way of communicating the
CSR of an organization. Through detailed review of a number of CR reports from various
construction companies, this study pre-empts that organizations that uses this strategy are better
placed in the society and their activities accepted as they “give back to the society” through
involvement in social welfare. Further, we expect that upon the completion of the project, the
framework developed for comparing CR reports and general trends in Australian construction
industry holds true. This should be made possible by the rigorous analysis that will be done
under the methodology section by use of effective tools including python programming to
develop relevant and effective models upon which reliable conclusions can be based upon.
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4. Methodology
Australian construction Industry is a multibillion sector with a number of firms also coming up
in the recent past. The sustainability of these firms partly depends on their corporate
responsibilities towards the public either through simple environmental management strategies or
even philanthropic activities.
This paper will take samples of CR reports from a number of these firms and conduct in-depth
analysis using python software on the data gathered. With the needed data obtained from review
of CR reports already available, [1] came up with a systematic framework that can be used to
conduct a content analysis approach as illustrated below.
Figure 2. Diagrammatic Representation of Content Analysis Approach for assessment of CSR communication
Apart from the secondary data obtained from CR reports, primary data shall be collected
from respondents in the construction sites using simple questionnaires and short interviews to
get a grasp of how much the workers in the construction sector understand the concept of
Corporate Social Responsibility.
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In one of the studies conducted by [8] on encouraging CSR through legislation, it is
recommended that a short questionnaire should be prepared to contain issues on major social
impacts of construction firms to the community, the relevance of CSR to the organization
itself, CSR initiatives adopted by the company and their effectiveness, understanding of the
CSR concept by employees as well as barriers in the implementation of the CSR in the
Australian Construction Industry, a concept shared by [9]. These will create a framework to
incorporate all the necessary issues when collecting reliable primary data to supplement the
secondary data obtained from CR reports. The raw data will then be organized and analyzed
using python software as stated earlier on.
Time schedule for the project is important as it will ensure that all essential activities are
undertaken and that not activities are forgotten or allocated insufficient time.
For efficiency in data collection and analysis, both secondary and primary data may be
collected at the same time since it is possible to administer questionnaires while requesting
for a CR report from the company at the same time. Below is a Gant chart for the project
schedule.
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Collecting
secondary data by
gathering CR
reports
(4 weeks)
Collecting primary
Data through
interviews and
administering
questionnaire
(2 weeks)
Sorting and
arranging raw
data collected
(1 week)
Analysis using
python software
(1 week)
Interpretation.Dra
wing graphs and
making
conclusions
(2 weeks)

Figure 3. Gant chart for the project schedule
Resources needed
Since collection of data involves a lot of movement, one of the areas in focus is the means of
transport that is cheap and reliable as data is to be collected over a wide range of geographic
area. Other resources include software that will be used in analysis and equipment that may be
used to give meaning to the data, including consultative services with the academic and
industrial supervisor as they form an integral part of human resource in the execution of the
project. Due to the varied nature of resources required, it is not easy to quantify them in
monetary terms since the element of time is also involved as a resource.
5. Risk Assessment
Safety measures is a serious concern in construction sites that should be given due consideration
since it involves the welfare of workers [10]. Safety is one of the tenets of SCR looked at from
any dimension be it from the environmental or social perspectives. Any construction firm has a
moral obligation to create a safer working environment both for the workers, passers-by and the
general community by taking certain measures to prevent, reduce and manage injuries caused by
construction activities. A risk assessment matrix like the one below is important as it outlines the
likelihood of a risk and its level of seriousness, thereby proposing mitigation measures.
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Risk Assessment Matrix
1.Building
collapse
during
construction
ASSESSMENT OF THE RISK RISK MITIGATION
What could
cause
harm?
What could go wrong? C L Level CONTROLS
Falling
objects from
the storey
building
Objects that fall from
above smashing heads Cat R M
Ensuring that safety measures are taken
seriously in construction sites.
Workers should wear boots to prevent cuts
in the lower limbs, helmets to avoid injuries
from falling objects and reflectors for easy
visibility by equipment operators.
Workers on
top of the
building
falling off
Injuries from fractures
and broken bones Mod U L Securing workers with safety cables to
prevent them from falling off
Confusion
and running
around
causing
collisions
Falling and hitting other
colleagues as they
escape.
Min P L
Create assembly points and proper
evacuation procedures in cases of
emergency
2. A system
failure in
the office
computers
1.Failure of monitoring
and safety systems both
in office and on site.
2. Alteration of designs
that affects work
progress in the site
Min P L
1. Use of Building Information
Modelling (BIM) systems for safe
designs and monitoring of safety
hazards in the site where there is
work in progress.
2. Having competent staff to handle the
systems in office to avoid failure of
systems.
3. Regular maintenance of systems to
avoid instances of failure of such
vital security systems so as to avert
hazards before happening.
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6. Ethical issues in construction projects
Ethics is a word used to mean moral principles in any undertaking [7]. However, there is no a
clear line separating what is wrong and right since construction companies undertake moral
obligations to give them advantageous financial benefits that may result into moral dilemma
especially in CSR reporting. In his argument, [7] poses a question as to whether an action should
be considered unethical based on its face value or should the motivation behind the action also be
considered. The CSR is based on the idea that d company “does well by doing good”, which is
questionable since companies make profit when they engage in corporate social responsibilities,
a venture that should be giving back to the community [9].
In the context of construction companies, ethical concerns include refilling areas dug by
companies as they take materials like soil or quarry, treating waste effluents before they are
discharged into water bodies among other practices.
According to [14],[15], construction companies should carry out their activities in an ethical
manner so as to create a honest platform even when taking part in social corporate responsibility
activities, thereby avoiding conflict of interest. Further, it is an ethical obligation of construction
firms to provide a safe environment for its workers and communities around it [16].
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