CSR Programs of Municipal Water Utility Companies for Wetland Communities of South Kalimantan

Abstract

Many studies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are from private companies' perspective, analyzing social funds' effectiveness and efficiency. However, only a few studies explore CSR programs of municipal utility companies. The municipal utility company is unique because it has a captive market, and the Government regulates the company. These factors impact company's CSR strategy. The current research qualitatively analyzed the CSR of two municipal water utility companies. The Bandarmasih, located in the city of Banjarmasin, represents urban wetlands. The Intan Banjar, which service area includes Banjarbaru city and Banjar regency, represents rural wetlands. The analysis method was descriptive exploratory through observation, interviews, and focus group discussion (FGD). The results showed that the CSR programs had been sufficiently implemented but ineffective to fulfill the needs of the wetland community. The CSR programs were sporadic and did not strategically improve the companies' image. The CSR programs were not derived from the companies' vision and mission. There was no formulated social responsibility policy. This current research contributes to designing a 'signature' CSR program under its core business competencies for community welfare. This research is among the first to focus on municipal utility companies' CSR programs concerning communities in wetland areas.