Abstract

Many academic discussions on corporate social responsibility (CSR) have focused on large corporations even though small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute the majority of businesses in the world. Given the greater recognition of the role played by SMEs in the Nigerian economy, the aim of this research is to provide insight into SMEs’ CSR motivations, perceptions, practices, and barriers in Nigeria. Our literature review shows that there is a research gap in our understanding of this topic in Nigeria. Data were gathered and analyzed from 88 SMEs in Nigeria. Additionally, qualitative in-depth interviews of selected SME executives were conducted. Results show that CSR practices are informal and have not been fully integrated into the management systems of SMEs in Nigeria. Results also show that several barriers such as lack of financial resources, lack of management commitment, lack of strategic planning, lack of knowledge about CSR, and complexity of CSR are among the main barriers hindering SMEs’ CSR practices in Nigeria. Implications of the findings are discussed.