A Multi-Sector Assessment of Sustainability and Socially Responsible Practices of International Businesses in Nigeria

This research focuses on sustainability and social responsibility practices of international businesses in Nigeria. It seeks to assess resources invested into sustainability initiatives, measures that have the most significant impact, and the benefits accruing to these international businesses from adopting sustainability initiatives and engaging in socially responsible practices both to their business model and the climate change agenda. Of particular importance is the need to identify the leading international businesses making the most significant contributions to environmental sustainability and social responsibility practices in Nigeria and ascertain how these concepts are practiced in different sectors/industries in Nigeria. Data for the study were collected using a comprehensive document analysis of relevant MNEs in Nigeria. The findings show that while international businesses in Nigeria engage in sustainability and social responsibility activities, these activities may be incompatible with local values and could not only lead to failure of the activities but also cause harm to the local communities. MNEs in some “Host” countries adopt a lax approach to sustainability and social responsibility compared to the approaches adopted in their “Home” countries. This diversity could bring inefficiencies and complications for international businesses as the organization cannot have a uniform set of policies for all operations but must have separate policies for each jurisdiction.