Document: Social Investments amongst Small Enterprises in Durban: Consideration for LED

At the 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) conference,1 the involvement of SMEs in socially responsible behaviour was identified as a major area of needed
research (Roussow, 2007).2 Very little is known about SME involvement in Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives internationally and in the South African context it remains an un-researched area. The purpose of this study is to investigate these matters further in an attempt to meet this research need and determine the extent of social investment beyond the corporate domain amongst SMEs in Durban. Through understanding this dynamic, further light can be shed on the role that CSI (and SME social investment) can play in Local Economic Development (LED).