INTERNAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND WORKPLACE COMMITMENT IN MALAYSIAN PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: FINDINGS FROM A PILOT STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1164025Keywords:
Internal Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Perception, Organisational Performance, Organisational Commitment, Pilot Study, Malaysian Private Higher Education InstitutionsAbstract
The problem of turnover and decline in organizational performance still exists in Malaysian Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) hence the need for effective employee-oriented management strategies. Although Internal Corporate Social Responsibility (ICSR) has been identified as a strategic tool to improve the employees’ well-being and organisational outcomes, empirical evidence in Malaysian PHEIs is still lacking. The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the associations between ICSR dimensions, employee perception, organisational performance and organisational commitment and to assess the reliability and validity of the proposed research instrument. A quantitative survey was conducted among employees of the Malaysian private higher education institution and 38 valid responses were obtained. Data were analyzed using SPSS 29.0 and SmartPLS 4.1. The measurement model showed good internal consistency, convergent validity and discriminant validity after some minor refinement to several indicators. Preliminary findings indicate that ICSR has a positive relationship with both organisational performance and organisational commitment, with employee perception as a potential mediating mechanism. The results are exploratory given the small sample size, but they provide some initial empirical evidence for the proposed framework and confirm the appropriateness of the measurement instrument for future large scale research. This study contributes to the limited literature on employee-centred CSR in Malaysian higher education, and provides practical insights on how to improve organisational sustainability through responsible internal management practices.
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