Communicating University Social Responsibility by Kenyan Universities on the Web

Abstract

This study examines University Social Responsibility (USR) undertaken by Kenyan Public Universities with focus on the prominence, extent and style of communication on the Web. The study adopted a descriptive design.15 websites and 15 social media sites of public and private universities were analyzed using the USR Model (2009) and three USR communication strategies: stakeholder Information strategy, stakeholder response strategy and stakeholder involvement strategy. The findings reveal that Kenyan universities are yet to embrace USR communication and that they are not leveraging their websites in terms of quantity and style of USR communication. The analysis confirms a general absence of proactive USR communication. The universities engage their publics through stakeholder information and response strategies while involvement strategy is used more in the social media. Finally, the study explains the managerial implications of low USR visibility and makes recommendations on how to implement USR and improve USR communication on the Web.