Several sources of today׳s pressure on managers in strategic decision-making are directly associated with social issues rather than traditional strategic management issues. It is believed that firms that invest in community development are more likely to operate in harmony in the society of their operations, as such reduce interference from their host community, thus leading to enhanced corporate image. Therefore, it becomes pertinent to present data to show the existence or otherwise of a relationship between community development initiatives and the firm׳s corporate image. This data is gotten from 336 respondents from four top oil and gas firms quoted in the Nigerian stock exchange. Responses wee gathered from the employees' of the firms, as it is believed they have first hand information on the firm׳s corporate social responsibility policies. The data is purely descriptive and was gotten through quantitative methods, specifically through a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire had two sections; section A contained background questions, while section B consisted of questions that were specific to community development initiatives and corporate image. The Cronbach alpha internal consistency of the questionnaire revealed a reliability coefficient of 0.732, thus revealing a high consistency level. The field data set is made widely accessible to enable critical investigation into the subject.
Keywords: Community development; Corporate Social Responsibility; Corporate image; Nigeria; Organisational performance; Social issues.