Gabrielle O'Donovan

Hatim, I have the same impression in the UAE - CSR tends to be understood as PR (e.g. funding sporting events) or philantrophy. Good CSR is a balancing act between internal CSR operational measures (or good management practices) and external CSR citizen measures (acts of goodwil and community protection/development). ...CSR in the western wordl has been largely driven by consumer outrage over corporate governance scandals. The companies involved (e.g. Enron, WorldCom, Parmalat, Arthur Andersen) were listed companies wit reporting responsibilties. In the UAE much of the business is family business and privately owned. They do not share their internal affairs and so are not exposed to public pressure. Some say that CSR is completely congruent with Sharia law so they would argue that it is already embedded in the organizational culture. To test this I would assess CSR interventions to see if philosophy is carried through at grassroots level.Read More