College of BusinessZayed University

DubaiUnited Arab Emirates

An Investigation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

and Consumer Opinion in an Emerging Economy:

The Case of the United Arab Emirates

Many CSR initiatives implemented by private and government organizations of both a philanthropic and ethical* nature

Low levels of CSR awareness among local population**

*e.g., Emirates Airlines; DEWA, Emiratization conformity

**Goby, V. P. and Nickerson, C. (2012). Introducing ethics and corporate social responsibility at undergraduate level in the United Arab Emirates: An experiential exercise on website communication. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(2), 103-109.

Principles of Islamic philanthropy permeate many CSR initiatives implemented in Muslim countries, including the UAE. The reason for this is the belief that philanthropy is an obvious platform on which to leverage CSR campaigns that can be easily recognized and embraced.*

Rettab, B., Brik, A.B. and Mellahi, K. (2009). A study of management perceptions of the impact of corporate social responsibility on organizational performance in emerging economies: The case of Dubai. Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 371-390; Katsioloudes, M. I. and Brodtkorb, T. (2007) Corporate social responsibility: An exploratory study in the United Arab Emirates. Advanced Management Journal, 72(4), 9-20.

Gauge levels of CSR awareness of among general population

Assess understanding of CSR and its potential role in socio-economic development

Investigate any perceived link with Islamic philanthropy (zakat)

Questionnaire administered by bilingual locals

Population sample of 267 Emirati citizens

Results processed with SPSS, Version 18

Themes emerging from respondents’ definitions of CSR identified

Low – 65% of respondents were not familiar with the term CSR

Three themes emerged in responses:

51.7% - social development 20.4% - environmental protection 19.1% - charity 5.9% - environmental protection and

social development 2.9% - social development and charity

72.8% expressed the belief that CSR can contribute:

1. indicates an awareness of CSR as more than a philanthropic component subsequent to business decision making;

2. suggests an understanding of CSR’s role as an integral part of wealth creation. This equates to the economic dimension of Dahlsrud’s definition of CSR.*

*Dahlsrud, A. (2008). How corporate social responsibility is defined: An analysis of 37 definitions. Corporate Social

Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15(1), 1-13.

59.8% stated that there is no relationship between CSR and zakat:

suggests an understanding of CSR in the UAE that is akin to the European concept of CSR with its emphasis on ethical rather than philanthropic CSR. A purely philanthropic interpretation dominates in many emerging economies.*

*Visser, W. (2007). Revisiting Carroll’s CSR pyramid: An African perspective. In A. Crane and D. Matten

(Eds.), Corporate social responsibility: Three volume set (pp. 195–212). London: Sage.

Organizations may no longer need to confine themselves to developing their CSR activities in accordance with the traditional practice of philanthropy as existing studies suggest.

They may now need to consider how more innovative and far-reaching CSR campaigns that feed into socio-economic and environmental amelioration can be developed.