Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Although there are several studies which focus on the status of corporate social responsibility and sustainability in the Middle East or Arab World, CSR in the United Arab Emirates has not been examined broadly yet. Thus this study set out to fill this gap. To achieve this objective, CSR practices of the 50 largest Emirati companies are investigated based on Whitley's national business systems approach. Several additional questions are answered in this study, such as which sectors stand out with regard to CSR practices or whether there is really a relationship between firm size and CSR practices for Emirati companies. The outcome of this research revealed that the country's political and socio-economic institutions play a central role in shaping the understanding and practice of CSR activities.