Abu Dhabi: Very few companies in the UAE support local arts and culture and equally few offer eco-friendly products and services or work to reduce CO2 emissions, a study on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has shown.
More than 90 per cent of responding organisations do not follow any CSR policies or practices, according to the first nationwide survey of CSR carried out by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and funded by the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy.
CSR is an organisation's commitment to behave ethically and contribute to the nation's economic development while improving the quality of life of its workforce, their families and the local community, Dr Peter Cleaves, CEO of the Emirates Foundation, told a press conference as he introduced the study yesterday.
The study, which covered areas of CSR including the community, environment, marketplace and workplace, showed that almost two-thirds of responding businesses reported they were aware of CSR and over a third said they saw their involvement in community issues as an investment rather than a cost.
This reflects the recent trend in the UAE where CSR has become part of the business lexicon of the corporate community, said Dr Kamal Mellahi, professor of strategic management at Sheffield University, UK.
Low level
The study, carried out between June and October last year, received a response rate of 17 per cent. Only 334 usable surveys were returned out of 2,000 surveys sent out to companies across the country.
Dr Mellahi added the results indicate a low level of CSR practice in the UAE. "An overwhelming majority of responding businesses [more than 90 per cent] does not at present adopt CSR policies and practices associated with auditing, monitoring and reporting CSR activities, and setting CSR-related objectives."
According to the study, the most common areas where firms contribute to the community are: supporting people with special needs [27 per cent], international assistance and development [19 per cent] and environment conservation programmes [18 per cent].
Dr Anis Bin Brik, senior corporate social responsibility researcher at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the study showed that companies do not allocate an annual budget to community-related CSR activities.
"The study further indicates that the three foremost barriers which limit organisations' efforts to implement CSR are a lack of knowledge and awareness and inability to accommodate the CSR function in their enterprises."
