CSR and stakeholder engagement perspectives from the united arab emirates

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Gaelle Duthler
Tom Watson
Tasos Theofilou
Parichart Sthapitanonda

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore Corporate Social Responsibility and the relationship between corporations and stakeholders from various industries in the United Arab Emirates. Ethical stakeholder engagement entails a consistent,two-way dialogue where an organization understands stakeholders'needs and wants.This understanding sets the foundation of a strong relationship between the companies and different audiences such as: NGOs, community,employees,influencers,investors or international groups.In order to  distinguish the nature of this relationship and how stakeholder engagement is constructed,eight in-depth face-to-face interviews with CSR managers were conducted.The participants were from the United Arab Emirates(Dubai and Abu Dhabi),from different sectors (law,real estate,logistics,banking,tourism, environment,etc.)and held different titles from"Global Corporate Responsibility” to"Head of Sustainability”.Findings indicate that CSR managers are practising CSR with an emphasis on mutual engagement with their stakeholders,in particular the government,NGOs,and their employees.

Article Details

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Author Biographies

Gaelle Duthler

Gaelle Duthler,PhD, (email: [email protected]) is from Zayed University, UAE

Tom Watson

Tom Watson, PhD, Geogiana Grigore, PhD, is from Bournemouth University, UK. 

Tasos Theofilou

Tasos Theofilou, PhD is from Bournemouth University, UK.

Parichart Sthapitanonda, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University

Parichart Sthapitanonda, PhD, is from Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

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