Dr Mohamed Kirat
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is spreading fast in Qatar due to the fact that the country is growing rapidly. Decision-makers in the country are putting a lot of emphasis on CSR. Practicing CSR does not necessarily mean that the company is doing it well and getting the benefits it expected. The CSR process requires assessment, research, commitment, a strategy, good communication and evaluation. Interest in corporate social responsibility increased in the country in the first decade of the 21st century. The business community in Qatar, as in other countries, paid a great deal of attention to issues pertaining to work ethics, safety, the environment, and human rights. In the beginning of the century, corporations concentrated their CSR activities on charity work and donations; however, thanks to the experience they gained in the field, companies later adopted new concepts and approaches to CSR. They started looking at new areas in the practice of CSR, such as workers’ rights, the environment, job security and safety.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the GCC is developing to meet the requirements of the region’s changing socio-economic landscape. Qatar plays a leading role in promoting social responsibility and has taken the lead in many areas of relevance. Since 2009, Qatar has organised four international conferences on CSR. Qatari companies have long understood their responsibilities to the local community and have consistently shown their support for activities that improve the lives and environment of the people of Qatar. Qatar’s approach to sustainability is linked to the four pillars that underpin Qatar National Vision 2030, and it is important to create a forum where more businesses can understand the benefits of CSR and foster partnerships with each other to derive good results. Although practice of CSR is advanced in some organisations, in many others it needs systematic assessment and improvement.
The philosophy of CSR in Qatar is based on fostering partnerships, creating networks, embedding sustainability, making a positive impact, achieving tangible goals, building practical skills, and inspiring development. The fourth international conference on CSR was organised in Doha in October 2013 by the Ministry of Business and Trade with the participation of international institutions such as the United Nations Global Compact and International Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of the World Bank. Since the first conference in 2009, efforts have been made by the ministry to raise awareness of CSR in the country.
The geography and demographics of states such as Qatar, which have small native populations, abundant oil and gas resources and very limited natural water and productive land, mean that businesses that operate there need external resources and expertise, training and education to achieve the sustainable development objectives of the country. With economic activity expanding exponentially it is vital that CSR and sustainability become embedded in strategic plans and visions. As Mohammed Ahmed Al Kawari, the Qatar Business Council vice president, stated in his keynote address at the 2013 fourth Qatar International CSR Conference, “CSR must be made a strategic concept in Qatar”.
Qatar ranks among the highest in the world in per capita income, which is well over $130,000, and an unemployment rate hovering around 0.5 percent. But with oil and natural gas derived from finite sources, the country’s leaders and people have to plan for the long term. Qatar’s people, will need skills and jobs in the long run. Skills training and Qatarization (the movement of Qataris into jobs usually held by expatriate workers) offer companies a chance to practice CSR to serve the country and an opportunity to work with locals and demonstrate they are engaged stakeholders.
Nowadays customers judge companies by their demonstration of compassion and integrity. This has become a fundamental aspect of the business landscape. Today the website content of most major companies highlights work they’re doing to protect the environment or support their local communities, through sponsoring sporting events, health-related fundraising campaigns, educational and cultural activities, symposiums and conferences, etc. That’s because smart businesses embed their charitable projects in their marketing plans, using their community relations or sustainability efforts to engage customers and boost site traffic through clever promotion. Most corporate social responsibility projects won’t deliver an immediate boost in the company’s financial performance. But implemented professionally and leveraged cleverly, they can bring positive publicity, enhance their reputation, and deepen customer engagement and corporate satisfaction.
Corporate social responsibility is still a relatively new concept in emerging markets such as the Gulf Cooperation Council region. In Qatar, overall awareness of sustainability and corporate responsibility is in its formative stage. Challenges in Qatar include an expatriate population from all over the world, and a local population enjoying an economic boom and an economy centred on oil and gas resources. As the country moves forward in meeting the ambitious aims of Qatar National Vision 2030, the role of corporations in community development becomes more and more crucial. Qatari companies’ CSR programmes have been at the forefront in bringing change to the country. The latest developments in CSR in both government and private institutions are promising. They include Qatar National Vision 2030, the 2011-16 Development Strategy, Qatar 2022, National Day, Sport Day, and the UN Global Compact’s ten principles in Qatar. Qatar has been attaching great importance to the development of corporate social responsibility and making it an important driver of business in the state. The country has achieved tremendous results through CSR programmes so far, but still the business community has to deal with many challenges in the years to come due the very pace of development the country is experiencing as well as the impact of globalization and international debates and controversies about the environment, human rights, labour rights, work safety, anti-corruption measures, accountability, transparency and performance reporting.
(The author is a professor of public relations and mass communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.)
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is spreading fast in Qatar due to the fact that the country is growing rapidly. Decision-makers in the country are putting a lot of emphasis on CSR. Practicing CSR does not necessarily mean that the company is doing it well and getting the benefits it expected. The CSR process requires assessment, research, commitment, a strategy, good communication and evaluation. Interest in corporate social responsibility increased in the country in the first decade of the 21st century. The business community in Qatar, as in other countries, paid a great deal of attention to issues pertaining to work ethics, safety, the environment, and human rights. In the beginning of the century, corporations concentrated their CSR activities on charity work and donations; however, thanks to the experience they gained in the field, companies later adopted new concepts and approaches to CSR. They started looking at new areas in the practice of CSR, such as workers’ rights, the environment, job security and safety.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the GCC is developing to meet the requirements of the region’s changing socio-economic landscape. Qatar plays a leading role in promoting social responsibility and has taken the lead in many areas of relevance. Since 2009, Qatar has organised four international conferences on CSR. Qatari companies have long understood their responsibilities to the local community and have consistently shown their support for activities that improve the lives and environment of the people of Qatar. Qatar’s approach to sustainability is linked to the four pillars that underpin Qatar National Vision 2030, and it is important to create a forum where more businesses can understand the benefits of CSR and foster partnerships with each other to derive good results. Although practice of CSR is advanced in some organisations, in many others it needs systematic assessment and improvement.
The philosophy of CSR in Qatar is based on fostering partnerships, creating networks, embedding sustainability, making a positive impact, achieving tangible goals, building practical skills, and inspiring development. The fourth international conference on CSR was organised in Doha in October 2013 by the Ministry of Business and Trade with the participation of international institutions such as the United Nations Global Compact and International Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of the World Bank. Since the first conference in 2009, efforts have been made by the ministry to raise awareness of CSR in the country.
The geography and demographics of states such as Qatar, which have small native populations, abundant oil and gas resources and very limited natural water and productive land, mean that businesses that operate there need external resources and expertise, training and education to achieve the sustainable development objectives of the country. With economic activity expanding exponentially it is vital that CSR and sustainability become embedded in strategic plans and visions. As Mohammed Ahmed Al Kawari, the Qatar Business Council vice president, stated in his keynote address at the 2013 fourth Qatar International CSR Conference, “CSR must be made a strategic concept in Qatar”.
Qatar ranks among the highest in the world in per capita income, which is well over $130,000, and an unemployment rate hovering around 0.5 percent. But with oil and natural gas derived from finite sources, the country’s leaders and people have to plan for the long term. Qatar’s people, will need skills and jobs in the long run. Skills training and Qatarization (the movement of Qataris into jobs usually held by expatriate workers) offer companies a chance to practice CSR to serve the country and an opportunity to work with locals and demonstrate they are engaged stakeholders.
Nowadays customers judge companies by their demonstration of compassion and integrity. This has become a fundamental aspect of the business landscape. Today the website content of most major companies highlights work they’re doing to protect the environment or support their local communities, through sponsoring sporting events, health-related fundraising campaigns, educational and cultural activities, symposiums and conferences, etc. That’s because smart businesses embed their charitable projects in their marketing plans, using their community relations or sustainability efforts to engage customers and boost site traffic through clever promotion. Most corporate social responsibility projects won’t deliver an immediate boost in the company’s financial performance. But implemented professionally and leveraged cleverly, they can bring positive publicity, enhance their reputation, and deepen customer engagement and corporate satisfaction.
Corporate social responsibility is still a relatively new concept in emerging markets such as the Gulf Cooperation Council region. In Qatar, overall awareness of sustainability and corporate responsibility is in its formative stage. Challenges in Qatar include an expatriate population from all over the world, and a local population enjoying an economic boom and an economy centred on oil and gas resources. As the country moves forward in meeting the ambitious aims of Qatar National Vision 2030, the role of corporations in community development becomes more and more crucial. Qatari companies’ CSR programmes have been at the forefront in bringing change to the country. The latest developments in CSR in both government and private institutions are promising. They include Qatar National Vision 2030, the 2011-16 Development Strategy, Qatar 2022, National Day, Sport Day, and the UN Global Compact’s ten principles in Qatar. Qatar has been attaching great importance to the development of corporate social responsibility and making it an important driver of business in the state. The country has achieved tremendous results through CSR programmes so far, but still the business community has to deal with many challenges in the years to come due the very pace of development the country is experiencing as well as the impact of globalization and international debates and controversies about the environment, human rights, labour rights, work safety, anti-corruption measures, accountability, transparency and performance reporting.
(The author is a professor of public relations and mass communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.)
