When someone is drowning, they will hold on to anything to stay alive. In the business world, it is not much different.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a tool often used by many drowning companies, or ones facing difficulties, to polish their image and appeal to clients.
Take the American department store JC Penny that recently released a sustainability report. The struggling company, which is closing more than 25 stores, and reported a net loss of US$500 million in its last published report, probably felt it was a good idea to highlight its goodwill to distract the public from its financial struggles.
An acquaintance’s case provides another example. He visited my office a few weeks back and told me that his organisation’s new managing director wants to start a CSR programme.
An advocate of philanthropy, I was thrilled to hear that, but my excitement waned after he told me that his director wants to donate an amount to a charity organisation to create some publicity buzz about his “responsible leadership”. This is what he meant by starting a CSR programme.
This is but one example of the problem with many CSR programmes. It is ironic for us to see companies worldwide that provide poor working conditions, or poor customer service use CSR to show their social commitments. In a way they are contradicting themselves, by taking with one hand and giving with the other.
While it is good to see that many organisations worldwide use CSR, many limit their efforts to solely polishing their image by either donating a one-off sum or a publicity stunt, such as cleaning a beach for a day.
CSR is much more than that. It is about being socially responsible in every business aspect, to incorporate the philosophy to employees’ work task, and to create a genuine commitment to improve society’s welfare.
Customers are not easily fooled by many companies’ CSR tricks. The Reputation Institute, a world-leading management consultancy, reports that the 100 global companies, which comprise its RepTrek index, spend millions of dollars per year on their CSR activities, but only 6 per cent of customers believe that by doing so they are being good corporate citizens.
And this is where many companies, including reputable ones get it wrong. They choose to support external organisations such as charities, or marathons by donating a certain amount, instead of dedicating time and effort to think how they, as an organisation, can create a positive change. What they tend to overlook, is that CSR starts from within– from within an organisation’s own society.
That is not say that some organisations have not done so already. In fact, many are pioneers in their fields.
An example is Starbucks’ cafe community store, which was initiated to train community members in the neighbourhood they serve in, and how instead of working with corporate farms to produce the company’s coffee, Starbucks works directly with farmers around the world and even helps them to develop responsible production methods.
Another leading example is The Body Shop, the British cosmetics and beauty chain, which packages its products using renewable and recycled materials, and established production factories in impoverished areas, to improve the livelihood of local people.
Another impressive initiative is the Community Trade Program, which creates sustainable trading partnerships with communities in need around the world.
Companies and programmes such as these are what CSR is all about. They are making a positive change – going beyond the ordinary CSR activities. To make a real change, they are redesigning their business models, remaking their packaging, rethinking ways of reaching their customers, and reshaping their strategies to revolve around CSR. They are creating value and being socially responsible to everyone from their employees to their community members.
By doing good, they are obviously doing well, and this is not a new concept.
But what is new is that more and more brands are following the footsteps of great ones such as in the examples above to integrate their social efforts with their brand strategies and operations, and this is when great things happen, not only for the business, but also for everyone else.
Manar Al Hinai is award-winning writer and fashion designer based in Abu Dhabi. Follow her on Twitter: @manar_alhinai
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Racecard
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Kill%20
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
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If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
