Dr Jairo Lugo-Ocando, Director of Executive & Graduate Education at the Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q)
Doha: More and more Qatari companies are now implementing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives as part of their strategy to build a positive brand image in rapidly evolving markets.
Qatar recently solidified its position as a growing hub for CSR initiatives when the country was chosen by the World Confederation of Businesses (WORLDCOB) to host THE BIZZ AMEA Awards this year.
The annual event is considered to be the most important business excellence award in the world, particularly with regards to CSR initiatives.
“Since the announcement that Qatar would host the Fifa World Cup 2022, there have been more scrutiny from the rest of the world towards Qatar. And there has been a willingness from the Qatari leadership to push forward an agenda that makes companies, organisations, and government institutions to prioritise corporate social responsibility. We now see many organisations, both in Qatar and the world, in which the CSR director sits in the board, and has a voice.
Most companies are now commissioned with annual reports. They have to make public and transparent how they comply with the standards and the law. And we’ll see more and more of that,” Dr Jairo Lugo-Ocando, Director of Executive & Graduate Education at the Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) said in an interview with The Peninsula recently.
Ocando, who has authored several studies and scholarly articles on CSR, added that companies that comply with CSR tend to be more profitable and sustainable in the long term. The NU-Q recently held a masterclass on CSR and organisational reputation in Doha. The event, which was well-attended by the business community here, also discussed how CSR can be far more effective than traditional advertisements in building positive corporate reputation and trust with the target audience.
Ocando added: “Ten years ago, CSR was seen as something that got in the way of delivering a company’s profits to the shareholders. Today a lot of companies understand that CSR is an integral part of the process. Also, after the illegal blockade against Qatar, one of the things Qatar went through is the process of self-sustainability. Many companies in Qatar are now even exporting.
These companies are exporting in an international market in which you have companies that operate in very high standards. It’s very competitive. You have to reconcile that. And companies who follow CSR in a thorough manner are companies that are in my view are going to be more successful”.
Francisco Miguel Sousa, Managing Director of Talabat Qatar, who is one of the 10 LinkedIn Top Voices for Gulf in 2019, and the only representative from Qatar who made it to the list, is a well-known CSR advocate. He said Talabat, which works mostly on corporate responsibility (CR) rather than CSRs, does not consider CR as a mere marketing tool but as a part of the company’s responsibility towards the community.
He added: “Corporate responsibility brings in business opportunity, as the market now demands it. About 65 percent of customers will pay more for sustainable goods, according toNielson report. Also, these activities strengthen our bond with our employees. Millennials are over five times more likely to stay at a company where they feel a strong purpose. Also, actively pursuing CR activities allows us as a business to be more resilient and prepare ourselves to incoming and impending government regulations such as plastic bans, reporting on non-financials, and others”.
Sousa said that over the past year, Talabat has partnered with major Qatari brands in launching CR initiatives in the country, including partnering with the Qatar Charity during the holy month of Ramadan where it contributed 14,000 meals to charity, holding a charity walk with the Qatar Cancer Society, promoting sustainability in partnership with Elite Paper Recycling, and supporting Bedaya by adding their store as a virtual vendor to promote SME and youth empowerment. “In Qatar, an increasing number of companies are proudly showcasing their CR initiatives. Also, investors these days are attracted more towards companies which disclose & focus on their CR initiatives in Environment, Society, and Governance (ESG). Our partnership with Qatar Charity helped us get an instant surge in our Talabat app downloads and usage,” Sousa added.
A survey conducted by the Qatar University on a sample of 100 Qatari companies from 11 different sectors in the country, showed that the respondents agreed that their company employs a CSR team which helps in implementing CSR activities.
While about 86 percent of the respondents agreed that CSR can help their company raise its profile, as many as 74 percent of the respondents believed that CSR can improve the global competitiveness of their company. Also, about 68 percent agreed and strongly agreed that their company is keeping ahead of competition due to CSR practices, data from the 6th CSR Report Qatar showed.
‘CSR is not just about image’, says expert
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is more than just about building schools in Africa or holding charity drives to help the less fortunate to spin a positive image and reputation. It is more about ethical operations, transparency, accessibility, sustainability, and ensuring that the employees are well treated, said Dr Jairo Lugo-Ocando, Director of Executive & Graduate Education at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) who is also an expert on CSR.
“We have researched CSR in different countries, and one of the things we find, and it’s not only the case in Qatar, but it’s the case in many countries, is that sometimes organisations don’t understand exactly what CSR means. This happens even with very big companies in the US. CSR is not just about image, although it impacts image. CSR guarantees that your organisation operates not only within legal standards, but within moral and ethical standards.
