Ecocoast – Who is the Architect, the Customer or the Company?

Abstract

The excessive accumulation of pollutants in the world’s oceans is urging all stakeholders to take swift action. Ecocoast is a Dubai-based organization that makes an impact by carving a niche for itself to overcome this predicament. The organization’s range of sustainable solutions offered at each stage of the coastal and marine development lifecycle focuses on protecting the marine environment. Founded in 2009, Ecocoast has since proven its robust positioning as an industry leader, winning over 15 industry awards. The drivers that influenced Ecocoast’s success were analyzed based on interviews with the founders and employees, as well as secondary data resources. Customer centricity, transformational leadership, research orientation, adaptive culture, corporate transparency, cross-functional specialization, and sustainable corporate thinking were found to be what shaped its success. The case proposes a strategic question for future research: Was it the desire for customer centricity that led to a transformational leadership style, or was it the other way around?

Citation

Nadaf, C.A.H. (2021), "Ecocoast – Who is the Architect, the Customer or the Company?", Vel, P. and Gomišček, B. (Ed.) Corporate Success Stories in the UAE: The Key Drivers Behind Their Growth, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 79-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-578-020211006