Comparative CSR decision-making in the Middle East: an exploratory study

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the commonalities and differences of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions among business leaders in Oman and Lebanon, two Middle Eastern countries forming a comparative dyad with a high level of cultural variance within the Arab cluster.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit qualitative data that were analyzed by means of multilevel analysis.

Findings

The findings provide empirical evidence that CSR is a powerful factor in managerial decision-making in the Middle East with the national cultures of Oman and Lebanon exerting partially differing effects on CSR decision-making.

Practical implications

The study enlightens practicing managers and policymakers in terms of the salience of multiple actors’ influence on CSR decision-making processes and the responses they may receive when developing and implementing CSR initiatives in the Middle East.

Originality/value

The study proposes a seven nodal model, which captures the flow of CSR decision-making in the research contexts.

Citation

El Haddad, P., Bachkirov, A.A. and Grishina, O. (2021), "Comparative CSR decision-making in the Middle East: an exploratory study", International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 792-811. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-01-2020-0017