Show me the CSR!

Co-Author, Oct 2012, (Language: English)

Regarded as one of the most obscure and misunderstood subjects in modern business, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often confused with marketing or charity work, and occasionally even with customer service. Within the MENA region the definition of CSR has been evolving with an increase in purchasing power and awareness. “Dating back to thousands of years, corporate responsibility in this region was described as charity from a business to the community. It was then redefined and until 2005 CSR was centred on PR-based initiatives. Now, with an increasingly global and modern mindset, the business community views CSR as a strategic and long-term initiative,” says Dr. Fatih Mehmet Gul, country manager at Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives. This begs the question: what exactly is CSR? “It is being responsible to the stakeholders of your company,” explains Dr. Gul.

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Corporate social responsibility on the rise?

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Co-Author, Aug 2012, (Language: English)

 “In 2005, CSR was mainly understood as community initiatives,” says Fatih Mehmet Gul, founding director of CSR Middle East, a portal for information on CSR. “Today, we can see a wider approach in the market. That approach brings CSR initiatives for each stakeholder, such as customers, employees, environment, and so on.”

Gul sees more and more companies taking an interest in CSR, and highlights are the UAE’s Abraaj Capita, Jordan’s Arab Bank, Saudi Arabian car distributor Abdul Latif Jameel Company, Oman’s Muscat Bank, Qatar’s RasGas and Kuwait’s Equate petrochemicals company for praise.

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Creating a sustainable healthcare system

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Co-Author, Sep 2009, (Language: English)

 Although Saudi Arabia is a relatively wealthy country per capita – the country has the world’s largest oil reserves and is the world’s largest exporter of oil – it nonetheless has been facing a mounting financial burden from healthcare expenditure in its effort to sustain its national healthcare system, a system which has provided free basic healthcare to all its citizens and foreign residents. Realizing that such a system is unsustainable in the face of a growing and ageing population, the government has, over the past few years, initiated measures to reform it.

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The First Ever Hajj HEMS Operation

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Co-Author, Mar 2009, (Language: English)

SRCS (Saudi Red Crescent Society) decided to implement the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) operations. With the sponsorship of Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Community Services Programs. Redstar Aviation of Turkey was asked to operate the HEMS mission in Saudi Arabia.  Under the ownership of SRCS, with the ALJ sponsorship the Redstar Aviation started the first ever HEMS mission in Saudi Arabia in 2006.

Two air ambulance con­figured helicopters type BO 105 LS A3 were purchased from the Eurocopter Canada for the purpose of that mission.

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Helicopter Ambulance Development in Saudi Arabia

Read the ArticleCo-Author, Nov 2008, (Language: Arabic)

Saudi Arabia works on several improvements in many fields and emergency haleathcare is one of the important points in the country. Helicopter Ambulance services were a missing link of the chain. SRCS is the reponsible authority for the national emergency in KSA and helicopter ambulance services had developments under SRCS..

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Middle East Seeks Air Ambulance Operators

Read the ArticleAuthor, Jul 2008, (Language: English)

Air medical transfer is not only a life saving solution for patients, it is also a part of the macro and micro healthcare investment plans of medical facilities large and small, state and private, all of whom need to factor in how to deal with such cases. Dr Fatih Mehmet Gul tells of how despite a boom in healthcare provision in the Middle East, aeromedical services seem to be out of sight and out of mind.

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Save Money and Environment with Green Hospitals

Author, Mar 2008, (Language: English, Arabic)
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Green hospitals make good sense for the health of the entire community: patients, staff and visitors. To prevent the spread of infection in hospitals, it’s important to reduce exposure to germs - especially for patients with compromised immune systems - but the use of harsh chemical cleaners can cause respiratory problems. Conventional cleaning products as well as many paints, adhesives and furnishings can emit irritating, allergenic fragrances and toxic volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) such as formaldehyde.

By choosing low-VOC products, hospitals help those in their care to recover and improve conditions for staff.  Simple design changes can work wonders, too. 

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Middle Eastern Promise

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Co-Author with Eithne Treanor, Nov 2007, (Language: English)

Responsibility, accountability and sustainability are the new buzzwords in the business language of the Middle East.  Everyone’s thinking about it, many are talking about it, and a few are taking action.  Some companies are now choosing to acknowledge their success by implementing sound CSR. Companies realize they need to establish themselves as legitimate parts of society, and business leaders in the Middle East are beginning to understand the importance of the stakeholder.

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CSR does not stand for Customer Service Representative!

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Interview, Oct 2007, (Language: English)

It's a daily frustration for Dr.Fatih Mehmet Gul, Net Impact member, Middle East Ambassador, and a an driven to bring responsible business practices to the Middle East. “Knowing what CSR means is not a top priority in this country,” Gul acknowledges.   

Dr. Gul is a medical doctor living in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. And he's earned a financial MBA from Yeditepe University, in Istanbul, Turkey. Gul is using his business acumen, and world view, to bring business responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility to the forefront in the Middle East. He’s persistent, but admits, it’s not an easy road.

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Dubai Cares Project and CSR Middle East

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Chapter Writer, Oct 2007, (Language: English)

CSRMiddleEast.org was launched to be the first online Corporate Social Responsibility platform in the Middle East.  CSRMiddleEast.org aims to announce CSR related news and activities to global audiences and to bring international expertise to Middle East.  CSRMiddleEast.org is a non-profit platform that promotes CSR in the region and builds a network of CSR professionals based upon the sharing of CSR solutions and shaping the modern day business for Middle East companies.  CSRMiddleEast.org intends to be the leading source of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability news, reports and information in the region with contributions from companies, NGOs and organizations operating throughout the Middle East. The platform content will cover issues of Diversity, Philanthropy, Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), Human Rights, Workplace Issues, Business Ethics, Community Development and Corporate Governance.

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