CSR: A Cost or an Opportunity for SMEs in the Middle East?

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) debate has to date been very much focused on multinational corporations (MNCs) and driven primarily by a northern agenda. However, CSR is of increasing relevance and concern to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as suppliers to international companies, as recipients of donor funds and support, and as the critical backbones of economic health and vitality in developed and developing countries (Raynard and Forstater, 2002). While SMEs have long been recognized as important economic players in the developed world, their contributions are only just starting to gain due regard and appreciation in developing countries in the face of the daunting challenges of economic development and global economic integration (Carlos et al., 2007).