Among the important and vital aspects in the pathway of business operations is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the private hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The emerging socially responsible enterprise movement is the outcome of the increasingly widespread perception that besides being economically beneficial for an organization, it is also a duty to compensate and do something for the well-being of society (Bhattacharya et al., 2011). In the case of private hospitals in the UAE, the role of CSR is to ensure a positive reputation among all the stakeholders (patients, employees, government, and the general society) and, perhaps more importantly, to help build and maintain this good reputation.
The CSR communication type used by private hospitals in UAE is the main character of their general hospital’s CSR strategy. The research on CSR communication holds the fact of various types of communication, and an organization may take advantage of such facts, like philanthropy, cause-related marketing, corporate social responsibility, or sustainability reporting (Kim & Ferguson, 2014). The study on private hospitals in Medan, Indonesia, discovered that many hospitals believe in philanthropy, such as giving free or less expensive services to people experiencing poverty, as the standard form of CSR communication (Lubis, 2018). Contrasting to it, researches prove that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach which comprises a wide range of strategies including multiple communication forms, seems to have higher system attainment for the organization’s reputation and performance (Ilyas, 2018).
Stakeholders are informed of CSR activities via sustainability reporting, one style offered by private hospitals in the UAE. Sustainability reports present comprehensive information and accountable statements of an organization’s environmental, social, and economic progress (Montazeri et al., 2013). In the UAE, sustainability reporting is going forward and numerous hospitals are releasing annual sustainability reports that outline the facility’s CSR activities. Take the case of Al Jalila Foundation, a non-profit healthcare organization based in the Emirates, which makes a sustainability report every year that summarizes its activities of providing free medical services to poor families (Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, N.D.).
Another kind of CSR communication employed by UAE private hospitals is responsible marketing (CBM), where the brand participates in a financially rewarding activity to demonstrate its commitment to the long-term success of the cause. CRM is an effective CSR communication tool that involves widely known and socially focused organizations. It has become a marketer’s job to put across the social cause in front of consumers. Risi et al. (2023) conducted a study that shows that using CRM as a communication channel to practice CSR can positively influence the reputation and trust an organization enjoys among consumers. In the UAE, private hospitals are no stranger to the emerging trend of CRM strategies, but they too strive to make a difference through their efforts to interact with organizations for charity events, health causes awareness campaigns, and community outreach events organizations.
Moreover, significant hospitals in the UAE are also applying their strategic CSR communication by aligning their corporate social and environmental activities with their main core business. Otherwise, entailing a move like putting in place green initiatives, for instance, cutting electricity and water consumption helps not only reduce the costs in a business but also indicates a sense of environmental awareness. According to Gangi (2018), communication tools of a strategic nature that focus on CSR have been positively vested with financial performance in healthcare institutions.
Social media have emerged as a dominant platform in the UAE through which private hospitals communicate their social responsibility policies. Digital media platforms like social media and websites can become valuable tools in communication as they allow us to reach and persuade a more comprehensive and hopefully more targeted group of stakeholders (Velinov, 2017). Using journalism resources like newspapers and television, private hospitals in the UAE have produced public relations campaigns highlighting their CSR programs (Türkel & Akan, 2015).
Also, it is worth mentioning that the private hospitals’ CSR communication during the COVID-19 pandemic has given proof of the vitality of how CSR communication has been significant. Some put much effort into CSR by providing free medical services, transferring medical supplies, and caring for the frontline personnel during the pandemic.
Lastly, private hospitals of the UAE consider CSR communication one of the many subsciences in their efforts to increase their standing and maintain relationships with their stakeholders. For these hospitals’ slogans like sustainability reporting, cause-related marketing, and strategic CSR are CSR communication types. Digital and traditional media are the primary media utilized for disseminating CSR causes. There will be scope to conduct more elaborate research on CSR communication and the impact of different communication methods using the key stakeholders and related outcomes of the healthcare industry in the UAE.
References
Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, M. (2023). Al Jalila Foundation, Dubai – UAE. Retrieved from Al Jalila Foundation website: https://www.aljalilafoundation.ae/
Bhattacharya, C.B., Sen, S., Korschun, D. (2011). Leveraging Corporate Social Responsibility: The Stakeholder Route to Business and Social Value. Cambridg, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Gangi, F., Mustilli, M., Varrone, N., & Daniele, L. M. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibilityand Banks’ Financial Performance. International Business Research, 11(10), 42—58.
Ilyas, M. (2018). Issues and challenges of Islamic work ethics and corporate social responsibility in business organizations. Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal, 22(2), 1–6. https://search.proquest.com/openview/c68e2fb474a0654338574ef14c66b323/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=29414
Kim, S. & Ferguson, M.T. (2014). Public expectations of CSR communication: what and how to communicate CSR”, Public Relations Journal, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 1-22.
Lubis, A. N. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility In Health Sector: A Case Study In The Government Hospitals In Medan, Indonesia. Business: Theory and Practice, 19(0), 25–36.
Montazeri, B., K. Sharifinia, H. Hadian, M. Seddigh Arabani and S. Bazarkhak, (2013). The impact of attitude on consumer behavior. Universal Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 3(3): 72-77.
Risi, D., Vigneau, L., Bohn, S., & Wickert, C. (2023). Institutional theory‐based research on corporate social responsibility: Bringing values back in. International Journal of Management Reviews, 25(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12299
Türkel, S. & Akan, A. (2015). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication: A Turkish industry example. Integrated Communications in the Postmodern Era (pp. 151–174).
Velinov, E. (2017). Digital media marketing and corporate social responsibility in the UAE healthcare companies. Marketing Identity, 5(1/2), 450–456. https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/api/file/viewByFileId/290268.pdf
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