The role of contemporary Corporate Social Responsibility in the regulation of oil companies in Sharia-based Arabian Gulf countries: A case study of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the environmental aspects of CSR due to its fundamental connection to oil companies. Therefore, it takes a doctrinal approach based on two main elements: assessing the existing Gulf environmental laws and taking Saudi Arabia as a primary case study due to its prominence in the regional and international oil industry. Furthermore, the question that this paper aims to answer is whether there are adequate contemporary CSR regulations in the GCC regarding oil companies. The answer is that CSR in its international meaning is often overlooked in Gulf legislation and, the shortage of oil-specific CSR policies is not only a GCC issue but also a global problem. Thus, the thesis bridges the gap between CSR and the Gulf oil industry. It suggests GCC unified CSR principles regarding, the role of Gulf oil companies in regional CSR activities to transform Gulf‘s CSR regulation from a myth to reality.