The CSR Drivers in the Middle East

The study investigates the drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) according to this Iranian-Islamic culture and other neighbouring Muslim countries for the purpose of highlighting the factors that motivate CSR. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted and consisted of four stages. 48 papers were identified in the first stage and concluded with 11 papers with drivers classified based on their country. Findings suggest that there are two primary axes that CSR is driven in Iran which focuses on profitability and stakeholders, whilst the key drivers of CSR in neighbouring Muslim countries focussed on international relations; compliance with the law; moral and Islamic issues. This study is the first to explicitly look at how CSR motivations differ in Iran and other Middle East nations based on extant literature and highlights the difference between these drivers among Iran and other Islamic countries in the Middle East.