Empirical investigation of sustainability awareness in Saudi Arabian business

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Khalid Al-Adeem ORCID logo, Chester H. Brearey

https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv21i3siart11

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Abstract

This study examines the extent to which the business sector is aware of sustainability and whether it values social and environmental responsibility. Sustainability and environmental and social responsibility reporting is not yet mandatory in Saudi Arabia. As part of this study, business sector representatives voluntarily agreed to answer questions in a web-based questionnaire designed to collect data on their perceptions and understanding of sustainability. Respondents strongly agreed that: 1) establishing a profit-oriented business is different from starting a charitable foundation; 2) systematic sustainability reporting adds value to a business when the interest is directed towards long-term goals and that a business cannot survive without sustainability practices; 3) business should not be separated from social and environmental issues.

Keywords: Sustainability, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — K.A.-A.; Methodology — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Validation — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Formal Analysis — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Investigation — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Resources — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Data Curation — K.A.-A.; Writing — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Visualization — K.A.-A. and C.H.B.; Funding Acquisition — C.H.B.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M14, M40, M41

Received: 17.07.2024
Accepted: 16.10.2024
Published online: 18.10.2024

How to cite this paper: Al-Adeem, K., & Brearey, C. H. (2024). Empirical investigation of sustainability awareness in Saudi Arabian business [Special issue]. Corporate Ownership & Control, 21(3), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv21i3siart11