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Islam and CSR: A Study of the Compatibility Between the Tenets of Islam and the UN Global Compact

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Abstract

This paper looks at whether the tenets of Islam are consistent with the ‘Ten Principles’ of responsible business outlined in the UN Global Compact. The paper concludes that with the possible exception of Islam’s focus on personal responsibility and the non-recognition of the corporation as a legal person, which could undermine the concept of corporate responsibility, there is no divergence between the tenets of the religion and the principles of the UN Global Compact. Indeed, Islam often goes further and has the advantage of clearer codification of ethical standards as well as a set of explicit enforcement mechanisms. Focusing on this convergence of values could be useful in the development of a new understanding of CSR in a global context and help avert the threatened “clash of civilisations”.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Editor in Chief and anonymous referees for very helpful and constructive comments on an earlier version of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. OWW Consulting, Suite 2B-12-3, Block 2B, Plaza Sentral, 2 Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, 50470, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Geoffrey Williams

  2. Centre for Business, Organisations and Society, School of Management, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Geoffrey Williams

  3. Zinkin Ettinger Consulting Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    John Zinkin

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  1. Geoffrey Williams
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  2. John Zinkin
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Correspondence to Geoffrey Williams.

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Williams, G., Zinkin, J. Islam and CSR: A Study of the Compatibility Between the Tenets of Islam and the UN Global Compact. J Bus Ethics 91, 519–533 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0097-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0097-x

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