The Middle East University (MEU), a national education organization in Jordan, is pleased to confirm itself as a partner in the development of the Islamic Reporting Initiative (IRI).
“We, at the Middle East University, are delighted to be a founding partner to the Islamic Reporting Initiative” says Dr Abdel-Aziz Sharabati, Head of Management, Marketing and E-Business Department at the University.
Islamic CSR framework reporting – IRI
“As a Management department, we are of course, very interested in causes relevant to business and the interconnectivity of business with institutions and organizations. The IRI is a framework that draws on this interconnectivity to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges that we face as a global nation”.
“We are especially engaged with the concept behind the IRI because, as a University, we are well positioned to bring academic and institutional insight to inform the development of the Framework. As a national education institution, what we perceive to be a long-standing challenge is a mismatch between the skills developed through education, and those needed for employment. This has led to, and without intervention may continue to, foster a generation of individuals and businesses who are unable to reach their full potential. Other challenges include youth engagement, unemployment, and those in the workplace themselves, such as gender and labour issues”.
“We feel the IRI to be more than a reporting tool; rather, a concept that encourages, motivates, and facilitates organizations to analyse their operations and interactions to understand what is working and what is not working, what is contributing positively to society and what is not, and to make adjustments to these processes accordingly. Through the application of the IRI, we are confident that businesses and organizations will be empowered to accommodate to existing and future challenges through the development of a well-aligned CSR strategy. If organizations are able to identify how they can do good, then society as a whole will benefit”.
“The expertise we can bring as a University is the energy of a generation that seeks positive change. We are well placed to recognise the challenges of the younger generation and therefore able to contribute to the solutions. Subsequently we encourage other leading universities to join us in the collaboration with the IRI, as together, we can make a positive and lasting change”.
Professor Maher Salim, President of MEU, has previously stated that “it (has) been an excellent opportunity to invite Drs Daan Elffers, (Chairman of the IRI) an expert on CSR, to the University to discuss such an important topic” and “that the University would like to expand its relationship (with Drs Daan Elffers) in the near future and to encourage the students to consider this topic as a priority for their theses”.
For more information on the IRI, and to learn more about becoming a founding partner, please contact info@islamicreporting.org.