The Muscat American Business Council (MABC) and Tawasul organized together a luncheon on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the May 11 at Ramada Hotel. The dialogue, titled “Social Investment: What does it mean to your business?” was enriched by the discussion by thirty participants representing small and medium enterprises interested in CSR, in addition to national and multinational companies and non-profit organizations.
Six speakers shared their experiences, views, and CSR best practices. An introduction to the topic was made by Khalid Al-Haribi, Managing Director of Tawasul. From the private sector side, the following speakers presented their ideas:  Al-Mutasim Al Sariri, Social Investment Manager for Shell Development Oman talked about Social Investment for private sector; Aisha Abdullah Al Kharusi, the Head of Corporate Communications of the National Bank of Oman, talked about NBO’s corporate responsibility initiatives; Christopher Charles, Marketing Manager for McDonalds in Oman also presented McDonalds corporate responsibility program. From non-profit organizations side, Shabib Al Mamari, Executive Director of Injaz in Oman, talked about Injaz program to teach entrepreneurship at schools and Fatima Hassan Mohammed Alshidad, Director of the Center for Women In Technology in Salalah, explained the program to include women in Salalah in Information and Communication Technology basic knowledge.
The luncheon aimed at promoting streamlining corporate social responsibility among Small and Medium Enterprises in Oman, highlighting its incentives and encouraging  those companies to dedicate part of their efforts and returns to create better conditions for community and environment.
The participants were pleased with the level of discussion and ideas.