80% of residents in UAE willing to cut relations with brands that do not prioritize sustainability

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Brands: What turns off 80% of UAE residents

People in the UAE are seeking more progress on sustainability and social activities, with 80 percent likely to end their association with a company that does not prioritize sustainability and social projects, according to a recent poll on Wednesday (April 20).

Some 81 percent of UAE respondents said they would quit their present organization to work for a company that puts a stronger emphasis on these efforts, according to a new poll conducted by Oracle and Pamela Rucker, CIO Advisor and Instructor for Harvard Professional Development.

Local firms must prioritize ecological and social issues, as well as rethink how they utilize technology to create a difference, according to the poll, or face serious consequences.

In the Emirates, up to 99 percent of residents seek to improve sustainability and social elements in order to develop better lifestyles.

Around 97 percent of people said they would be more willing to pay a premium for products and services if companies could clearly demonstrate progress on environmental and social issues, while 92 percent would invest in those companies and 95 percent would work for them if they could clearly demonstrate progress on those issues.

“The events of the past two years have put sustainability and social initiatives under the microscope and people are demanding material change. While there are challenges to tackling these issues, businesses have an immense opportunity to change the world for the better,” claimed Rucker.

He also added that people are more likely to conduct business with and work for organizations that are socially and environmentally responsible, according to the findings. This is an excellent opportunity. While thinking has progressed, technology has as well, and it can help overcome many of the roadblocks that have slowed advancement.

In comparing bots and humans in terms of performance, 74 percent of UAE residents believe that bots would succeed where people have failed when it comes to corporate sustainability, according to the report.

Around 97 percent of UAE business leaders recognize that human bias and emotion can detract from the end aim, and 97 percent feel that companies that use technology to assist drive sustainable business practices will win in the long run.

Almost all corporate leaders in the UAE – 98 percent – would trust a bot to make sustainability and social decisions rather than a human. Bots, they claim, are better at gathering various types of data without making mistakes, making rational, unbiased decisions, and forecasting future outcomes based on measurements and prior performance. KMB/Expat Media

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