CSR in Kazakhstan: a study of current status and development

Ms. Azhar Baisakalova successfully defended her Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) thesis on “Corporate Social Responsibility in Kazakhstan: An Analysis of the Perspectives of Key Actors” at Maastricht School of Management (MSM) on 21 April 2015.

For Ms. Baisakalova the MSM DBA program experience is one of the best:
“The program provides a unique scientific advice and an incredibly supportive and cooperative environment due to the highly professional faculty and Doctoral Department staff at MSM”.

Ms. Baisakalova states that CSR has become an ever-increasing topic of interest among researchers and practitioners around the world. Strategy “Kazakhstan 2050” sets a goal for the country to become one of the thirty top world economies. It envisages development based on innovative economic and social principles taking into account modern global, regional, and local challenges. Kazakhstan is a post-communist emerging economy, where the CSR agenda is influenced by its historical, cultural, political, and development aspects, and as such, it provides an interesting case for exploring CSR related issues in the context different from the West.

Her DBA dissertation prepared within the MSM Doctoral Program analyses the current status of CSR and prospects of its development in Kazakhstan. It highlights the main directions of promoting CSR in the country by key actors. The findings of the study can serve as a general guide for different stakeholders, such as managers and decision makers in private and public sector as well as for civil society groups.