Angola to Highlight the Process

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Angola to Highlight the Process Comparing the Transfer of CSR Principles by Western and Chinese Extractive Industry Firms to Promote African Development: A Co-evolutionary Approach. S. M. Kort A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the University’s requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2012 University of Worcester A ... firm-centred perspective will ... enable an approach to institutional change that is more dynamic” (Jackson and Deeg, 2008: 541-542). Abstract. In regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR), this thesis has moved beyond the stakeholder theory of the firm and adopted the evolutionary theory of the firm, together with recognising the link between corporate governance and CSR. This thesis has considered the historical development of the essential principles of corporate governance (embraced within the concept of CSR) of a Multinational Corporation (MNC), namely British Petroleum (BP), and assessed the transfer of these evolved principles for promoting development in Africa. To effectively apply evolutionary theory, one must also recognise that firms are part of a co-evolutionary process. Recent academic contributions by co-evolutionary theorists have paid attention to MNCs as change agents at the sector level. However, this thesis has taken this further and considered BP attempting to engage in institutional co-evolution where a MNC acts as a change agent to the wider institutional regime to promote development. Cantwell et al (2010) suggested that MNCs can have a significant influence upon the institutional regime, and presented a framework for firm-level adaptation by MNCs influencing the wider institutional environment in the host countries where they operate. They developed a co-evolutionary framework linking historical changes in the character of MNC activities to changes in the institutional environment, focusing upon the scope for firm-level creativity and institutional entrepreneurship leading to successful institutional co-evolution. Therefore, this thesis has followed on from this and investigated whether BP can be an agent for change in Africa, using the example of Angola to highlight the process. A comparison was made with the new entrants into the market, China, to judge whether this influences BP’s ability to engage in institutional co-evolution. In addition, a comparative study of mining giant Anglo American was engaged in to highlight the appropriateness of BP’s CSR principles to the African setting. The thesis found that BP cannot successfully engage in institutional co-evolution because of an ineffective transparency initiative, whilst Chinese involvement has further diminished the ability to i transfer sound corporate governance and CSR principles, particularly because Chinese resource-seeking investment comes with ‘no conditions attached’ concerning governance in host countries. In addition, the competitive nature of securing licences to operate forces oil MNCs to use their CSR packages strategically, and furthermore, the social consequences of environmental degradation due to oil sector operations means that local communities cannot sustain their livelihoods, which is a lesson that has not been learnt from historical evolution. Keywords: institutional co-evolution, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, strategic choice, path dependence. ii Contents. Abstract. i List of figures and tables. xii List of boxes. xiii List of abbreviations. xv Map of Angola. xix Acknowledgements. xx Chapter 1: Introduction. 1 1.1: The nature of the inquiry. 1 1.2: A new ‘scramble’ for Africa. 2 1.3: Embed, cooperate, and act. 5 1.4: Choosing Angola. 7 1.5: Structure of the thesis. 8 Part 1. Chapter 2: Theoretical framework for the study. 14 2.1: Introduction. 14 2.2: The eclectic paradigm and the evolutionary theory of the firm. 14 2.3: From evolution to co-evolution. 16 2.4: Institutional co-evolution. 20 2.5: The limitations of the shareholding and stakeholding paradigms. 26 2.6: Stakeholder theory. 28 iii 2.6.1: Criticisms and the inappropriateness of stakeholder theory. 31 2.6.2: Moving beyond stakeholder issues. 34 2.7: Discussion. 36 Chapter 3: Methodology. 38 3.1: Introduction. 38 3.2: The literature review. 38 3.3: Choosing a case study design. 39 3.4: Company reports. 40 3.5: Choosing a qualitative research strategy. 44 3.6: The four-point strategy to seek people’s views. 45 3.7: The first point: defining the population. 45 3.8: The second point: deciding who to speak to. 46 3.8.1: Sampling expert witnesses. 46 3.8.2: Expert testimony. 48 3.8.3: Sampling the academic community. 49 3.8.4: The reason for selecting expert witnesses. 49 3.8.5: Sampling key informants. 53 3.9: The third point: formulating the questions to ask. 57 3.10: An ethical outcome in interviewing: what is right and good. 59 3.10.1 Face-to-face versus online interviewing. 62 3.11: The fourth point: analysis of the responses. 63 3.11.1: Interview analysis as bricolage. 63 3.11.2: Analytical narrative. 65 iv 3.11.3: Analysing narratives. 66 3.12: Summary. 67 Part 2. Chapter 4: The resource curse and business principles. 70 4.1: Introduction. 70 4.2: What the resource curse is. 70 4.2.1: Impacts of the resource curse. 71 4.2.2: Discussing the resource curse: the role of institutions. 71 4.2.3: Civil conflict resolution. 75 4.3: The origins of CSR. 76 4.3.1: The resource curse and CSR. 78 4.3.2: Defining CSR. 78 4.4: Making the business case for CSR. 81 4.5: CSR: from Friedman to the triple bottom line for the extractive industry in the West. 85 4.6: Introducing corporate governance. 89 4.7: CSR converging with corporate governance. 90 4.7.1: CSR: the principles of corporate governance. 93 4.8: Summary. 96 Chapter 5: The history of BP’s and Anglo American’s corporate governance and corporate responsibility. 99 5.1: Introduction. 99 v 5.2: The role and structure of the board. 99 5.3: Board composition and CSR. 100 5.4: BP: a history of board composition issues. 102 5.5: The first generation of BP’s CSR. 106 5.6: The second generation of BP’s CSR. 111 5.7: The third generation of BP’s CSR. 112 5.8: The evolution of the CSR agenda for Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. 114 5.9: BP’s endorsement of global initiatives. 116 5.10: The global initiatives compared. 117 5.10.1: The OECD Guidelines. 118 5.10.2: The UN Global Compact. 122 5.10.3: The Global Sullivan Principles. 123 5.10.4: The Global Reporting Initiative. 125 5.11: Endorsing the principles of sustainable development. 128 5.12: Anglo American. 130 5.13: Anglo American: corporate responsibility today. 135 5.14: CSR for Anglo American. 138 5.15: Anglo American: measuring impacts. 139 5.16: Discussion. 140 Chapter 6: China as the new entrants: how they will behave. 144 6.1: Introduction. 144 6.2: Chinese corporate governance: background. 146 6.3: Early business institutions in China: state governance through patronage and sponsorship. 146 vi 6.4: The China Merchants’ Steamship Navigation Company. 150 6.5: Early business institutions in China: Liu Hongsheng adapting Western business practices. 151 6.6: The Chinese Company Legislation of 1904. 153 6.6.1: The limited effect of the 1904 code. 155 6.6.2: The importance of a legal system. 156 6.7: Chinese government interference in the corporate governance of the early corporation and SOEs. 158 6.8: Modern Chinese corporate governance. 159 6.9: Government control in Chinese corporate governance. 160 6.9.2: Grasping the large: the corporatisation of Chinese state-owned enterprises. 161 6.9.2: The Code of Corporate Governance for Listed Companies in China. 163 6.9.3: Other issues in Chinese corporate governance. 163 6.9.4: The advantages of, and justifying, government control in Chinese corporate governance. 165 6.10: CNOOC and Sinopec’s sustainability reporting. 168 6.10.1: Global initiatives. 170 6.10.2: Higher national goals and symbolic relationships. 172 6.11: Discussion. 173 Part 3. Chapter 7: Angola’s developmental needs. 180 7.1: Introduction. 180 7.2: Angola: background. 181 vii 7.3: The colonial legacy. 182 7.4: Angola’s institutional capacity. 184 7.5: The civil war. 186 7.6: The destroyed transportation infrastructure. 189 7.7: Angola’s oil sector: what international oil corporations can do to promote development. 190 7.8: Discussion. 195 Chapter 8: Oil MNCs acting as change agents: analysis of the Angolan case and Africa in general. 196 8.1: Introduction. 196 8.2: The context: learning from experience. 197 8.3: BP’s implementation of CSR principles today: measuring impacts. 200 8.4: Disappointing stakeholder expectations. 201 8.5: Revenue transparency. 206 8.6: Liability of foreignness. 211 8.7: Contributing to social projects. 213 8.8: The importance of environmental issues. 216 8.8.1: Answering an audience in developed countries. 224 8.9: Strategic CSR. 226 8.10: Discussion: institutional co-evolution. 229 Chapter 9: The influence of China and comparison with Western firms. 233 9.1: Introduction. 233 9.2: The development of Sino-African relations. 235 viii 9.3 Summit diplomacy. 236 9.3.1: The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). 237 9.4: Chinese activity in Africa generally: the importance of oil. 240 9.5: Western perceptions on Chinese involvement in Africa. 241 9.6: China as a development partner. 246 9.7: Africans preferring Chinese investment. 248 9.8: Chinese investment: ‘no conditions attached’. 251 9.9: The role of the Chinese state: complimentary investment. 252 9.9.1: The nature of the complimentary investment. 253 9.9.2: Building infrastructure. 256 9.10: Chinese labour. 258 9.11: Social and environmental issues.
Recommended publications
  • Corporate America, the Sullivan Principles, and the Anti-Apartheid Struggle
    Black Power in the Boardroom: Corporate America, the Sullivan Principles, and the Anti-Apartheid Struggle JESSICA ANN LEVY This article traces the history of General Motors’ first black director, Leon Sullivan, and his involvement with the Sullivan Principles, a corporate code of conduct for U.S. companies doing business in Apartheid South Africa. Building on and furthering the postwar civil rights and anti-colonial struggles, the international anti-apartheid movement brought together students, union workers, and religious leaders in an effort to draw attention to the horrors of Apartheid in South Africa. Whereas many left-leaning activists advocated sanctions and divestment, others, Sullivan among them, helped lead the way in drafting an alternative strategy for American business, one focused on corporate-sponsored black empowerment. Moving beyond both narrow criticisms of Sullivan as a “sellout” and corporate propaganda touting the benefits of the Sullivan Prin- ciples, this work draws on corporate and “movement” records to reveal the complex negotiations between white and black executives as they worked to situate themselves in relation to anti-racist movements in the Unites States and South Africa. In doing so, it furthermore reveals the links between modern corporate social responsibility and the fight for Black Power within the corporation. © The Author 2019. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Business History Conference. doi:10.1017/eso.2019.32 Published online August 2, 2019 JESSICA ANN LEVY is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of History and the Corruption Laboratory for Ethics, Accountability, and the Rule of Law (CLEAR) at the University of Virginia.
    [Show full text]
  • Regulating Corporations
    PROVISIONAL EDITION Regulating Corporations A Resource Guide Désirée Abrahams* Geneva • December 2004 * Désirée Abrahams prepared this report during 2003 and early 2004, when she was a Research Assistant at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) in Geneva, Switzerland. The author would like to thank Peter Utting, Kate Ives and Anita Tombez for their research and editorial support. The report was prepared under the UNRISD project “Promoting Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility in Developing Countries: The Potential and Limits of Voluntary Initiatives”, which is partly funded by the MacArthur Foundation. This edition may be subject to minor modifications and copy-editing prior to formal publication. The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous agency engaging in multidisciplinary research on the social dimensions of contemporary problems affecting development. Its work is guided by the conviction that, for effective development policies to be formulated, an understanding of the social and political context is crucial. The Institute attempts to provide governments, development agencies, grassroots organizations and scholars with a better understanding of how development policies and processes of economic, social and environmental change affect different social groups. Working through an extensive network of national research centres, UNRISD aims to promote original research and strengthen research capacity in developing countries. Current research programmes include: Civil Society and Social Movements; Democracy, Governance and Human Rights; Identities, Conflict and Cohesion; Social Policy and Development; and Technology, Business and Society. A list of the Institute’s free and priced publications can be obtained by contacting: UNRISD Reference Centre Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland Tel +41 (0)22 917 3020 Fax +41 (0)22 917 0650 [email protected] www.unrisd.org Copyright © United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.
    [Show full text]
  • Sullivan-Type Principles for U.S. Multinationals in Emerging
    "SULLIVAN-TYPE" PRINCIPLES FOR U.S. MULTINATIONALS IN EMERGING ECONOMIES RICHARD T. DE GEORGE* 1. INTRODUCTION The high rate of crime in Russia and the prominence of the Russian Mafia are well known and publicized in the West. President Yeltsin has called crime, which is choking the emerging market economy, Russia's biggest problem.' An article in U.S. News & World Report describes Russia as "a vast bazaar in which the easiest way to get rich is to steal."2 The government has shown itself ineffective in combating crime and in establishing a rule of law. Consequently, many ordinary Russians, who are experiencing a decline in their standard of living,3 are more ambivalent about the march towards capitalism than they were in 1991. Many Western businesses are understandably reluctant to enter an area in which corruption is rampant and the future uncertain. However, the reasons behind the present conditions are too often inadequately understood. As a result, the remedy and the appropriate role of Western companies in the developing market of countries of the former Soviet Union are not clearly * Richard T. De George is University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, of Russian and East European Studies, and of Business Administration, and Director of the International Center for Ethics in Business at the University of Kansas. His books include The New Marxism; Soviet Ethics and Morality; Business Ethics; and Competing with Integrity in International Business. 1 He has frequently called fighting crime his top priority. See Jack F. Matlock, Russia: The Power of the Mob, NY REVIEW OF BOOKS, July 13, 1995, at 12, 13; see also Julie Corwin et al., The Looting of Russia, U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Sullivan Principles: a Critical Look at the U.S
    Sullivan Principles: A Critical Look at the U.S. Corporate Role in South Africa http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.af000027 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org Sullivan Principles: A Critical Look at the U.S. Corporate Role in South Africa Alternative title Sullivan Principles: A Critical Look at the U.S. Corporate Role in South Africa Author/Creator Rothmyer, Karen; Lowenthal, TerriAnn Publisher Africa Fund Date 1979-08 Resource type Pamphlets Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa, United States Coverage (temporal) 1970 - 1979 Source Africa Action Archive Rights By kind permission of Africa Action, incorporating the American Committee on Africa, The Africa Fund, and the Africa Policy Information Center.
    [Show full text]
  • Sullivan Principles National Attention
    Sullivan Principles By Molly Roth The Global Sullivan Principles, launched in 1977 by Philadelphia civil rights leader Leon H. Sullivan (1922-2001), represent one of the twentieth century’s most powerful attempts to effect social justice through economic leverage. More a sustained movement than a static document, the principles sought to bring the power of American investment in South Africa to bear on the cruel injustice of the apartheid state by establishing baseline commitments to fairness and empowerment as conditions for operating in the country. Sullivan, a native of West Virginia coal-mining country, came to Philadelphia in 1950 to pastor Zion Baptist Church on North Broad Street by way of a stop in Harlem, where he served as assistant minister to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908-72) at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Sullivan believed that Christian ministry needed to be geared to action and described himself as preaching a “pragmatic gospel.” Sullivan had honed his economic activism through what he called the “selective patronage” campaign, begun in 1958. Dissatisfied with the economic opportunities open to minorities and women, he helped to organize a coalition of 400 black ministers across Philadelphia to address discrimination in employment. If companies declined appeals from the coalition to hire blacks into professional and managerial positions, the ministers would urge their congregants to withhold their patronage. “Don’t buy where you can’t work,” they advised. This flexing of consumer muscle by Philadelphia’s black population yielded impressive results in terms of access to employment and confirmed the tactical power of coordinated economic resistance. National Attention The campaign’s success also won Sullivan national attention.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sullivan Principles: Decoding Corporate Camouflage
    The Sullivan Principles: Decoding Corporate Camouflage http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1980_06 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org The Sullivan Principles: Decoding Corporate Camouflage Alternative title Notes and Documents - United Nations Centre Against ApartheidNo. 4/80 Author/Creator United Nations Centre against Apartheid; Schmidt, Elizabeth Publisher United Nations, New York Date 1980-03-00 Resource type Reports Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa, United States Coverage (temporal) 1980 Source Northwestern University Libraries Description INTRODUCTION. The economic roots of apartheid. American business in South Africa - agent or obstacle to change? Intensification of Government repression.
    [Show full text]
  • Free Trade and Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas in Global Economic Development
    California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Capstone Projects and Master's Theses Capstone Projects and Master's Theses 12-2018 Free Trade and Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas in Global Economic Development Sarah Papion California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Economic Theory Commons, Growth and Development Commons, Income Distribution Commons, International Economics Commons, Labor Economics Commons, Macroeconomics Commons, Other Economics Commons, and the Political Economy Commons Recommended Citation Papion, Sarah, "Free Trade and Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas in Global Economic Development" (2018). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 423. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/423 This Capstone Project (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Capstone Projects and Master's Theses at Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Projects and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Free Trade and Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas in Global Economic Development Sarah Papion GS401- Senior Capstone Dr. Ajit Abraham December 20, 2018 Papion 1 Introduction The notion that free trade can promote economic growth in developing regions of the world seems like a plausible and practical solution to global poverty. Through the lens of the free-trade-optimist, it is black and white: corporations bring jobs, and jobs equal a happy and healthy economy. A major oversight in this neoliberal Utopian ideology is that corporations are not in the business of building communities, nor do they have an interest in keeping their operations stationary enough to allow economic growth to occur over a span of years.
    [Show full text]
  • Monitoring Multinationals: Lessons from the Anti-Apartheid Era
    10.1177/0032329203254861POLITICSGAYARTICLE W. SEIDMAN & SOCIETY Monitoring Multinationals: Lessons from the Anti-Apartheid Era GAY W. SEIDMAN This article examines the construction and implementation of the Sullivan Princi- ples, a two-decade effort to use corporate codes of conduct to improve the behavior of multinational corporations in South Africa under apartheid. Without organized social movement pressure, corporations would not have agreed to adopt the code, and corporate compliance required sustained pressure from the anti-apartheid movement. The system’s independent monitoring process was problematic, and managers’definitions of “good corporate citizenship” were more guided by moni- tors’emphases than by substantive concerns. Based on the historic case, the article raises questions about the voluntaristic, stateless character of transnational corpo- rate codes of conduct and questions whether such codes offer a viable strategy for improving working conditions. Keywords: labor; transnational activism; Sullivan Principles; South Africa; anti- apartheid movement Over the past decade, discussions of international development have come to take for granted the idea that international trade will serve as the motor of eco- nomic growth: academic economists and policy makers alike, backed by the insti- tutional power of international financial institutions, have reached an apparently seamless consensus. At the same time, of course, new technologies and new pro- duction strategies have spread industrial production across the globe, often coor- dinated by large multinational corporations. Combined, these two trends—the For comments on earlier drafts of this article, I am especially grateful to Jane Collins, Steve Frenkel, Gary Gereffi, Allen Hunter, Elizabeth Kier, and Cesar Rodrigues; and I gratefully acknowl- edge funding from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Graduate School.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Conditions and Worker Rights in China: Recent Developments
    WORKING CONDITIONS AND WORKER RIGHTS IN CHINA: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS HEARING BEFORE THE CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 31, 2012 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 76–387 PDF WASHINGTON : 2012 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS House Senate CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, SHERROD BROWN, Ohio, Cochairman Chairman MAX BAUCUS, Montana FRANK WOLF, Virginia CARL LEVIN, Michigan DONALD A. MANZULLO, Illinois DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California EDWARD R. ROYCE, California JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon TIM WALZ, Minnesota SUSAN COLLINS, Maine MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio JAMES RISCH, Idaho MICHAEL HONDA, California EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS SETH D. HARRIS, Department of Labor MARIA OTERO, Department of State FRANCISCO J. SA´ NCHEZ, Department of Commerce KURT M. CAMPBELL, Department of State NISHA DESAI BISWAL, U.S. Agency for International Development PAUL B. PROTIC, Staff Director LAWRENCE T. LIU, Deputy Staff Director (II) CO N T E N T S STATEMENTS Page Opening statement of Hon. Christopher Smith, a U.S. Representative from New Jersey; Chairman, Congressional-Executive Commission on China ....... 1 Brown, Hon. Sherrod, a U.S. Senator from Ohio; Cochairman, Congressional- Executive Commission on China ........................................................................ 3 Kernaghan, Charles, Executive Director, Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights ...................................................................................................... 6 Li, Qiang, Executive Director and Founder, China Labor Watch ......................
    [Show full text]
  • The OECD Guidelines and Other Corporate Responsibility Instruments: a Comparison”, OECD Working Papers on International Investment, 2001/05, OECD Publishing
    Please cite this paper as: Gordon, K. (2001), “The OECD Guidelines and Other Corporate Responsibility Instruments: A Comparison”, OECD Working Papers on International Investment, 2001/05, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/302255465771 OECD Working Papers on International Investment 2001/05 The OECD Guidelines and Other Corporate Responsibility Instruments A COMPARISON Kathryn Gordon DIRECTORATE FOR FINANCIAL, FISCAL AND ENTERPRISE AFFAIRS WORKING PAPERS ON INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT Number 2001/5 The OECD Guidelines and Other Corporate Responsibility Instruments: A Comparison By Kathryn Gordon December 2001 Kathryn Gordon is a Senior Economist at the Capital Movements, International Investment and Services Division of the OECD. Business for Social Responsibility’s contribution to this paper is gratefully acknowledged. This paper forms part of an OECD publication entitled OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises: Annual Report 2001 which was published in December 2001. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2001 THE OECD GUIDELINES AND OTHER CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY INSTRUMENTS: A COMPARISON Introduction The OECD Guidelines are recommendations by governments to multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in or from the 33 countries that adhere to the Guidelines. The Guidelines help ensure that MNEs act in harmony with the policies of countries in which they operate and with societal expectations. They are the only comprehensive, multilaterally endorsed code of conduct for MNEs. They establish non-binding principles and standards covering a broad range of issues in business ethics. The basic premise of the Guidelines is that internationally agreed principles can help to prevent misunderstandings and build an atmosphere of confidence and predictability among business, labour, governments and society as a whole.
    [Show full text]
  • The Controversy Over US Companies in South Africa
    Two Decades of Debate: the controversy over U.S. companies in South Africa http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.bmdv2 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org Two Decades of Debate: the controversy over U.S. companies in South Africa Author/Creator Hauck, David; Voorhes, Meg; Goldberg, Glenn Publisher Investor Responsibility Research Center, Inc Date 1983-00-00 Resource type Books Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) United States, South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1960-1982 Rights By kind permission of the Investor Responsibility Research Center, and with thanks to Glenn S. Goldberg. Description This review of the debate on U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Corporate Social Responsibility: the Sullivan Principles and South Africa
    Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 12 Number 4 Article 2 1994 Corporate Social Responsibility: The Sullivan Principles and South Africa Kenneth R. Gray Jackson State University Robert E. Karp Jackson State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Gray, Kenneth R. and Karp, Robert E. (1994) "Corporate Social Responsibility: The Sullivan Principles and South Africa," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 12 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol12/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THE SULLIVAN PRINCIPLESAND SOUTH AFRICA BY DR. KENNETH R. GRAY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND DR. ROBERT E. KARP, PROFESsoa DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY 600 NORTH POINTE PARKWAY JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI39211 ABSTRACT Friedman and others who see business as having· a very central but . limited role in The Sullivan Principles (first pronounced in society contend that the business of business 1977) were developed as a code of conduct is business--not social issues or politics. to be followed by companies operating in There are those who view business more South Africa in an effort to confront the broadly (20, 19, 6, 24), and take the racial problems stemming from the racial viewpoint that business is both an economic segregation policies of the South African and a social institution. Business and other Government known as apartheid (2).
    [Show full text]