A Critical Analysis of Multinational Oil Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility in Colombia and Venezuela. The Dynamics of Two Models. Item Type Thesis Authors Kerr, Susan F. Rights <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by- nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. Download date 28/09/2021 17:41:10 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10454/7290 University of Bradford eThesis This thesis is hosted in Bradford Scholars – The University of Bradford Open Access repository. Visit the repository for full metadata or to contact the repository team © University of Bradford. This work is licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence. S.F. KERR A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MULTINATIONAL OIL COMPANIES’ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA VOLUME I OF II S. F. KERR PhD Volume I PhD I Volume PhD 2013 2013 A Critical Analysis of Multinational Oil Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility in Colombia and Venezuela The Dynamics of Two Models Susan Florence KERR Volume I of II Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social and International Studies Department of Peace Studies University of Bradford 2013 Abstract Susan Florence Kerr A Critical Analysis of Multinational Oil Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility in Colombia and Venezuela The Dynamics of Two Models Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Multinational Oil Companies, Colombia, Venezuela, Critical Realism One key to CSR’s success has been its fuzzy definition, whereby its meaning is constantly (re)defined by practice and through the dialectical relationship between companies and their stakeholders. This thesis focuses upon the influence of MNOCs’ socio-political field upon their CSR (rather than upon specific CSR projects), from a critical realist perspective, contributing to existing research in three key ways. Firstly, I present original explanatory models that outline the practice of CSR in Colombia and Venezuela. From these models, I develop further models that categorise the types of CSR practiced in each country. I argue that Colombia follows a conventional model of private-led CSR; by contrast, the Venezuelan model pushes the boundaries of more traditional CSR definitions. Given the government’s dirigiste approach, I categorise the Venezuelan model as an example of a new form of CSR, that I call Regulated CSR (RCSR), noting the inherent contradictions of regulating to increase responsibility. Secondly, I produce original research on MNOCs’ CSR reports, examining how MNOCs’ agency is affected by global socio-political discourses. Paradoxically, whilst CSR is an important element of corporate communication, many MNOCs only disclose limited CSR-related information. Thirdly, this thesis contributes to the growing discussion of CSR’s role within the neoliberal paradigm. I argue that CSR is not and cannot be a panacea for social absences and can have negative social effects. Therefore, appropriate regulation is necessary, starting with greater corporate transparency at an international level to level-up MNOCs’ practices, and national oversight of MNOCs’ CSR budgets and practices. i Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Neil Cooper for his insightful comments on earlier drafts of this work and the IESA for having accepted me as a visiting scholar during my stay in Venezuela. Moreover, I wish to thank Professor Roy Bhaskar for his support and encouragement, Dr Ali Tajvidi for his suggestions and Dr Julia Buxton for her comments on an earlier draft of my chapter on Venezuela. I am also grateful for the help of each interviewee, as well as to those who actively helped me with my research including: Edward Jardine, Dr Francisco Monaldi, Maria Miquilena, Padre Armando Janssens, Marc-André Maukisch, Miguel García Jones and Osvaldo Ardilla. One organisation, which I wish to thank by name, is Redsoc, which presented me with an opportunity to discuss my ideas with a large group of representatives from different Venezuelan NGOs. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my friends and family: to my husband Sylvain, who has not yet known married life without a PhD student as his wife, to my father Wesley, my mother Florence, my brothers David and Jonathan, to Liz, Eric, Eleanor, Henry, Martine, Bernard, Nana and Granny whose love, support and prayers have been, and continue to be, invaluable. ii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ................................................................................................ iii List of Figures .....................................................................................................xiii List of Tables ..................................................................................................... xiv List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................ xv Volume I Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Thesis overview: purpose and relevance .............................................. 1 1.1.1 The research question, research objectives and the contribution of this research to the existing academic literature ......................................... 1 1.1.2 Structure ……. ...................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Relevance ............................................................................................. 8 1.1.4 Case selection .................................................................................... 11 1.1.5 Defining CSR ...................................................................................... 13 1.2 Thesis overview: introducing the methodological framework .............. 14 1.2.1 Philosophical underpinnings: critical realism ....................................... 14 1.2.1.1 Ontological realism.............................................................................. 15 1.2.1.2 Epistemological relativism ................................................................... 17 1.2.1.3 CR’s methodological considerations ................................................... 20 1.2.2 Research methodology: collecting real data ....................................... 23 1.2.2.1 Constructing theory and abstraction ................................................... 25 1.2.2.2 Approaching texts .............................................................................. 28 1.2.2.3 Approaching comparative research..................................................... 29 1.2.2.4 Conducting interviews ........................................................................ 30 1.2.2.5 Analysing data ................................................................................... 35 iii Chapter 2 The oil curse as the outcome of presence and absence: rentier states, civil violence and societal challenges for MNOCs ................. 38 2.1 The paradox of plenty: a dialectical approach ..................................... 40 2.1.1 Bhaskarian dialectic ............................................................................ 41 2.1.2 The emergence of a curse: an economic paradox of plenty ................ 42 2.1.3 The political curse: structure and agency based explanations ............ 44 2.1.4 The curse of conflict: emergence, form and duration ......................... 50 2.1.4.1 Conflict emergence ............................................................................ 50 2.1.4.2 Conflict form and duration .................................................................. 56 2.1.4.3 Oil and conflict: a laminated system of local, regional and global interconnectedness ............................................................................ 59 2.2. Transformative agency ....................................................................... 61 2.2.1 Transformative Interests in a neoliberal paradigm .............................. 62 2.2.2 Specific policy proposals and their rationale ..................................... 69 2.2.2.1 Economic measures ........................................................................... 70 2.2.2.2 Socio-political measures ................................................................... 74 Chapter conclusion ............................................................................................ 77 Chapter 3 The evolution and discourse of CSR .............................................. 79 3.1 What is CSR?......................................................................................80 3.2 Profit, profitability, PR, norms and pressure as causal reasons…………………………………………………………………….84 3.2.1 The business case: profit, profitability and PR .................................... 85 3.2.2 Norms and pressures in a globalised world ....................................... 87 3.3 Legislated and voluntary standards .................................................... 94 3.3.1 National governments and regional and international institutions ....... 95 3.3.2 Civil