In the Face of Asian Drivers of Global Change: China and the Global Corporate Social Responsibility Discussion
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A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Weikert, Jochen Research Report Re-defining ‘good business’ in the face of Asian drivers of global change: China and the global corporate social responsibility discussion Studies, No. 61 Provided in Cooperation with: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn Suggested Citation: Weikert, Jochen (2011) : Re-defining ‘good business’ in the face of Asian drivers of global change: China and the global corporate social responsibility discussion, Studies, No. 61, ISBN 978-3-88985-497-1, Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/199186 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. 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On the basis of independent research, it acts as consultant to public institutions in Germany and abroad on current issues of co-operation between developed and developing countries. Through its 9-months training course, the German Development Institute prepares German and European University graduates for a career in the field of development policy. Jochen Weikert works for the private sector cooperation unit of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) in Berlin. E-mail: [email protected] Studies Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik 61 Re-defining ‘good business’ in the face of Asian drivers of global change China and the global corporate social responsibility discussion Jochen Weikert Bonn 2011 Studies / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik ISSN 1860-0468 Die deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de ISBN 978-3-88985- 497-1 Images on pages 153 und 154 taken from Ost trifft West (east meets west), by Yang Liu Published at Hermann Schmidt Verlag Mainz ISBN 978-3-87439-733-9, 7th print, Germany Reprinted with the kind permission of the author © Yang Liu Design • www.yangliudesign.com © Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik gGmbH Tulpenfeld 6, 53113 Bonn +49 (0)228 94927-0 +49 (0)228 94927-130 E-Mail: [email protected] http://www.die-gdi.de Preface China`s rise is changing the basic structures of the global economy in a very fundamental way. Trade and financial flows are shifting, resource prices are rising, international labour markets are affected, global economic gover- nance patterns will change. This study tackles a highly relevant issue within this newly emerging global context. Jochen Weikert looks into legitimisa- tion strategies of globalising Chinese companies: Do Chinese global play- ers align with western blueprints (such as SA8000 or the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises) or rather reject them, in order to make room for self-designed forms of legitimising business action? In the recent past, there have been extended discussions over the issue, for instance on the role of Chinese companies on the African continent. But these discussions have rarely been grounded in sound empirical research. By virtue of the ample empirical evidence that supports his arguments, Jochen Weikert may well be able to balance the at times one-sided arguments in the debate. Certainly, more such empirical groundwork is needed in order to shed light on grey- shaded accounts of existing conjectures, so that a more realistic, colourful picture of the integration of Chinese actors in the world economy may be revealed. Those interested in the evolution of the global “Corporate Social Responsi- bility (CSR)” debate are encouraged to closely observe the theoretical parts of this study. Here, the author does not content himself with reviewing the sometimes shallow CSR literature. Rather, he is interested in the underly- ing causes explaining why corporations feel the need to articulate their social responsibilities towards societies in a globalised market economy. In times of dwindling trust in market actors and institutions, there are plenty of reasons to better understand the deep structure of businesses’ social legit- imisation patterns. The theoretical approaches that the author employs are quite heteroge- neous. However, the elements of classical sociological thought, institu- tional economics and corporate governance theories become enlaced in ways that form a consistent structure. How will the global business strategies of Chinese firms as relevant ‘Dri- vers of Global Change’ impact on the CSR discourse that once emanated from the West? The conclusions are interesting because they do not draw a simple sketch. The internal Chinese debate emancipates itself from western prescriptions, but the business legitimisation problem per se is being adopted and tied in with China’s own legitimisation discourses. Notwith- standing, Chinese global players are quickly learning and adopting the globalised CSR discussion and this study demonstrates how they will influ- ence its future evolution. Jochen Weikert shows the room for manoeuvre when discussing the rules of the game in the global economy with China. He also indicates the dead ends, for instance the hopes that China may adopt western standards in lin- ear ways. Globalisation on the one hand, a power-backed desire for eman- cipation and national orientation of policies on the other, and the ambigui- ties that emerge in the overlaps – these are the dimensions of the arena within which we will negotiate the future global order with China and other emerging powers. Bonn, June 2011 Dirk Messner Acknowledgements Looking back at a challenge that seemed to be beyond one’s capabilities at the time when it began can be a disenchanting exercise. As he looks back at the peak he has climbed, the mountaineer soon looses his awe of the mountain. He already scans the horizon for the peaks to approach next. It seems to be the way in life that the hikes to be taken next always seem to be more difficult than the previous ones, so that earlier accomplishments become superseded by the next challenges. Disenchantment as it may should not be an excuse for forgetfulness. The mountaineer must not be oblivious to the fact that it took many to take him to the summit. It would be self-deceptive to assume that only his own muscle, energy, strength of will and mind-power took him there. Instead, many carried the loads, many cleared the way, and many shielded him from disturbances – him who ven- tured out to master a challenge that was indeed beyond his individual capa- bilities. For the particular challenge of this PhD project, I would like to acknowl- edge only a very few particular people among my many supporters: Dirk Messner has been a most inspiring mountain guide, shaping this proj- ect with the help of his admirably sharp analytical skills, and encouraging a broadest possible – the global – perspective on the subject matters. I am certainly honored to place my work anywhere near his and his fellow prac- tical politics-oriented global governance thinkers’ works. In spite of a diary that is unimaginable for most mortals, none of my claims on his time ever remained unanswered, and he managed to supervise and support this paper with a friendliness that deserves extra mention and special thanks. Besides Dirk Messner, there have been numerous colleagues in the research teams and administrative units of the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn, who helped me with invalu- able advice, engaged me in inspiring discussions, provided very practical, logistical help and, not least, their friendship. Working on studies with Jörn Grävingholt in 2004 and Tilman Altenburg in 2006 taught me the beauty of policy-oriented writing, and brought me back to scientific