Chapter 7 Cultural Diplomacy in the Private Sector
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Chapter 7 Cultural Diplomacy in the Private Sector: Company Ranking Report Ranking of the European Private Sector Table of Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 2 2. Research Design .................................................................................................................... 3 3. Concepts ............................................................................................................................... 4 4. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 5 4.1 STAGE ONE & TWO – COMPANY SELECTION METHODS & INITIAL RESEARCH .................................. 5 4.2 STAGE THREE – PARAMETER SETTING AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS .............................................. 10 4.3 STAGE FOUR - APPLYING PARAMETERS AND GRADING SYSTEM .................................................. 12 5. Barriers to Research ............................................................................................................. 14 6. Company Profiles ................................................................................................................ 16 6.1 AUTOMOBILES AND PARTS ................................................................................................... 16 6.2 BANKS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, AND INSURANCE ................................................................... 53 6.3 ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ....................................................................... 78 6.4 ENERGY AND UTILITIES ...................................................................................................... 106 6.5 MINING ......................................................................................................................... 134 6.6 OIL AND GAS .................................................................................................................. 163 6.7 PHARMACEUTICALS AND CHEMICALS ................................................................................... 190 6.8 RETAIL ........................................................................................................................... 219 6.9 TELECOMMUNICATIONS .................................................................................................... 245 6.10 TOBACCO, FOOD, AND BEVERAGES ................................................................................... 272 7. Ranking ............................................................................................................................. 297 8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 306 9. Glossary ............................................................................................................................ 308 10. References ...................................................................................................................... 312 1. Introduction Cultural diplomacy is far from a new practice. Explorers, travellers, teachers and artists can all be considered examples of informal ambassadors or early cultural diplomats. The academic discipline and study of cultural diplomacy and what these exchanges can achieve, however, is a relatively recent concept. With a growing emphasis placed on the role of cultural exchange and with intercultural understanding becoming increasingly important for relations in a globalised world, this research aims to contribute to a growing field in academia. Historically, the exercise of cultural diplomacy is defined by government action and initiaves. This report seeks to look outside the traditional public setting and focus on how private enterprises are engaged in various aspects of cultural diplomacy. As truly international entities - many of these companies have market values rivalling the wealth of nations - the capacity for corporations to become involved in cultural diplomacy is substantial and increasing. This project aims to show if and to what extent private firms display interest and involvement in the progression of intercultural correspondence and intercultural exchange. Worldwide businesses are not only a significant channel for cultural exchange, but their interests in intercultural correspondence and cross cultural learning should be considered an advantage in developing their own efficiency, actions and processes. This is not a punitive assessment aimed at exposing those companies less involved in cultural diplomacy; rather, this report aims to act as a tool of analysis, fairly identifying wanting areas and hopefully encouraging future investment into these initiatives. While it is necessary to acknowledge the division between appearance of involvement and real commitment, an assessment of cultural diplomacy engagement can be seen as much in a company’s policies as it can be in their explicit and direct actions in the field of cultural diplomacy. Ultimately this research considers private firms that promote and are involved in cultural exchanges as important pillars for cultural diplomacy and benchmarking their industry for future involvement by its sector counterparts. This report bases its understanding of cultural diplomacy on the description offered by the American political scientist and author, Milton C. Cummings; ‚[Cultural diplomacy is] the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding‛. Translating this into criteria that can be applied to corporations means that the highest achieving companies must demonstrate an explicit recognition and understanding of foreign cultural dynamics and platforms upon which cultural dialogue is exchanged. Furthermore, they must engage in a wide range of initiatives, organise activities independently, and display a commitment to the rights of both its employees and wider community. Considering their sheer size and capabilities, these expectations should not be an overestimation for the companies assessed in this report. 2 2. Research Design The cultural diplomacy index outlines corporate involvement in the field of cultural diplomacy as described by the companies themselves. This index is based on various companies’ policies and direct cultural diplomacy actions. It assesses activities, projects, co-operation and engagement to evaluate how and to what extent the selected companies are engaged in cultural diplomacy. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy believes that this initial ranking - one of the first of its kind - will encourage dialogue and motivate international companies to strengthen their activities in the field of cultural diplomacy. 3 3. Concepts Cultural Diplomacy Cultural diplomacy endeavors to (1) create a sounder understanding of values that can accommodate both differences and similarities, and (2) limit the development and spread of cultural prejudices. Therefore communication and respect is intrinsic to the concept of cultural diplomacy. By improving our knowledge and awareness of each other’s cultures, we also facilitate interaction and cooperation. In carrying out this research, the ICD hopes to initiate and pave the way for further cultural exchanges. Until relatively recently, the practice of cultural diplomacy has only been recognised within national government institutions. Some of the more prominent examples include the Goethe Institute (Germany), British Council (UK) and Alliance Française (France). The focus of this research is to extend the concept of cultural diplomacy beyond the borders of its traditional notion, and begin to consider private sector involvement. We hope that the conclusions of this initial research project will have far-reaching effects. Internally: Company Policy Regarding Cultural Diplomacy Under our grading system, Company Policy constitutes 30% of the total research model. We calculated this by assessing how much of a company’s stated policy relates to different aspects of cultural diplomacy. This includes an overview of existing policies structured within the company which addresses issues of cultural diplomacy. In measuring this, the ICD identified four indicators that would help to provide a clear evaluation of each company's policy as well as its internal activities in relation to cultural diplomacy. Externally: Company Actions Regarding Cultural Diplomacy Cultural diplomacy actions make up the remaining 70% of our research model. This is assessed by how much a company invests in different cultural diplomacy initiatives. This section includes eight indicators that measure the amount of money a company allocates to activities like the arts and sports to demonstrate the company’s involvement in culturally related initiatives. Equally a company is given greater recognition if the events they are involved in are solely of their own initiative as opposed to collaborations or donations. 4. Methodology For the creation of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy private sector index, the following stages formed the methodology used for the analysis: . Stage One - Company Selection Methods The first stage involved defining 10 diverse sectors within the European private sector. Within these sectors, primary research was carried out to identify the 100 largest companies from the European stock exchanges based on their market value(mechanism described in