Rise of the Corporation and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Case for Corporate Customary International Law

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 276-308
Author(s):  
KIRSTEN STEFANIK
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
International Law ◽  
Customary International Law ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Legal Effect ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
International Systems

AbstractCorporations have taken on an expansive role in the global community with transnational operations, extensive resources, power and influence, and significant environmental and human rights impacts. While corporate social responsibility (CSR) has developed standards and practices aimed at addressing the social responsibility of corporations, its legal effect, if any, is unclear. In part, this can be linked to the lack of status and direct accountability for corporations in international law. This article seeks to carve out a space for corporations in which the realities of their power and impact can be acknowledged, addressed, and managed. It suggests that this can be accomplished through the recognition of corporate customary international law. This corporate customary international law would apply the well-developed law-creation processes of traditional state-based customary international law to businesses. Employing CSR as a practical example, the article suggests that not only is corporate customary international law a theoretical possibility, but its elements can already be seen in the development of CSR. Ultimately, this article aims to show how customary international law, which is an existing tool of international law formation, can be used to bridge the gap between the traditional and contemporary international systems and increase opportunities for businesses to fulfil ethical and legal obligations and to be held accountable for environmental and human rights harms.

scholarly journals YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: WHAT ROLE CAN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) PLAY IN CURBING THIS SOCIAL ILL IN SWAZILAND (ESWATINI) AND SOUTH AFRICA?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simangele D. Mavundla
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
International Law ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Youth Employment ◽  
African Youth ◽  
Corporate Social

This profound academic opinion advocates for youth employment by clearly arguing that even though the African Youth Charter (AYC) is not binding on states in as much as on corporates/businesses, at international law these same corporates/businesses have a role to play in ensuring that youth unemployment is curbed through invoking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It will be argued that CSR is no longer only associated with philanthropy, but it is now part and parcel of promoting and protecting human rights in communities where businesses operate, such that they cannot turn a blind eye to social ills such as youth unemployment.

Corporate social responsibility, human rights and law firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-225
Author(s):  
Claudia Carr
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Responsibility ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Law Firms ◽  
Human Rights Violations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Rights Standards ◽  
Corporate Social

An increase in the power and reach of corporations has driven increasing concern with corporate responsibility. The social impact of corporations, including law firms, includes any interactions with human rights. This article argues that Australian law firms should engage more actively with human rights standards, and ensure that they are not unwittingly complicit in human rights violations. It identifies key areas in which law firms’ conduct may impact human rights, and suggests corporate responsibility practices and policies for adoption.

scholarly journals The Impact of the UN Guiding Principles on Business Attitudes to Observing Human Rights

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Peter MUCHLINSKI
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This contribution discusses business attitudes to human rights obligations and how the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) have affected them. These are best understood historically through a number of periods. The first, between the mid-1970s and the end of the 1980s, coincides with intergovernmental organization-based codifications relevant to corporate social responsibility. Business representatives were highly defensive towards extensive international legal obligations not only in relation to human rights but to corporate social responsibility (CSR) more generally. This was followed by a period of ‘voluntarism’. By the 1990s, businesses had accepted that there could be a link between their operations and human rights violations but continued to reject binding legal duties. Instead, businesses opted for voluntary codes of conduct based on individual corporate, or sectoral, initiatives. It was out of this period that the UN Global Compact emerged. ‘Voluntarism’ continues into the third period, the era of the UNGPs. The UNGPs can be characterized by ‘institutionalized voluntarism’ achieved through the framework for business and human rights represented by the UNGPs. Each period will be examined followed by a concluding section that considers business attitudes to an emerging fourth period that introduces legal obligations through mandatory due diligence laws.

Memorias de Sostenibilidad en América Latina: instrumento de información de la Responsabilidad Social de las Empresas

Oikos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (32) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Ma. Angélica Garza Arroyo ◽  
María Aurelia Bocanegra Noriega
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Data Base ◽  
The Social ◽  
America Latina ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Sustainability Report

RESUMENEl desarrollo sostenible es manejado como uno de los puntos importantes en las agendas del siglo XXI, es un concepto que las empresas deben contemplar en las actividades que realizan para cumplir con la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial. El presente trabajo pretende abordar los aspectos teóricos sobre las Memorias de Sostenibilidad así como mostrar que pueden ser consideradas como un instrumento de información de la Responsabilidad Social de las Empresas. Se hace un estudio en la base de datos de la Corporate Register del 2006 al 2011 respecto de la presentación de las Memorias de Sostenibilidad en América Latina; el reporte es de corte cualitativo de carácter descriptivo, con un análisis deductivo. Se puede percibir en el estudio que es de carácter exploratorio que las empresas de América Latina han incrementado de manera significativa la presentación de Memorias de Sostenibilidad así como un incremento en el número de empresas que las realizan, además de contemplar a la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial como parte de su misión y visión.Palabras clave: memorias de sostenibilidad, Responsabilidad Social Empresarial, América Latina. Memories of Sustainability in Latin America: instrument of information of the Social Responsibility of the CompaniesABSTRACTThe sustainable development is managed to be one of the important aspects in the planners of 21th century, it is a concept that companies have to contemplate in the activities they realize to achieve corporate social responsibility. this work pretends to raise the teoric aspects about sustainability report, and to show that they can be considered as an information instrument of social responsibility of the companies. a study has to be done in the data base of corporate register from 2006 to 2011 about the presentation of the sustainability report in Latin America; the report is qualitative and descriptive kind, with deductive analysis. in the study it can be perceived that is explorative that companies in Latin America have increased in a significative way the presentation of sustainability report, just as an increase in the number of companies that realize them, besides contemplating corporate social responsibility as part of their mission and vision.Keywords: sustainability report, Corporate Social Responsibility, Latin America.

CSR@ 2%: A NEW MODEL OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 56-66
Author(s):  
Anupam Singh ◽  
Dr. Priyanka Verma
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Philanthropy ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Business Community ◽  
Net Worth ◽  
The Social ◽  
Net Profit ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Indian Scenario

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) earlier applied as corporate philanthropy and has been in practice in India since ages. However, philanthropy in globalised and modern India does not solve the purpose in quantity and quality. Clause 135 of Company Act 2013 created huge hue and cry among the business community in India. As per clause 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, Every company with an annual turnover of 1,000 crore INR ($161 million) and more, or a net worth of 500 crore INR ($80 million) and more, or a net profit as low as five crore INR ($800,000) and more have to spend at least 2% of their average net profit over the previous three years on CSR activities. With the introduction of new Company act 2013 India became the first country in the world to have legislation for compulsory CSR spending. The paper aims at analyzing the motive of making CSR spending mandatory and it also attempts to explain the concept of CSR in the present Indian scenario, the social issues addressed by the Indian corporations, and methodologies adopted by them to address those issues.

A Comparison of CSR Disclosure Guidelines and a Self-Prepared CSR Disclosure Index- A Study of Select Automotive Companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
N.K. Gupta ◽  
Shilki Bhatia
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Economic Environment ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
The Social ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Voluntary Guidelines

In India, corporate social responsibility and its disclosure got attention during the eighties and have been gaining importance with time in present economic environment, especially after adoption of liberalization, privatization, and globalization (LPG) (Goswami, 2011). Guidelines, principles, and codes are being developed by various regulatory bodies in India and across the globe to increase transparency and accountability about both a companys daily operations and the impact of these operations on society (Tran, 2014) In this paper, the author has studied the CSR guidelines laid down by Global Reporting Initiative G3.1 (GRI-G-3) and The National Voluntary Guidelines by Ministry of Corporate Affairs (NVG-MCA) and has compared them with a self-composed CSR Disclosure Index (CSRDI). The social responsibility initiatives taken by select Indian Automotive Companies have been analyzed and the companies have been rated as per the disclosures made by them. The main focus of the research is to compare the CSR Rankings of companies as per CSRDI with the companies rankings as per GRI-G-3 and NVG-MCA. It was observed that out of 30 sensex companies, Maruti Suzuki and TATA Motors have been the pioneers in contribution towards CSR initiatives. The top five rated companies were TATA Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hero Motocorp, Bajaj Auto, and Apollo Tyres.

BUSINESS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THEORETICAL OVERVIEW

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 196-203
Author(s):  
T.B. Tauyekelova ◽  
◽  
G.O. Abdikerova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Main Issue ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Theoretical Overview

The main issue discussed in the article is the social responsibility of business. The article provides various definitions of the category of social responsibility. The concept of "social responsibility of business" is a multilevel and complex category. Responsibility includes ethical categories such as morality, duty and charity.The article examines the theoretical aspects of scientific approaches to corporate social responsibility, analyzes classical and modern scientific theories and concepts. The factors influencing the growing importance of corporate social responsibility in society, issues related to the role of business in the formation of a voluntary society are considered.

Corporate social responsibility disclosure on the websites of coffee chains in Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petek Tosun
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Social And Environmental Responsibilities ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Coffee is among the primary products that attract the public attention to the social and environmental responsibilities of companies. Coffee shops have a big carbon footprint because of their daily operations. With the rising consciousness about sustainability in developing countries, online disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming increasingly important for not only multinational but also local coffee chains. The purpose of this study is to analyze the extent to which coffee chains include CSR on their websites. Design/methodology/approach Turkey, which is a large emerging economy with an expanding coffee chain market, is selected as the research context. The CSR disclosure on the websites of coffee chains is examined by content analysis according to CSR dimensions. A sample of 27 coffee chains with more than ten stores is included in the analysis. Findings Foreign coffee chains disclose more information on the environment and fair trade than local coffee chains. On the other hand, CSR content in websites of foreign and local coffee chains does not differ significantly in human resources and community dimensions. Foreign coffee chains have comparatively longer brand history, more rooted brands and larger networks than local coffee chains. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first that used a content analysis about CSR on the websites of coffee chains in Turkey. Findings contribute to the understanding of CSR disclosure in the coffee chain industry and can be beneficial for researchers and managers in other emerging markets.

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