Corporate Social Responsibility Human Rights And The Law

Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights and the Law examines the responsibilities of business enterprises for human rights from a legal perspective. It analyses the legal status of the ‘corporate responsibility to respect human rights’ as articulated by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). This concept currently reflects an international consensus and is promoted by the UN. The book contemplates the various founding perspectives of the UNGPs, and how the integration of notions such as ‘principled pragmatism’ and ‘polycentric governance’ within its framework provides insights into the future course of law and policy, compliance, and corporate respect for human rights. The book thus takes a global focus, examining the interaction of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), human rights, and the law in a broader global governance context. Setting out a possible future scenario for the legalization of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights that is informed by the UNGPs' founding perspectives and reflects current realities in the human rights landscape, this book will be of great interest to scholars of business ethics, international human rights law, and CSR more broadly.

The control of multinational corporations is an area of law that has attracted immense attention both at national and international level. In recognition of the importance of the subject matter, the United Nations Secretary General has appointed a special representative to work in this area. The book discusses the current trend by MNCs to self regulate by employing voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Olufemi Amao argues that the CSR concept is insufficient to deal with externalities emanating from MNCs’ operations, including human rights violations. Amao maintains that for CSR to be effective, the law must engage with the concept. In particular, he examines how the law can be employed to achieve this goal. While noting that the control of MNCs involves regulation at the international level, it is argued that more emphasis needs to be placed on possibilities at home, in States and host States where there are stronger bases for the control of corporations. This book will be useful to academic scholars, students, policy makers in developing countries, UN, UN Agencies, the African Union and its agencies, the European Union and its agencies and other international policy makers.

This book challenges the separation between CSR and law. It also demonstrates that BRHR may be gradually separating from CSR through emphasis on state obligations. Authors from around the world discuss how businesses engage in CSR and human rights, and how governments and intergovernmental organisations may support business in taking responsibility

This volume presents corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a series of economic and political strategies that are currently shifting the focus of international human rights activism and signalling the rise of new forms of global governance. In as much as the work demonstrates the limitations of CSR and offers a critical perspective on corporate techniques of market domination, it also posits a future for CSR within the human rights movement.

This book addresses one of the core challenges in the corporate social responsibility (or business and human rights) debate: how to ensure adequate access to remedy for victims of corporate abuses that infringe upon their human rights. However, ensuring access to remedy depends on a series of normative and judicial elements that become highly complex when disputes are transnational. In such cases, courts need to consider and apply different laws that relate to company governance, to determine the competent forum, to define which bodies of law to apply, and to ensure the adequate execution of judgments. The book also discusses how alternative methods of dispute settlement can relate to this topic, and the important role that private international law plays in access to remedy for corporate-related human rights abuses. This collection comprises 20 national reports from jurisdictions in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia, addressing the private international law aspects of corporate social responsibility. They provide an overview of the legal differences between geographical areas, and offer numerous examples of how states and their courts have resolved disputes involving private international law elements. The book draws two preliminary conclusions: that there is a need for a better understanding of the role that private international law plays in cases involving transnational elements, in order to better design transnational solutions to the issues posed by economic globalisation; and that the treaty negotiations on business and human rights in the United Nations could offer a forum to clarify and unify several of the elements that underpin transnational disputes involving corporate human rights abuses, which could also help to identify and bridge the existing gaps that limit effective access to remedy. Adopting a comparative approach, this book appeals to academics, lawyers, judges and legislators concerned with the issue of access to remedy and reparation for corporate abuses under the prism of private international law.

Current debate surrounding social responsibility has neglected to fully comprehend the important role of national private law in achieving socially responsible conduct in business.

As corporate states join the universe of nation states, the challenge of securing both corporate social responsibility and accountability becomes one of the core challenges facing the social and legal order. Bryan Horrigan s masterly, comprehensive account of this protean subject offers an assured guide for future thought and action. Paul Redmond, Professor, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia CSR continues to be one of the most important aspects of business in the global economy receiving much attention from business managers, government leaders and academics. While continuing to increase in prominence, there are many aspects and many approaches evolving in this global phenomenon. In this book Horrigan provides the most complete interdisciplinary analysis of these perspectives yet undertaken combining theoretical insights with practical examples while pointing the way forward towards future developments. David Crowther, Professor, De Montfort University, UK and Social Responsibility Research Network In this book Professor Horrigan brings together the many facets of, and perspectives on, the concept [of CSR]. . . and he places them in the context of the development of thought in the crossover from the 20th to the 21st century. . . I doubt whether such an ambitious and comprehensive account of the concept has been previously attempted. There is no doubt that it is a hugely important subject in today s world; and one which will not go away. I believe that the book will be valuable to all who need to deal with this issue, whether as government officials, regulators, businessmen, lawyers, academics, media commentators or concerned citizens. The Right Honourable Lord Butler of Brockwell KG, GCB, CVO, was Secretary of the United Kingdom Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 to 1998. 1998 2008 Master of University College Oxford and a Non-Executive Director of ICI plc and of HSBC Holdings, also Chairman of the Board's Corporate Social Responsibility Committee This timely and thorough book offers one of the most wide-ranging, inter-disciplinary, and cross-jurisdictional analyses of corporate social responsibility so far in the 21st century. Professor Bryan Horrigan spans subjects as diverse and topical as global corporate responsibility and governance debates, practical guidelines for responsible businesses and their professional advisers, governmental roles in corporate social responsibility, corporations and human rights, and the new era of enlightened shareholder value . He also highlights an emerging transnational and comparative body of law, regulation, and practice on corporate social responsibility. Illustrated throughout with meaningful controversies and examples, the book also highlights the major recent global developments in corporate social responsibility already this century, focusing especially on Europe, the UK, North America, and Australasia, and charting its future regulatory and research directions worldwide. The book s scholarly foundation, up-to-date coverage, and accessible style will appeal particularly to academic researchers and students of corporate social responsibility in the fields of law, business, management, economics, and political science in a number of countries. It will also be of great interest and use to those whose work involves corporate social responsibility within government, business, and civil society.

This book considers the legal control of multinational corporations (MNCs) for violations of human rights from a developing country’s perspective, examining the role for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in regulating the conduct of MNCs. The book uses the case study of Nigeria which is host to major MNCs from the EU and the US, to show that the CSR concept is currently insufficient to deal with externalities emanating from MNCs‘ operations including human rights violations. The book goes on to argue that whilst control of MNCs involves regulation at the international level, more emphasis needs to be placed on possibilities at home States and host States where there are stronger bases for the control of corporations. It examines possibilities in the European Union, exploring ways in which the EU can ensure that MNCs from its territory do not violate human rights when operating abroad.