The Myth Of The Good Corporate Citizen

This book is a classic for anyone who wants to understand the forces of globalization and their impact on the economy, on politics and on social life -- with a Canadian orientation.

"At present, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for some may not be more than an attitude. Can it be more? What degree of commitment can we reasonably expect of corporations in the struggle to eradicate poverty, promote human rights, halt climate change and reverse ongoingenvironmental destruction? It is not a question of power; more than half of the worlds top 100 economies are corporations, not nation-states. Whatever can be done to "fix" the world's problems, corporations are in the best position to do [it]."--Back cover.

Under the banner of corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporations have become increasingly important players in international development. These days, CSR's union of economics and ethics is virtually unquestioned as an antidote to harsh neoliberal reforms and the delinquency of the state, but nothing is straightforward about this apparently win-win formula. Chronicling transnational mining corporation Anglo American's pursuit of CSR, In Good Company explores what lies behind the movement's marriage of moral imperative and market discipline. From the company's global headquarters to its mineshafts in South Africa, Rajak reveals how CSR enables the corporation to accumulate and exercise power. Interested in CSR's vision of social improvement, Rajak highlights the dependency that the practice generates. This close examination of Africa's largest private sector employer not only brings critical attention to the dangers of corporate dominance, but also provides a lens through which to reflect on the wider global CSR movement.

Human Resource Development Relies Upon a Strong Educational Foundation In the Handbook of Human Resource Development, Neal Chalofsky, Tonette Rocco, and Michael Lane Morris have compiled a collection of chapters sponsored by the Academy of Human Resource Development to address the fundamental concepts and issues that HR professionals face daily. The chapters are written and supported by professionals who offer a wide range of experience and who represent the industry from varying international and demographic perspectives. Topics addressed form a comprehensive view of the HRD field and answer a number of key questions. Nationally and internationally, how does HRD stand with regard to academic study and research? What is its place in the professional world? What are the philosophies, values, and critical perspectives driving HRD forward? What theories, research initiatives, and other ideas are required to understand HRD and function successfully within this field? As the industry grows, what are the challenges and important issues that professionals expect to face? What hot topics are occupying these professionals now? The Handbook’s insight and guidelines allows students and HR professionals to build a fundamental understanding of HRD as an industry, as a field of research, and for future professional success.

Canadians have high hopes for Prime Minister Paul Martin, and widely welcome him as Liberal leader. But will he give Canada the government Canadians expect? In this book Murray Dobbin focuses on what Martin has done in business and in politics, and what he can be expected to do in office. What Dobbin reports is often surprising. Martin's actions reflect a man deeply committed to an agenda of less government, expansion of the private sector at the expense of public services, tax cuts favouring those already well off, and closer relations to the U.S. In many areas Martin's views seem closer to Brian Mulroney than those traditionally associated with the Liberal party. And he is often at odds with the values Canadians themselves express in opinion polls. A successful CEO himself, Martin thinks and acts as a CEO in his political role. For Canadians who want Ottawa to do more in health care, education, social services and culture, Martin's accession may mark a significant step backwards. Based on extensive research and interviews with key analysts, this book offers a different view of Paul Martin from the usual portrayals in the business-friendly news media, and from the other books on Martin being published in fall 2003. Rather than a play-by-play account of who did what to whom in Martin's political career, Murray Dobbin keeps his eye on what really matters to most people: what Paul Martin has done to date in business and politics, and what he is likely to do as prime minister.

This volume is intended as a reference for those interested in the relationship between business strategy and business ethics, broadly conceived. Several articles have been selected from various leading journals in management, strategy and ethics. An introductory chapter provides an overview of the articles but it also relates them systematically to a fundamental dualism involving values, ethics and politics, all viewed from the perspective of business and business studies.

In Democracy in Alberta: The Theory and Practice of a Quasi-Party System, published in 1953, C. B. Macpherson explored the nature of democracy in a province that was dominated by a single class of producers. At the time, Macpherson was talking about Alberta farmers, but today the province can still be seen as a one-industry economy—the 1947 discovery of oil in Leduc having inaugurated a new era. For all practical purposes, the oil-rich jurisdiction of Alberta also remains a one-party state. Not only has there been little opposition to a government that has been in power for over forty years, but Alberta ranks behind other provinces in terms of voter turnout, while also boasting some of the lowest scores on a variety of social welfare indicators. The contributors to Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy critically assess the political peculiarities of Alberta and the impact of the government’s relationship to the oil industry on the lives of the province’s most vulnerable citizens. They also examine the public policy environment and the entrenchment of neoliberal political ideology in the province. In probing the relationship between oil dependency and democracy in the context of an industrialized nation, Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy offers a crucial test of the “oil inhibits democracy” thesis that has hitherto been advanced in relation to oil-producing countries in the Global South. If reliance on oil production appears to undermine democratic participation and governance in Alberta, then what does the Alberta case suggest for the future of democracy in industrialized nations such as the United States and Australia, which are now in the process of exploiting their own substantial shale oil reserves? The environmental consequences of oil production have, for example, been the subject of much attention. Little is likely to change, however, if citizens of oil-rich countries cannot effectively intervene to influence government policy.

This book discusses corporate citizenship, corporate responsibility and business ethics across Africa generally, and Botswana specifically. It begins by contextualizing Botswana within the broader context of Africa, using nine other countries – Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe – to provide a comparative perspective, examining the common factor: that weak legalization makes it challenging for corporate social responsibility to be actualized.From this background, the book then discusses Botswana as a key study. Botswana has been described as ‘Africa’s economic miracle’ due to its growing economy since independence This puts it in a unique position for the implementation and study of corporate social responsibility. The interdisciplinary team of authors employ various research methods to examine the complex relationship between business, society, corporations and social justice issues. This book will be valuable reading for any academic working on corporate social responsibility in Africa, and will present an interesting insight to an often neglected area of study. France Maphosa is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Botswana. His research interests include migration and transnationalism, the sociology of entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, urban and rural livelihoods, labour studies and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Langtone Maunganidze is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. His research interests include industrial sociology, business and society, rural livelihoods and sustainable development, and entrepreneurship.