Studies by leading research groups, such as the Opinion Research Corp. and Yankelovich Partners, respected scholars and socially responsible investment firms underscore the point that companies which look beyond solely maximizing wealth and profits and are driven by values and a sense of purpose outperform those companies that focus only on short-term gain. Workers produce more and higher quality products when they work in enterprises which respect their dignity and their rights. Promoting rights opens markets. Promoting respect for human rights goes hand in hand with the development of the rule of law. More and more businesses are coming to the realization that their investments and even their persons are not safe in a country where there is no rule of law.
Contracts mean nothing if they can be cancelled at the whim of local officials. . . .
Promoting respect for international human rights instruments is essentially the same exercise as promoting respect for international trade agreements. The efforts complement each other. Promoting respect for human rights is good for a company s image, both at home and in the host country. Companies which demonstrate a commitment to respecting human rights in the workplace and to improving human rights in the community at large enjoy better images than those that do not. Indeed, companies which associate with regimes of the most brutal and repressive kind are more and more targets of shareholder resolutions and investment community boycotts.