Business and Human Rights
Subtitle: Dilemmas and Solutions
By: Rory Sullivan
Contributors: Robinson, Mary
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2017
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 336
ISBN-13: 9781351281287
Subjects: Business ethics; Human rights; Social responsibility of business; International business enterprises; Moral and ethical aspects; Globalization; Social aspects; Morale des affaires; Droits de l'homme (Droit international); Entreprises; Responsabilité sociale; Entreprises multinationales; Aspect moral; Mondialisation; Aspect social; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS; Business Ethics; Management
Description: "The end of the Cold War and the virtual disappearance of communism have completely altered the world economy. The supply chains of supermarkets and consumer goods industries have spread ever more widely and deeply into Asia, Africa and South America, while oil, mining and financial companies, among many others, have invested heavily in countries that were previously denied to them by political or ideological barriers. While companies have seized the opportunities presented by globalisation, they have in many cases been completely unprepared for the risks presented by their headlong rush into these new markets. Companies have found themselves and their business partners operating in countries where corruption, injustice, internal conflict and human rights violations are rife. An increasingly alert and critical world has acted as watchdog, highlighting corporate malpractice and the links between corporations and repressive regimes. It has increasingly been argued that companies have responsibilities for the protection and promotion of human rights. These arguments are, at least to some extent, accepted by companies. Yet, despite the increasing use of human rights language in public policy discourses, the expectations of companies remain unclear. That is, what are the ethical imperatives? What are the legal expectations? How far does responsibility extend? What can companies actually do in practice? The debate is further complicated by the range of actors (companies, governments, international institutions, local communities, non-governmental organisations [NGOs], trade unions, consumers) involved; by debates around free trade versus and fair trade; by the discussion of the specific role of governments; and by questions about the relative merits of regulation and self-regulation. Business and Human Rights provides an analysis of the relationship between companies and human rights in the context of globalisation. The analysis is in two parts. The first maps the reasons (financial, ethical, regulatory) why human rights have become a business issue. However, simply because there are reasons why companies should be concerned about human rights, this does not say what companies should or could do. Therefore, the second part of the book looks at the practical experiences of companies in responding to specific human rights issues in the context of their own operations, in their supply chains and in specific countries. These case studies, many of which have not been previously published or analysed from the perspective of human rights, provide important insights into questions such as: How do companies organise themselves to respond to human rights challenges? What have the experiences been-positive and negative? How have companies responded to specific situations? What are the roles and responsibilities of other actors: government, trade unions, NGOs? What are the limits to responsibility?In this outstanding collection, Rory Sullivan has drawn together leading thinkers and actors from the debate on business and human rights, to establish how far the business and human rights debate has evolved, and explore the many complex questions around roles, responsibilities and solutions that remain to be answered."--Provided by publisher
Table of contents: title: Part, 1 Why are human rights a business issue? --; title: chapter 1 Introduction  -- Rory Sullivan; title: chapter 2 The evolution of the business and human rights debate  -- Geoffrey Chandler; title: chapter 3 The development of human rights responsibilities for multinational enterprises  -- Peter Muchlinski; title: chapter 4 Human rights, trade and multinational corporations  -- David Kinley Adam McBeth; title: chapter 5 Human rights and business --; title: An ethical analysis  -- Denis G. Arnold; title: chapter 6 The ability of corporations to protect human rights in developing countries  -- Frans-Paul van der Putten Gemma Crijns Harry Hummels; title: chapter 7 What is the attitude of investment markets to corporate performance on human rights?  -- David Coles; title: chapter 8 From the inside looking out --; title: A management perspective on human rights  -- Rory Sullivan Nina Seppala; title: part, 2 Corporate responses --; title: chapter 9 Corporate social responsibility failures in the oil industry  -- Charles Woolfson Matthias Beck; title: chapter 10 Mining in conflict zones*  -- Simon Handelsman; title: chapter 11 Health, business and human rights --; title: The responsibility of health professionals within the corporation*  -- Norbert Goldfield; title: chapter 12 Privatising infrastructure development --; title: 'Development refugees' and the resettlement challenge  -- Christopher McDowell; title: part, 3 Supply chains --; title: chapter 13 The contribution of multinationals to the fight against HIV/AIDS  -- Steven Lim Michael Cameron; title: chapter 14 Elimination of child labour --; title: Business and local communities*  -- Bahar Ali Kazmi Magnus Macfarlane; title: chapter 15 SA 8000 --; title: Human rights in the workplace  -- Deborah Leipziger Eileen Kaufman; title: chapter 16 Corporate responsibility and social capital --; title: The nexus dilemma in Mexican maquiladoras*  -- Luis Reygadas; title: part, 4 Community and government --; title: chapter 17 From fuelling conflict to oiling the peace --; title: Harnessing the peace-building potential of extractive-sector companies operating in conflict zones  -- Jessica Banfield; title: chapter 18 Extracting conflict  -- Gary MacDonald Timothy McLaughlin; title: chapter 19 Managing risk and building trust --; title: The challenge of implementing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights  -- Bennett Freeman Genoveva Hernández Uriz; title: chapter 20 Taking responsibility for bribery --; title: The multinational corporation's role in combating corruption  -- David Hess Thomas Dunfee; title: chapter 21 Taking the business and human rights agenda to the limit? --; title: The Body Shop and Amnesty International 'Make Your Mark' campaign  -- Heike Fabig Richard Boele; title: chapter 22 Moving forwards -- Rory Sullivan.