Description
Book SynopsisThe human rights issues have long played an important role in the strategies of, and the roles played by, corporations around the world. This book focuses on these issues from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The authors examine the nature of and the limits of human rights responsibilities of business. They explore whether the protection of human rights should play a role in the regulation of international trade by bodies like the World Trade Organization and examine the effectiveness of voluntary standards in the clothing textiles trade, mining, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry. Long thought to be the exclusive jurisdiction of governments, the relationship between business and human rights has emerged in the last two decades as one of the most pressing issues in the field of business ethics. Do corporations have human rights responsibilities? If so, what is that nature of those responsibilities and do they differ in any significant way from those of governments? Is it reasonable or realistic to expect corporations to respect human rights in environments where governments, particularly in the developing and underdeveloped world, need economic development and have a limited capacity and/or interest in enforcing human rights standards and laws? Integrating theory and practice, the authors include discussion of the debates leading to the creation of the ISO 26000 standard and the United Nations human rights framework for business entities. They also explore the implications of the current debate for international trade agreements and trade with China. Scholars and students in management, philosophy, political science, and sociology will find this volume a great resource, as will activists, managers and policy makers.
Contributors include: J. Bishop, T. Campbell, C. Coumans, W. Cragg, B. Hamm, A. Macleod, P. Potter, C. Sampford, A. Wellington, F. Wettstein, S. Wood
Table of ContentsContents: Preface PART I: TOWARD A THEORY OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS RESPONSIBILITIES OF CORPORATIONS 1. Business and Human Rights: A Principle and Value-based Analysis Wesley Cragg 2. Corporate Social Responsibility: Beyond the Business Case to Human Rights Tom Campbell 3. The Limits of Corporate Human Rights Obligations and the Rights of For-profit Corporations John Douglas Bishop 4. Silence as Complicity: Elements of a Corporate Duty to Speak Out Against the Violation of Human Rights Florian Wettstein 5. The Case for Leverage-based Corporate Human Rights Responsibility Stepan Wood PART II: BUSINESS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE 6. Human Rights and International Trade: Normative Underpinnings Alistair M. Macleod 7. Coordinating Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Pitman B. Potter 8. Challenges to Secure Human Rights through Voluntary Standards in the Textile and Clothing Industry Brigitte Hamm 9. Mining, Human Rights and the Socially Responsible Investment Industry: Considering Community Opposition to Shareholder Resolutions and Implications of Collaboration Catherine Coumans 10. To Ban or Not to Ban: Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Human Rights Analysis Alex Wellington PART III: POSTSCRIPT 11. Business and Human Rights: Reflections and Observations Charles Sampford Index
