Globalization and the professionalization of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have led to a surge of CSR activities claiming to support development across the globe. In this two volume series, the chapters explore this claim through nuanced debate about the potentialities, limitations and threats of development-oriented CSR in the developing world at both the global and local levels. Volume 1 explores whether there is a genuine possibility for corporations to contribute to development through CSR activities. With corporate reach spreading into every corner of the globe, this is a timely contribution presenting cases from developing countries spanning multiple continents. It explores the multi-level and multi-stakeholder dynamics involved in shaping the complex interface between multinational corporations (MNCs) and possibilities for CSR-related development. The chapters highlight the potential for MNCs to spread best practice and complement the role of governments in bridging governance gaps and spearheading capacity building efforts. But they also highlights serious reservations, stemming from isolated assessments, limited appreciation of the complexities of context, and the permeation of a northern agenda that marginalizes local voices.Within the larger debate on the merits and evils of globalization, this volume captures the mixed record of MNCs in promoting effective development in those parts of the world where it is most needed. This important series will be the reference source for academics, practitioners, policy-makers and NGOs involved in development-oriented CSR.

This volume provides a platform for localized perspectives on CSR in developing countries across the globe. The chapters bring local context and business to the forefront and highlight the efforts spearheaded by indigenous actors from within the developing world. They present insights from developing countries through successful and less successful examples of locally-led CSR efforts. Together, these perspectives capture the complex paradoxes of CSR in developing countries and highlight common features in national institutions across the developing world, such as weak political and regulatory institutions, that shape local CSR initiatives and often limit its developmental impact.The editors argue the need to embrace partnership models that leverage the strengths of different actors to promote effective development and tackle the complex challenges facing the developing world. This important series will be the reference source for academics, practitioners, policy-makers and NGOs involved in development-oriented CSR.

Business and Development Studies: Issues and Perspectives provides a comprehensive collection of cutting-edge theoretical and empirical contributions to the emerging field of business and development studies. Compared to more traditional business-school accounts of business in developing countries which focus on the challenges and opportunities of doing business in developing countries, this anthology explores whether, how, and under what conditions business contributes to the achievement of economic, social, and environmental goals in developing countries. The book consolidates the current status of academic work on business and development, identifies state of the art in relation to this academic field, and establishes a future research agenda for ‘business and development studies’ as an emerging academic discipline within the social sciences. The book will be of interest to researchers and students, including economists, geographers, sociologists, political scientists, corporate social responsibility specialists, and development scholars who are seeking an in-depth overview of current debates about the role of business as a development agent in the Global South. The book is also of relevance to practitioners that are engaged in work with the private sector seeking to enhance the positive effects and minimize the negative economic, social, and environmental consequences of business activity in the Global South.

In the modern era, businesses have developed a complex relationship with the society surrounding them. While the effects of business activity are clearly seen, their direct impact varies from country to country. Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly research on the accountability contemporary businesses face for the environmental, social, and economic impacts that they create. Highlighting the variant expressions between developed and developing countries, this book is ideally designed for graduate students, professionals, practitioners, and academicians interested in furthering their knowledge on corporate social responsibility.

This edited volume aims at exploring the uniqueness and complexity of European CSR approaches, perspectives, and practices through a critical lens.

This book analyses the complex relationship between the private sector, UK official development assistance (ODA) and poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, the private sector has occupied an increasingly prominent position within UK ODA, bringing a range of opportunities and conflicting interests. This book first traces the trajectory of private sector engagement in ODA, before setting out the theoretical and analytical framework for analysing the mutual prosperity agenda in UK ODA – the notion that ODA can benefit both donor and beneficiary country interests. By extending corporate social responsibility theory (in the emerging field of business and development studies) to ODA, the book critiques the underlying assumptions contained within UK ODA-multinational corporation partnerships. With reference to three case studies GlaxoSmithKline plc., Barclays plc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev (formerly SABMiller), the book identifies where the activities of multinational corporations support and/or undermine ODA goals and the implications for the UK’s mutual prosperity agenda. Overall, the book reflects a pragmatic approach to maximising the role of private sector actors in ODA, whilst also drawing attention to the opportunities and challenges in the mutual prosperity agenda. The book will be of interest to researchers from business management, development studies and political science, as well as to practitioners with an interest in the role of the private sector in ODA.

An analysis of the issues raised concerning both sustainability and governance and an investigation of approaches taken to dealing with these issues. The research has been developed by experts from around the world who each look at different issues in different contexts.

Corporate Social Responsibility as an analytical tool can be used in the field of Business Management to facilitate different business practices from both an ethical angle and a utilitarian perspective. Business managers should try to entrench networks of trust, loyalty and cooperation within and without their organizations. This also makes good business sense in terms of rational choice theory. Good business is also about establishing customer-friendly images in a manner that highlights values such as reliability, trustworthiness, quality, economy and durability. These values evolve over time and are underpinned by a sustained relationship of confidence. So specific products more often than not become identified with brand names either for niche or for broadbased markets. Brand equity and positioning so generally depend upon the successful merchandizing of products and their images. The problematique of this edited anthology is structured around the polemic of civil societal institutions (networks and embeddedness) and democratic governance (inclusive growth and participatory development) among other critical areas of social scientific research. This line of theoretical research is expected to contribute new knowledge and facilitate innovative research to better understand the interactions and interplay between actors and their institutions. This anthology would benefit corporate managers, business leaders, management researchers / students, social scientists and the general reader.

Corporate Social Responsibility as an analytical tool can be used in the field of Business Management to facilitate different business practices from both an ethical angle and a utilitarian perspective. Business managers should try to entrench networks of trust, loyalty and cooperation within and without their organizations. This also makes good business sense in terms of rational choice theory. Good business is also about establishing customer-friendly images in a manner that highlights values such as reliability, trustworthiness, quality, economy and durability. These values evolve over time and are underpinned by a sustained relationship of confidence. So specific products more often than not become identified with brand names either for niche or for broadbased markets. Brand equity and positioning so generally depend upon the successful merchandizing of products and their images. The problematique of this edited anthology is structured around the polemic of civil societal institutions (networks and embeddedness) and democratic governance (inclusive growth and participatory development) among other critical areas of social scientific research. This line of theoretical research is expected to contribute new knowledge and facilitate innovative research to better understand the interactions and interplay between actors and their institutions. This anthology would benefit corporate managers, business leaders, management researchers / students, social scientists and the general reader.