From the late 20th Century, a catalogue of high profile disasters and controversies has drawn attention to the changing relationship between corporations and society. This is taking place against the context of globalisation and this change has become the driving force for demands that corporations become socially responsible. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has therefore emerged as a concept which attempts to encapsulate these demands for social responsibility. Yet at the heart of CSR is the debate about the role and relevance of law. This book will explore the proposition that CSR is a valid legal enquiry and will suggest a law-jobs approach which offers a potential general analytical perspective for examining such fluid concepts such as CSR in law. This approach is innovative because of the insistence of some users of CSR on placing law outside the parameters of CSR or giving it a very limited role; however, Okoye argues here that the very nature of CSR as seeking legitimacy for corporate power pushes to the fore the question of what role law can play. Law is an essential and important aspect of legitimacy and thus this work explores a legal theoretical approach that holds potential for a legal framework of CSR. This interdisciplinary book will be of great interest to students and scholars of corporate law and business studies in general.

A valuable interdisciplinary resource examining the concept and effectiveness of CSR as a tool for sustainable development in emerging markets.

Even though Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a widely accepted concept promoted by different stakeholders, business corporations' internal strategies, known as corporate self-regulation in most of the weak economies, respond poorly to this responsibility. Major laws relating to corporate regulation and responsibilities of these economies do not possess adequate ongoing influence to insist on corporate self-regulation to create a socially responsible corporate culture. This book describes how the laws relating to CSR could contribute to the inclusion of CSR principles at the core of the corporate self-regulation of these economies in general, without being intrusive in normal business practice. It formulates a meta-regulation approach to law, particularly by converging patterns of private ordering and state control in contemporary corporate law from the perspective of a weak economy. It proposes that this approach is suitable for alleviating regulators' limited access to information and expertise, inherent limitations of prescriptive rules, ensuring corporate commitment, and enhance the self-regulatory capacity of companies. This book describes various meta-regulation strategies for laws to link social values to economic incentives and disincentives, and to indirectly influence companies to incorporate CSR principles at the core of their self-regulation strategies. It investigates this phenomenon using Bangladesh as a case study.

This book examines the law and its development trends in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Vietnam. It is an important reference in implementing the requirements of CPTPP and EVFTA in Vietnam, and it is also very important in improving the legal framework in Vietnam to comply with international standards, especially in the areas of labor, environment and consumer protection, and in raising awareness of CSR among Vietnamese companies. Many articles in this book analyze and assess the legal status of CSR, thus providing a number of constructive suggestions for improving the relevant laws in Vietnam. Corporate social responsibility is not only the contribution of corporate philanthropy to society, but also the compliance of companies with international standards and national laws in the fields of labor, environment, investment, labor security, social security, etc. Against the backdrop of Vietnam's growing international integration, the requirement of corporate social responsibility has been, and continues to be, paramount in business activities. It is not only a need at the enterprise level, but is also related to the internationalization of international standards and the improvement of national laws on CSR.

In a dramatic departure from its voluntary origins, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rapidly shifting to hold multinational companies accountable for more than traditional shareholder performance. This CSR movement is embracing new environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks that both promote global sustainability goals and enhance accountability for negative impacts businesses can have on ‘planet and people’. This collection of essays by leading businesspeople, international civil servants, legal practitioners, academics, and other experts offers a forward-looking and pragmatic perspective that illuminates the major themes in this movement towards increasingly sustainable, transparent and accountable business practices. The collection shows how CSR has evolved to account for societal pressures, environmental, climate change and human rights impacts, international policy imperatives and the practical challenges of regulating commercial activity that transcends borders. The chapters offer an in-depth examination of current issues including: international frameworks and multistakeholder initiatives catalysing foundational change; the shifting emphasis on corporate imperatives to avoid harm to third parties; trends in CSR, focused on assuring the planet's future sustainability and social stability; regulatory initiatives around the globe, including Europe, North America, Asia and Africa; and extended accountability for activities of corporate group members and supply chains. The pressure and business case for companies to incorporate CSR into corporate governance is intensifying with each quarter, shareholder meeting, and regulatory agenda. The integration of CSR and new ESG frameworks into multinational corporate strategy and operations is key to sustainable business models that can generate long-term value for the organization and all stakeholders. Their acceptance as cornerstones of 21st century business practice appears inevitable. Taking full account of the imperative for companies and their lawyers to grapple with the practical and legal challenges in this area, this volume is an invaluable and pragmatic addition to the practitioners’ toolbox at this important juncture in an ever-more dynamic field.

This book provides a critical socio-legal study that brings together the latest scholarly advances on corporate social responsibility, and, at the same time, addresses the pressing issue of corporate liability for harmful acts across the supply and production chains. Corporations have seldom been held responsible and virtually never liable for the acts of their subsidiaries and subcontractors. Actors as different as workers, investors, individual consumers, and shareholder activists claim that corporations should accept greater responsibility for communities and environments affected by their activities. The book argues that a global value chain's head corporations remain immune to any liability because of the 'economically dependent-legally independent' relationships between core corporations and their periphery suppliers and subcontractors. To tackle this problem, globally, the author acknowledges that 'we' as a society need to reduce the economic dependence as described above – which is far too excessive – by ensuring a level playing field both economically and socially. More concretely, she argues that in order to realise transnational corporate liability, 'we' as lawyers need to find a way (or ways) to establish legally effective relationships between head corporations and their economically dependent entities. Readers of this book will be able to export the concept of corporate social liability, developed in the context of value chains, and apply it to other contexts involving corporate activities where they need to tackle unrestrained corporate freedom and make global businesses responsible and socially useful.

This book addresses one of the core challenges in the corporate social responsibility (or business and human rights) debate: how to ensure adequate access to remedy for victims of corporate abuses that infringe upon their human rights. However, ensuring access to remedy depends on a series of normative and judicial elements that become highly complex when disputes are transnational. In such cases, courts need to consider and apply different laws that relate to company governance, to determine the competent forum, to define which bodies of law to apply, and to ensure the adequate execution of judgments. The book also discusses how alternative methods of dispute settlement can relate to this topic, and the important role that private international law plays in access to remedy for corporate-related human rights abuses. This collection comprises 20 national reports from jurisdictions in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia, addressing the private international law aspects of corporate social responsibility. They provide an overview of the legal differences between geographical areas, and offer numerous examples of how states and their courts have resolved disputes involving private international law elements. The book draws two preliminary conclusions: that there is a need for a better understanding of the role that private international law plays in cases involving transnational elements, in order to better design transnational solutions to the issues posed by economic globalisation; and that the treaty negotiations on business and human rights in the United Nations could offer a forum to clarify and unify several of the elements that underpin transnational disputes involving corporate human rights abuses, which could also help to identify and bridge the existing gaps that limit effective access to remedy. Adopting a comparative approach, this book appeals to academics, lawyers, judges and legislators concerned with the issue of access to remedy and reparation for corporate abuses under the prism of private international law.

This book addresses the increasing overlap between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and law with a particular focus on company law and corporate governance. What is the impact of CSR on company law and corporate governance and, vice versa? How do these systems impact on CSR? Do they enable, require or prevent the socially responsible conduct of companies, for example, through corporate theory, directors’ duties or disclosure laws? What is the role of shareholders and directors in the promotion of CSR?The theme of the book ensures a sharing of ideas and experiences globally and internationally for all jurisdictions to consider core legal and social aspects of CSR.

This book proposes that the responsible business practices of leading companies are significant not only as isolated instances of self-regulation, but that they also contribute to a broader rule-making process which has been underway in the last decade and is aimed at making business more responsive to human rights and environmental concerns. The flexibility of existing laws as well as the emergence of new regulations relevant to corporate social responsibility (CSR) are highlighted. As CSR increasingly interacts with public policy, some insufficiently understood effects of CSR appear that can help us advance toward more systemic solutions in the business and human rights area. This study identifies variables that states can stimulate through a wide range of interventions ranging from capacity-building measures to policy to hard law so that responsible practices get diffused more broadly and deeply in the business community. The intended audiences are legal experts with an interest in enhancing the protection of human rights in developing countries, and CSR theorists and practitioners mindful of the broader social dynamics that surround the implementation of CSR commitments.