GLOBALIZATION AND CORPORATE SOCIAL

Globalization and Corporate Social Responsibilities



Globalization and Corporate Social Responsibilities

Three trends related to globalization are driving the rise of "corporate social responsibility": the rising protest movement against economic globalization, the "war on terrorism" that began on September 11, and recent corporate scandals. (Bastardas-Boada, Albert 2002, 55-67)

The concept of "globalization" has multiple meanings. Corporations and their PR firms view globalization primarily in terms of the economic opportunities associated with opening local markets to international trade and investment. However, the "anti-globalization" movements which have arisen in response to corporate globalization are themselves global in scope. Activists from throughout the world shared information via the Internet during the "Battle of Seattle" in 1999, in which a broad range of environmental, labor and social activists challenged the World Trade Organization. (Bastardas-Boada, Albert 2002, 55-67)

The issues addressed by the topic of corporate social responsibility are also global. In March 2002, SustainAbility, a British corporation which encourages activists to dialogue with companies embroiled in environmental and human rights controversies, issued a report titled "Good News and Bad: The Media, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development." The report, produced in cooperation with the Ketchum PR firm and the United Nations Environment Program, covered issues including "biodiversity, child labor, climate change, corporate social responsibility, endocrine disruptors, genetically modified foods, globalization, green politics, the growth of megacities, ozone depletion, recycling, renewable resources, socially responsible investing, sustainable forestry, and urban air quality." (Bastardas-Boada, Albert 2002, 55-67)

From the point of view of "anti-globalization" protestors, these issues demonstrate why corporations cannot be trusted to oversee the emerging new global order. From the point of view of corporate leaders, however, corporate social responsibility is important precisely as a vehicle for reassuring the public that corporate globalization is a good thing. According to Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher, in fact, the lesson ...