This book introduces in an accessible way how CSR and its reporting are being used to address problems of corruption and tax evasion or tax avoidance. It discusses the efforts, both of organizations and governments to integrate these issues into CSR practices and the developments that have occurred at the levels of national and international legislation. The book analyses governments efforts to compel or try to induce companies to have practices more in line with what is expected of them in terms of combating corruption and paying their fair share. The book is suitable for students of CSR and Business Ethics, practitioners and researchers on CSR and corporate issues.

Corporate responsibility and sustainable development are two concepts that may be able to reconcile many of the big challenges facing the world; challenges such as tensions between respect for the natural environment, social justice, and economic development; the long view versus short-term imperatives and the competing priorities between developed and developing economies. This book explores the gaps and overlaps between corporate responsibility and sustainable development. These concerns overlap because they implicate corporate practices, state development policy challenges, the concerns and priorities of non-governmental organisations, and the potential for innovative forms of organisation to address these challenges. This collection examines these questions in terms of tensions and interdependencies, between competing claims to resources, rights and responsibilities, strategy and governance, between public and private interest, and the implications for equity and the common good over the long term. This is a valuable resource for researchers, lecturers, practitioners, postgraduate and final year undergraduates in business strategy, international business and international management, public sector policy and management, international development, political economy. It is also suitable for more specialist courses on sustainability, corporate responsibility, governance and international development.

The "business case" for corporate social responsibility, which suggests that socially and environmentally aware companies can expect to reap financial rewards, is seemingly gaining widespread acceptance within the business community. This is particularly apparent in the ever-increasing number of prominent companies parading their social, ethical and environmental credentials by producing paper- or web-based social and environmental, or sustainability, reports. In so doing, reporting companies claim, they are demonstrating a clear commitment to transparency and accountability to their key stakeholder groups. However, in the prevailing voluntaristic, business-case-centred climate within which such initiatives are taking place, little thought appears to have gone into the question of how stakeholders, other than the capital provider group, can actually use corporate disclosures offered in order to hold management accountable for the social and environmental consequences of their actions. While much corporate rhetoric abounds concerning notions of stakeholder dialogue and engagement, rigorous analysis of the governance implications of their claimed commitment to the principles of corporate social responsibility is largely conspicuous by its absence. Corporate Social Responsibility, Accountability and Governance seeks to explore this "missing link" between CSR (and associated reporting initiatives) and governance mechanisms that are capable of embracing true stakeholder accountability. A wide range of case studies, drawing on experiences of both public- and private-sector initiatives in Europe, the United States, Canada, South America and Asia, offer insightful analysis of the complex relationships between the state, the market and civil society in the development of CSR, accountability and sustainable development. The book employs a multidisciplinary perspective in order to analyse the political, social, economic, technological, legal and organisational shaping of CSR. The complexities underpinning the concept are thereby clearly drawn out and the gross oversimplifications inherent in the prevailing consultancy-driven, business-case literature painfully exposed. Above all, the book offers a sound, practically and theoretically informed contribution to public policy debate and reflects and builds on urgent calls from public- and private-sector policy-makers as well as academics to develop better governance and accountability frameworks for business to deal with the imperatives of social responsibility, sustainable development and ethics. This book is divided into five parts. In Part 1, the complex concepts of responsibility, accountability and governance are discussed, and in particular the presumed relationships between the state, the market and civil society in improving accountability and governance are explored and critiqued. Part 2 consists of chapters relating to corporate social responsibility and stakeholder theory. Part 3 is concerned with empirical studies covering governance structures, networking and corporate social responsibility. Part 4 deals with corporate governance and its implications for regulators and civil society. Part 5 discusses multinational companies and how they impact on national governance regimes. Finally, a summary is provided with emerging international patterns of accountability and governance structures. Corporate Social Responsibility, Accountability and Governance will be essential reading for public and private policy-makers and practitioners and academics interested in how CSR can become more than a soundbite, and rather a substantial force for better global corporate governance and accountability.

This is the first in a two volume study of Corporate Social Responsibility and corporate behaviour from around the world, taking in viewpoints from five continents and over ten countries. These case studies present a detailed analysis of best practice in the corporate world in the areas of social ethics and community engagement.

The goal of this project is to detail the core, defining principles of strategic CSR that differentiate it as a concept from the rest of the CSR/sustainability/business ethics field. It is designed to be a provocative piece, but one that solidifies the intellectual framework around an emerging concept--strategic CSR.The foundation for these principles comes from my perspective as a management professor within the business school. As such, it is a pragmatic philosophy, oriented around stakeholder theory, that is designed to persuade business leaders who are skeptical of existing definitions and organizing principles of CSR, sustainability, or business ethics. It is also designed to stimulate thought within the community of intellectuals and business school administrators committed to these issues, but who approach them from more traditional perspectives. Ultimately, therefore, the purpose of the strategic CSR concept (and this book) is radical--it aims to redefine both business education and business practice. By building a theory that defines CSR as core to business operations and value creation (as opposed to peripheral practices that can be marginalized within the firm), these defining principles become applicable across the range of operational functions. As such, they redefine how businesses approach these functions in practice, but also redefine how these subjects should be taught in business schools.

Many studies examine the relationship between good governance within corporations and socially responsible behaviour. In People, Planet and Profit the emphasis is on what corporations take from and give back to their stakeholders when apparently behaving in a corporately responsible fashion. Stakeholders, including employees, customers, host communities, governments and NGOs have diverse interests and expectations of CSR. This gives rise to questions about what constitutes CSR and its benefits to today’s recipients and providers. This book provides thoughtful answers to these questions and assesses the outcomes of corporate activities both in developed and developing countries and regions, in terms of economic progress and social and political advancement.

Despite the evolution of corporate governance in the last 30 years, corporate scandals have not stopped appearing in the media and academic documents. Therefore, this book presents a multidisciplinary study of corporate governance, as its mechanisms to reduce conflicts of interest and risk management must act as preventers of ethical and financial problems. The number of corporate scandals began to grow in the 1960s and peaked in the 1990s. From the first decade of the 2000s onwards, a remarkable evolution has taken place in the regulation market. However, new scandals continued to take place including the Subprime Crisis of 2008. New concepts such as corporate social responsibility (CRS), independence, gender diversity, and shell companies were incorporated. Until 2008 the scandals were mainly financial. Now, cases of corruption, environmental accidents, unsafe working conditions, child labor, and the political influence of power are increasing, which this book intends to address. It is critical to explore methodologies that allow collaboration among companies, regulatory entities, and those that guide their behavior and to ensure that they are consistent with the values of ethics, legality, disclosure, social responsibility, and accountability. Addressing Corporate Scandals and Transgressions Through Governance and Social Responsibility examines the tools of management and control that can be used as enforcement mechanisms of corporate governance and social responsibility and provides critical research on how to improve, discuss, and develop theories around fraud, corruption, ethics, corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility. Covering topics such as corporate scandal, human rights, and business fraud, this publication is ideal for corporate governance and social responsibility professionals such as accountants, auditors, tax officers, counsellors, directors, and managers as well as researchers, investors, and regulatory bodies and authorities.

"Expounds on the nature of white-collar crime and examines its relationship with corporate social responsibility, governance and corporate reputation. Presents different approaches for repairing damaged corporate reputations; explains how internal governance and investigations can be conducted. Discusses stages in corporate social responsibility and underscores knowledge management as an imperative tool to combat white-collar crime and build corporate reputation"--Provided by publisher.

Over the last decade the question of the relationship between organizations and society has been subject to much debate, often of a critical nature. The decade has seen protests concerning the actions of organizations, exposures of corporate exploitation and unfolding accounting scandals. At the same time ethical behaviour and a concern for the environment have been shown to have a positive correlation with corporate performance. The nature of corporate social responsibility is therefore a topical one for businesses and academics. There are, however, many different perspectives upon what is meant by corporate social responsibility and how this might be applied within organizations. The authors involved are respected academics from a variety of disciplines from around the world. The contributions to this book investigate theoretical perspectives on the topic, the application in practice of socially responsible behaviour and the ethical dimension of such behaviour.

Here is the story of Corporate Social Responsibility---what it means, where it came from, where it is going, what it requires of business. Told in an eyewitness, I-was-there style by a pioneer of the study of CSR in the nation's business schools, it takes the reader through a half century of corporate scandals and fierce struggles over corporate ethics---from Ralph Nader's 1960s Campaign GM to today's white collar crimes at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and other Wall Street giants. It lays bare the values that drive corporate culture, explores the motivational depths of corporate strategy and policy, demonstrates how biological impulses can lead business decision makers astray, questions the relevance and ethical commitment of business school education, reveals the spiritual side of management life, and holds out hope that the New Millennium will see improvement in the ethical performance of business. William C. Frederick is one of the founders of the study of Corporate Social Responsibility in the United States and initiated some of the key concepts and analytic categories. His books include Business and Society, Social Auditing, and Values, Nature, and Culture in the American Corporation. He was president of The Society for Business Ethics and The Society for Advancement of Socio-Economics, and chaired the Social Issues in Management division of The Academy of Management. He conducted studies of management education in Spain, Italy, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Australia, and designed and taught programs for executives in U. S. corporations. He was dean of the business schools at the University of Kansas City and the University of Pittsburgh. He received a PhD in economics and anthropology from the University of Texas. Corporation, Be Good draws on the author's half-century of thinking about the social and ethical responsibilities of the modern corporation.