There is a growing body of research on shareholder activism for corporate social and environmental responsibility. This paper maps and synthesizes research on this topic during 1983-2007. Five key themes emerge. (1) Several studies address shareholder proposals in the US, including proposal topics, voting results, and typical targets for such activism. (2) Other studies focus on the effects of shareholder activism on corporate policy and practice. Further, studies have been conducted on shareholder activism by (3) NGOs, (4) unions and (5) pension funds respectively. Based on this review, missing perspectives are identified and suggestions are made for future research directions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Cross-sectoral partnerships have increasingly been promoted as a solution to environmental and social problems. This presupposes participation of civil society organizations (CSOs). The article probes whether the partnership idea is prevailing among CSOs. The purpose of the study is to explore what underlies CSOs' approaches to interaction with business.The study finds that, based on their background and tactics for business interaction, CSOs can be divided into Preservers, Protesters, Modifiers and Scrutinizers. Among these, solely the Preservers have a strategy of engaging in partnerships with business. The Protesters, Modifiers and Scrutinizers, on the other hand, take on a strategy of independence. This finding indicates that corporations that seek to successfully partner with CSOs should be wary that such collaboration is not in line with the strategy of all CSOs, and that for the same reasons the prevailing partnership promotion might be problematic.

corporate social responsibility, CSR, freedom of expression, human rights, norm entrepreneur, shareholder activism, SRI,

Through the practice of socially responsible investment (SRI), shareholders are involved in infl uencing corporations with regard to their social and environmental responsibilities. This paper focuses on SRI in one of the world's most prominent fi nancial centers, Hong Kong. It explores why the role of SRI as a way of infl uencing corporate social responsibility in Hong Kong is limited. The study fi nds that many of the aspects that have facilitated SRI in North America and Europe are not in place in Hong Kong, and gives examples of such factors. It also suggests that the institutional logic that dominates Hong Kong's corporate and fi nancial sectors has not been receptive to the logic that underlies environmental protection and social justice, and that this is an impediment to SRI to gain a foothold in Hong Kong and the Asian region more generally.

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