Corporate Social Responsibility and Access to Policy Élites: An Analysis of Tobacco Industry Documents

Abstract

Gary Fooks and colleagues undertook a review of tobacco industry documents and show that policies on corporate social responsibility can enable access to and dialogue with policymakers at the highest level.

Diversificação agrícola em localidade rural do Sul do Brasil: reflexões e alternativas de cumprimento da Convenção-Quadro para o controle do tabaco

“…Mas falar em defesa do ambiente lhes renderá maior credibilidade e reconhecimento social e, rapidamente, procuram ocupar esse espaço. Estudo desenvolvido na Inglaterra referente a estratégias de responsabilidade social da British American Tobacco (BAT) revelou que seu objetivo era ter acesso à elite política daquele país e assim influenciar nas decisões (FOOKS et al, 2011).…”

Global Fund collusion with liquor giant is a clear conflict of interest

“…Evidence suggests that these corporate social responsibility strategies are intended to facilitate access to government, co-opt nongovernmental organizations to corporate agendas, build trust among the public and political elite and promote untested, voluntary solutions over binding regulation. [11][12][13][14] Furthermore, corporate social responsibility strategies, including corporate philanthropy, have also been used to create divisions among public health professionals. 15,16 The two previous commentaries highlight this very danger.…”

Corporate Social Responsibility programs of Big Food in Australia: a content analysis of industry documents

“…10 Furthermore, in an attempt to silence any opposition to their products, tobacco companies co-opted interest groups that may potentially oppose tobacco industry-funded CSR programs to avoid possible criticism in future. 17,42 This study identified a wide range of CSR strategies implemented by the Big Food industry, many of which appear to offer community benefits such as the administration of grant funding schemes. However, it can also be argued that Big Food uses CSR strategies to build positive brand images and consumer preferences, which leads to decreased perceptions of harm and increased consumption of potentially harmful products.…”