The Struggle for Corporate Accountability

Utting, Peter

doi:10.1111/j.1467-7660.2008.00523.x

Cited by 80 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…From outside the sector, global civil society has built on the collaborative and confrontational approaches it developed in its engagements with multilateral development banks and transnational corporations (Utting 2008). Confrontational methods vary (Utting 2008;Newell 2004).…”

Section: Strategies For Reimagining Financementioning

confidence: 99%

How can the Financial Sector Better Serve People and the Planet? The Need to Reimagine Finance

Wolcott¹

2011

IDS Bulletin

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This article analyses two events in 2010, which attempted to reimagine the role of the financial sector in promoting international development. Several strategies for reimagining are identified and described, and mutually reinforcing barriers to reimagining are outlined. The challenges for moving from ideas to action are particularly difficult for a sector that is often impenetrable to those outside of it. The global nature of the sector is also key to the challenge of reimagining, whether proponents for change are inside or outside of it.

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Section: Strategies For Reimagining Financementioning

confidence: 99%

How can the Financial Sector Better Serve People and the Planet? The Need to Reimagine Finance

Wolcott¹

2011

IDS Bulletin

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“…9 Effectively, in the context of CSR, capitalist assumptions become universally valid and are made applicable to realms generally outside that of business practice. In this process, as rightly noted by both Jenkins (2005) and Utting (2009), the relationship between business and society is fundamentally re-crafted. Effectively, the mainstreaming of the CSR agenda can be portrayed as an attempt by capital to expand its reach, and escape older forms of control previously imposed by society on business.…”

Section: The Globalisation Of Labour Standards: Speaking For Capitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on Globalisation and Labour Standards in the Indian Garment Industry: Codes of Conduct Versus ‘Codes of Practice’ Imposed by the Firm

Mezzadri

2012

GLJ

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The 'globalisation' of the garment industry has taken place in a context of increasing flexibilisation and informalisation of labour. Concerns of corporate social responsibility, especially in the form of codes of conduct, have been presented as a potential way to address this 'race to the bottom' for labour. Focusing on the experience of two important garment producing areas in India, Delhi and Bangalore, this paper shows that these codes have limited impact on improving working standards. This is due to a sharp mismatch between codes of conduct and the effective 'codes of practice' imposed by firms to deploy labour and organise the labour process. Firstly, codes are mainly elaborated as factorybased regulations, and are inapplicable to non-factory realms of production. However, these are remarkably significant in India. In Delhi, armies of urban and rural homeworkers are employed in highly complex production networks. Secondly, even in the factory-based realm of production, codes are only designed to target a workforce enjoying permanent status. However, in the Indian garment sector, the very meaning of 'permanent work' is currently being challenged by exporters in new innovative ways. In Bangalore, exporters engage in different processes of feminisation and re-feminisation of the factory workforce in order to minimise their responsibility towards labour. The analysis shows how local architectures of production crucially mediate the impact of given formal regulatory measures. Moreover, it also highlights how the firm can effectively be used as a fundamental prism through which to study labour and labour standards.

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“…Holding to account also involves public-interest NGO pursuing 'social accountability goals' (74,75) by exposing unacceptable practices such as government corruption and food industry lobbying that undermine public health goals (116,117) . NGO can utilize disclosure laws that compel governments to release information (118) ; work with investigative journalists to expose practices that adversely impact food environments and population health (119)(120)(121) ; use consumer and company boycotts (122)(123)(124) ; use parents' juries (125) ; praise companies that meet performance expectations and name or shame non-participating or under-performing businesses (126)(127)(128) ; encourage corporations to endorse investors' statements that recognize health, wellness and nutrition as drivers of future economic-sector growth (99,126,129) ; and spearhead shareholder advocacy to change corporate practices (126,130) and persist even when resolutions are rejected by company boards (131) .…”

Section: Fig 2 Accountability Framework To Promote Healthy Food Envimentioning

confidence: 99%

An accountability framework to promote healthy food environments

Kraak

Swinburn

Lawrence

et al. 2014

Public Health Nutr.

116

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Objective: To review the available literature on accountability frameworks to construct a framework that is relevant to voluntary partnerships between government and food industry stakeholders. Design: Between November 2012 and May 2013, a desk review of ten databases was conducted to identify principles, conceptual frameworks, underlying theories, and strengths and limitations of existing accountability frameworks for institutional performance to construct a new framework relevant to promoting healthy food environments. Setting: Food policy contexts within high-income countries to address obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. Subjects: Eligible resources (n 26) were reviewed and the guiding principles of fifteen interdisciplinary frameworks were used to construct a new accountability framework. Results: Strengths included shared principles across existing frameworks, such as trust, inclusivity, transparency and verification; government leadership and good governance; public deliberations; independent bodies recognizing compliance and performance achievements; remedial actions to improve accountability systems; and capacity to manage conflicts of interest and settle disputes. Limitations of the three-step frameworks and 'mutual accountability' approach were an explicit absence of an empowered authority to hold all stakeholders to account for their performance. Conclusions: We propose a four-step accountability framework to guide government and food industry engagement to address unhealthy food environments as part of a broader government-led strategy to address obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. An independent body develops clear objectives, a governance process and performance standards for all stakeholders to address unhealthy food environments. The empowered body takes account (assessment), shares the account (communication), holds to account (enforcement) and responds to the account (improvements).

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The Struggle for Corporate Accountability

Cited by 80 publications

References 20 publications

How can the Financial Sector Better Serve People and the Planet? The Need to Reimagine Finance

How can the Financial Sector Better Serve People and the Planet? The Need to Reimagine Finance

Reflections on Globalisation and Labour Standards in the Indian Garment Industry: Codes of Conduct Versus ‘Codes of Practice’ Imposed by the Firm

An accountability framework to promote healthy food environments

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