Why Sparing the Rod Does Not Spoil the Child: A Critique of the “Strict Father” Model in Transnational Governance

Abstract

The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is one of the largest transnational governance schemes (TGSs). Its success or failure, however, is a matter of debate. Drawing on research in cognitive linguistics, we argue that when evaluators discuss the UNGC, they apply the metaphorical concept of the family: the UNGC corresponds to the ''family,'' the UNGC headquarter to the ''parent'' and the business participants of the UNGC to the ''children'' of the family. As a corollary, evaluators' implicit understanding of how a family is best organized sets different benchmarks against which the governance structure of the UNGC is assessed. We describe two ideal models of ''educating'' UNGC business participants. Critics of the UNGC adopt a ''strict father'' model of transnational governance based on the idea that the proper education of inherently ''bad'' business firms necessitates obedience, discipline and punishment in case firms are noncompliant. In contrast, the UNGC's advocates follow a ''nurturant parent'' model, which prioritizes empathy, learning and nurturance to support the moral development of ''good'' business firms. We develop the ''UNGC-asfamily'' metaphor, explore its implications for transnational governance and discuss under what conditions these idealized models can serve as appropriate guidelines for TGSs. Specifically, we posit that following the behavioral prescriptions of the ''strict father'' model may, under certain conditions, jeopardize the organizational embedding and institutionalization of UNGC principles, and explain when and why it may be in the best interest of the UNGC and civil society to embrace the instructions of the ''nurturant parent'' model of transnational governance.

Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives on Sustainability: A Cross-Disciplinary Review and Research Agenda for Business Ethics

“…Studies by Pichler (2013) and Ponte and Cheyns (2013), for example, have shown how the RSPO’s certification rules favor larger estates that can achieve economies of scale, while small-scale farmers often have problems obtaining certification. Other authors focus on the implications of unspecific rules, especially in relation to principle-based MSIs (Haack & Scherer, 2014; Sethi & Schepers, 2014), and on how their alignment with Western values limits their uptake. Pattberg (2006) argues that the perception of what counts as “good forest management” is mostly based on Western scientific standards (see also Hatanaka, 2010; Ponte, 2012) and that this has implications for which kinds of actors can comply more easily with relevant MSIs.…”

Summoning the spirits: Organizational texts and the (dis)ordering properties of communication

“…Accordingly, our study also supports research that aimed to counterbalance the 'organizing bias' for perceiving order as an imperative of success, which characterizes much of the research in organization studies, including extant works following the CCO perspective (as remarked by Bisel, 2009: 632). Our study shows that disordering is an integral part of efforts of ordering and thus can also be extended to explore the (dis)ordering properties of communication in the context of technical standardization (e.g., van den Ende et al, 2012) or CSR standardization processes (e.g., Haack and Scherer, 2014), for instance.…”

“…Van den Ende et al, 2012) or CSR standardization processes (e.g. Haack and Scherer, 2014), for instance.…”

Empresas e direitos humanos: premissas, tensões e possibilidades

“…O estabelecimento de um marco regulatório normativo e com força de tratado internacional iria contrariar a opção do representante especial para empresas e direitos humanos na ONU, John Ruggie (2004aRuggie ( , 2013. Outros autores também entendem que a aproximação entre empresas e direitos humanos deve estar calcada na construção de consensos (HAACK;SCHERER, 2014). Dessa maneira, busca-se uma alternativa de comprometimento paulatino, dentro do possível (RUGGIE, 2013).…”