Ethics & International Affairs Volume 16.1 (Spring 2002): Articles: NGO Strategies for Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility [Abstract]

May 2, 2002

This article describes and evaluates the different strategies that have been employed by international human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in attempting to influence the behavior of multinational corporations (MNCs). Within the NGO world, there is a basic divide on tactics for dealing with corporations: Engagers try to draw corporations into dialogue in order to persuade them by means of ethical and prudential arguments to adopt voluntary codes of conduct, while confronters believe that corporations will act only when their financial interests are threatened, and therefore take a more adversarial stance toward them. Confrontational NGOs tend to employ moral stigmatization, or "naming and shaming," as their primary tactic, while NGOs that favor engagement offer dialogue and limited forms of cooperation with willing MNCs.

The article explains the evolving relationship between NGOs and MNCs in relation to human rights issues and defines eight strategies along the engagement/confrontation spectrum used by NGOs in their dealings with MNCs. The potential benefits and risks of various forms of engagement between NGOs and MNCs are analyzed and it is argued that the dynamic created by NGOs pursuing these different strategies can be productive in moving some companies to embrace their social responsibilities. Yet, in order for these changes to be sustainable, national governments will need to enact enforceable international legal standards for corporate social accountability.

To read or purchase the full text of this article, click here.

You may also like

OCT 29, 2021 Journal

Ethics & International Affairs Volume 35.3 (Fall 2021)

The highlight of this issue is a book symposium organized by Peter Balint on Ned Dobos’s "Ethics, Security, and the War Machine," featuring contributions ...

AUG 27, 2021 Journal

Ethics & International Affairs Volume 35.2 (Summer 2021)

The highlight of this issue is a roundtable organized by Adrian Gallagher on the responsibility to protect in a changing world order. The roundtable contains ...

President Macron at the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda, January 2021. <br>CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/50877135273">World Economic Forum/Pascal Bitz</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(CC)</a>

MAR 30, 2021 Article

ESG Offers Capacity, Capital, and Consensus for Global Challenges

In this article, Carnegie New Leader Ravipal Bains outlines an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) led reorientation of the global financial system. The core idea ...