Volume 2 Number 4

New Academy Review

THE International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Leadership and Ethics

World Civilisation: Barking up the Wrong Tree?
For indigenous peoples, the corporate sector presents such a new challenge with its technology, its apparently unlimited wealth and its legal expertise. It is not easy to find the balance that will protect indigenous peoples' rights, ensure the legitimate obligations of Governments towards all of their citizens, and not impede entrepreneurship and development. Some requirements are clear, however. Fair rules are important. Benefit sharing is vital. The prior informed consent of the affected communities is an ideal towards which we should be aiming. You invited me to share some thoughts on the notion of civilisation and my concept is one that includes indigenous peoples and their diverse cultures.

Let me turn to another changing conception of citizenship. While corporations are, through the conceptual framework of citizenship, being cast as world actors with specific responsibilities commensurate with their influence, at the same time individuals are increasingly voicing global rather than local concerns. There is recognition that we are part of a global community in which our actions impact life in other regions and that the concerns of others are also our concerns. While these might not always necessitate global solutions, these worldwide connections across frontiers are generating a sense of responsibility: not only within one's community but also within empathetic networks across the world.

This kind of interest and participation, what has been called 'globalisation from below', is vital to a healthy world civilisation. Some moments ago, I condemned what I feared was something of a pervasive air of apathy in how, in general, looked on troubles experienced by those outside of our immediate frame of reference. This manifestation of globalisation provides some cause for optimism.

Now for the words you have been waiting to hear: In conclusion. What I am suggesting is that we may be overreaching ourselves to talk of world civilisation. We also may be misleading ourselves. More important than striving to attain such a state or even to define it is the need to focus on, highlight and better appreciate, the universality of human dignity. That, to me, would be a more productive avenue of investigation. Sergio Vieira de Mello, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

New Academy Review: Volume 2 Number 4
Winter 2003

Human rights principles and norms strengthen poverty reduction through the empowerment of poor people by expanding their freedom of choice and action to structure their own lives. Sergio Vieira de Mello For sustainability to happen the knowledge we produce has to have a function; we learn so that we can use our discoveries to improve the health of the planet, and the health and well-being of those who live on it. Julia Marton-Lefevre Like the bow-wave of an oil tanker, reputation precedes you wherever you go, and like the wake behind it, it remains long after you’ve passed. Garry Honey By investing in a country which does not share the same nominal normative values as the West, companies are involved, whether they like it or not, in a process of re-evaluation of the rules of exchange, interaction and international relations. Johanne Goring	This issue is dedicated to Sergio Vieira de Mello who was tragically killed in Iraq in August 2003. Contents: A View from the Chair - Anita Roddick Notes from the Edge - Tom Cannon View from the Board From Knowledge to Action - Julia Marton-Lefevre Leader to Leader - Sergio Vieira de Mello and Lord John Browne Social marketing Good for you: Good for your Pocket - Chris Seely & David Murphy Diverse Cultures and Economic Actions Investing in China: Changing Perspectives in a Changing Context - Johanne Goring Young Social Entrepreneurs in Canada - Sherrill Johnson New Ideas for a New Century Welcome to the Ideopolis - Max Nathan, Andy Westwood & Tom Cannon Speaking Plainly –A New Agenda for the 21^st Century - Bruce Nixon Parting Shots Reputation – What exactly is Reputation? - Garry Honey Book Reviews Whats On About the Author Notes for Writers Technical Information There is a danger that Corporate Social Responsibility becomes just another superficial bandwagon, basically more about looking good, rather than doing good through good business. Bruce Nixon In today’s global economy, the product is protected but not the human being who made it. Anita Roddick
Dame Anita Roddick Corporations have long demanded all sorts of enforceable laws—such as intellectual property and copyright laws—backed up by sanctions, to defend their products and trademarks. If you are caught imitating Nike’s trademark or “Swoosh” you will go to prison and pay a fine. Corporations tell us that there must be a level playing field in the global economy, or else they cannot function and everything descends into chaos. However, when you say to the companies, “that sounds reasonable, but can’t we also protect the fundamental rights of the 16-year-old who made the product?” these same companies respond, “NO. That would be an impediment to Free Trade.” So, in today’s global economy, the product is protected but not the human being who made it. This is terribly wrong, and we must not let this stand. In the long run, we need enforceable laws backed up by sanctions to defend human and worker rights in the global economy—laws which are every bit as strong as the protections currently afforded to corporate products. Of course, these laws much be written in a way that is not protectionist, which means they must be written jointly with our sisters and brothers in the developing world.
World Civilisation: Barking up the Wrong Tree? *Abstract* Some might argue that at the start of this new millennium we have achieved world civilisation: that is, an advanced stage of social development at the global level - a contemporary version, so to speak, of Hegel's Weltgeist, the spirit of the world. It is true that we live in an era of unprecedented wealth and of extraordinary technological, scientific and educational advancement. The world is more democratic today than ever before: 140 countries now hold multiparty elections. The number of inter-state wars, and of the human lives lost as a result of those wars, has dropped considerably. Global markets have opened up as the result of new technology and increased economic integration has helped to create new opportunities. Globalisation has created the potential for greater communication and exchanges between different cultures. In so doing it has paved the way for greater human freedom. But in spite of these many positive developments, the end of the Cold War - now often treated almost with nostalgia by some - and the continuing process of globalisation have also given rise to many uncertainties. New forms of terrorism have emerged, creating untold suffering recently in New York, in Bali, and in Moscow. The human costs of terrorism have been felt equally in the Philippines, the Middle East, Algeria and Sri Lanka, just as they have been felt - in years now thankfully receding - in many countries of Western Europe. Internal armed conflicts continue to ravage countries around the world. Who here is not tempted - though we would be wrong to do so - to throw their hands up in despair when the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Colombia are mentioned? Sergio Vieira de Mello, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights	Young Social Entrepreneurs in Canada. Abstract Social entrepreneurship is characterized by an emphasis on ‘social innovation through entrepreneurial solutions.’ Socially entrepreneurial activities blur the traditional boundaries between the public, private and non-profit sectors, and emphasize hybrid models of for-profit and non-profit activities. Cross-sectoral collaborations are implicit within this model, as is the development of radical new approaches to address long-standing and complex social/economic problems. In the last decade, both the concept and practice of social entrepreneurship have been embraced in the U.S. and Britain. Subsequently, significant organizational and institutional resources have materialized in both these countries to encourage and support nascent social entrepreneurs and their activities. Canada faces many of the same social and economic challenges as Britain and the U.S., but here both the theory and practice of social entrepreneurship have been met with far less enthusiasm overall. However, there is one very important exception: many young Canadians (aged 18-29) appear very open to embracing dual bottom-line initiatives and there are an increasing number of young Canadian social entrepreneurs emerging in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. This paper examines and analyzes the experience and practice of six young social entrepreneurs. Sherrill Johnson Research & Facilitation Consultant
Good for You: Good for Your Pocket Social Marketing, Job Quality and Microenterprise. Abstract. IOne of the dominant models of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in recent years has emerged out of trading relationships between Southern suppliers and distant Northern buyers in complex global supply chains. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) increasingly control access to Northern markets by requiring their suppliers to comply with MNE codes of conduct. Large Northern-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and activist networks have also played a key role in this process by challenging MNEs to take greater responsibility for labour and environmental issues in their supply chains. Less is known about indigenous approaches to CSR in the South, particularly in the small enterprise sector. This article is concerned with a different conceptualisation of CSR – one in which workers and employers in the informal, micro-and small business sector are invited to take responsibility for their own working practices. All too often, casual and informal workers in small enterprises operate under the poorest of conditions, which sell to other local small businesses and remain hidden at the bottom of global supply chains. Chris Seeley and David F. Murphy New Academy of Business	Investing in China: Changing perspectives in a changing context *Abstract* This is an overview of research which formed part of my PhD thesis for the University of Leeds and which focused upon the interaction and exchange of ideas between the business community and academics in relation to the impacts of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into contemporary China. As part of this project, I studied the output of British and US journals produced for business people preparing to or already investing in China and looked for evidence of the inclusion of wider social and political issue areas into their content. Two main facts emerged; there were significant differences between the US and British journals and there was a marked change in the approach to ‘problematic’ social and political issues, particularly post-Tiananmen and in the run-up to WTO accession. The results of this research were integrated into the wider study of the juxtaposition of state and private interests in China’s development and the integration of social values into investment decision-making. Johanne Goring School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds.