Corporate Social Responsibility:

Chapter 6: CSR in the Workplace

Links to Further Reading

Dawkins, C. 2012. Labored relations: corporate citizenship, labor unions, and freedom of association, Business Ethics Quarterly, 22(3): 473-500.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=78164857&site=ehost-live

This article takes a new look at the issue of free association, i.e. the possibility to form a collective and operate as a trade union. This is a much overlooked area within CSR research, but Dawkins argues – in alignment with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - that freedom of association is a fundamental human right and that labour rights and human rights should be synonymous.

Rupp, D. E. Ganapathi, J. Aguilera, R. V. Williams, C. A. 2006. Employee reactions to corporate social responsibility: an organizational justice framework, Journal of Organizational Behavior 27(4): 537-543.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.380/abstract

This article is a useful one to help draw together the two readings in this chapter. It uses organizational justice theory to link organizational drivers and motives with employee attitudes, behaviours and emotions.

Links to Practice

CWS 6.1: See the Companion Website for recent initiatives by trades unions and the human resources profession with respect to CSR

(Report) The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), developed the United States-Peru / Canada-Peru trade agreements in 2009, including provisions for the promotion of CSR principles: http://www.unep.ch/etb/publications/CSR%20publication/UNEP_Corporate%20Social%20Responsibility.pdf
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., LTD, is a business which engages in mineral mining, and human resources development is seen as a key part of the company’s CSR agenda: http://www.smm.co.jp/E/csr/education/
The European Trade Union Confederation (EUTC) adopted a resolution on a renewed EU strategy for CSR from 2011-2014: http://www.etuc.org/a/9430
The International Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) is an international federation of trade unions which aims to build international solidarity along the food chain: http://cms.iuf.org/

CWS 6.2: See the companion website for more information, links and examples of global labour standards, including the Protect, Respect and Remedy framework

(Blog) Global Work Blog, is a blog dedicated to providing discussions relating to globalization, labour, human rights and social justice: http://globalworkblog.org/
(Video) Professor John Ruggie, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, presents the Business and Human Rights Framework in this video, with reference to his ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55PJw077eQE
American Apparel, is a US-based clothing and textile manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer that purveys ‘sweatshop free’ clothing due its commitment to never outsourcing production: http://www.americanapparel.net/presscenter/articles/20040211salon.html