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Does CSR Affect Development?. Stephen Brammer. Centre for Business Organisations and Society. Key questions. What is the capacity for multinationals to (positively) influence development through their CSR activities?
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Does CSR Affect Development? Stephen Brammer Centre for Business Organisations and Society
Key questions • What is the capacity for multinationals to (positively) influence development through their CSR activities? • To what extent is this capacity actually delivering developmental benefits?
Multinationals have the capacity to act • 46 of the planet’s 100 largest economic entities were companies in 2007 • In 1997, the top one hundred firms controlled 16 percent of the world’s productive assets • In 2006, the largest 100 MNCs employed about 15.5M people, had total sales of over $7TN, and total assets in excess of over $9TN
Positive impacts • It’s misleading to see the social responsibilities of multinationals as distinct from their economic impacts • In employment, for example, for every person directly employed it is thought that between 3 and 7 other jobs are created in related industries
Positive impacts • In general, foreign multinationals pay 40% higher average wages than local firms, and the differential is higher in low-income countries of Asia and Latin America. (OECD, 2008) • Even after controlling for differences in industry, capital intensity, worker skill etc MNCs pay between 11% and 19% better than local companies in the developing world
Positive impacts • Not all impacts require location in LDCs • Many MNCs occupy positions of considerable power in their industry value chains, through which they can (attempt to) influence the practices and strategies of related companies • Responsible supply chain management, though challenging, is becoming more deeply embedded
Positive impacts • “Philanthropic” giving is another important element of MNC activities in LDCs • Business has the capacity to be innovative (& unaccountable) in its giving and to deliver benefits to society through this • A substantial proportion of the giving of many MNCs goes to LDCs – 35% of IBM’s $152M giving went to LDCs in 2007
Conclusion • The discourse on MNCs and development is often: • Overly bleak, ignoring many of the substantial and positive impacts that MNCs have in LDCs • Unappreciative of the difficulties encountered when trying to implement responsible policies