Srl | Item |
1 |
ID:
062048
|
|
|
Publication |
May 2005.
|
Summary/Abstract |
Contrasting perspectives of international companies and civil society groups have divided recent debates about corporate responsibility in developing countries. The Corporate Social Responsibility discourse has been promoted by business lobbies, emphasizing the role of international companies in voluntarily contributing towards the solution of pressing social and environmental problems through partnerships with other stakeholders. The notion of corporate accountability has become the rallying point for sustainable development, demanding stricter regulation of corporate behaviour by national governments and the enactment of an international corporate accountability convention. This article assesses the promises and pitfalls of these two competing approaches to industries in South Africa. The article argues that a multi-level approach is necessary to the impact of CSR and corporate accountability initiatives. It concludes that CSR may improve environmental management systems and reduce corporate pollution levels whereas corporate accountability approaches may provide important incentives for companies to improve their environmental performance, assist in the development of national environmental governance frameworks guiding company-community interaction, and facilitate the enforcement of national legislation pertaining to corporate responsibility. However, both approaches fail to address the underlying, globallevel structural causes of conflicts between companies and stakeholders affected by their operations. These conflicts can only be reversed by fundamental changes in the global economy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
ID:
136299
|
|
|
Summary/Abstract |
In this article, we analyze the various types of social support – informational, instrumenmental, and emotional/psychological help – that are provided at a Sufi lodge in southern Punjab, Pakistan. We argue that the lodge has become an important factor in securing the well-being of individuals and families in a context where the state has largely failed in terms of providing social services for its citizens. We conclude that future research in this area could delve deeper into the question of whether, and if so how, such institutions may be a source of social support on a wider basis in Pakistan and elsewhere in South Asia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|