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Management International Review
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The emergence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as important institu- tional actors in the global political economy is a relatively recent phenomenon (DohfTeegen 2002). The growing importance of NGOs in major global policy debates represents both a response to, and an element of, the globalization phe- nomenon. NGO influence has been feit in a range of major public policy de- bates, and NGO activism is responsible for major changes in corporate behavior and policy. Multinational corporations (MNCs) now are increasingly confronted by a range of international agreements and codes of conduct that attempt to gov- ern their behavior, many of which are driven by NGO pressure. During the past decade, concerns over the downsides of economic globalization, particularly in the environrnental and labor areas, have contributed to the growth of codes of conduct (Drezner 2000, Williarns 2000, Keamey 1999). Such codes are viewed by many NGOs as a means to rein in the excesses of globalization. Codes may take the form of international agreements, or be sponsored by international orga- nizations, the private sector, or non-profit organizations.
Vntil very recently, few research efforts have explored the influence NGOs have on corporate conduct. There have been some preliminary efforts to evalu- ate how the rise of NGOs may affect business-government relations (Doh 2003, Keim 2003) and on how codes of conduct affect a specific company or industry (van TulderlKolk 2001). However, these efforts have not sought specifically to examine the process through which NGOs influence the deve10pment and imple- mentation of corporate codes. Drawing from research in international relations (IR), and management literature in international business (IB) and social issues in management (SIM), we construct a framework that classifies NGO influence on international codes and agreements. We identify four broad types of codes, classified by their principal sponsoring organizations: (1) international agree- ments signed by governments; (2) international codes sponsored by intergovern- mental organizations (IGOs); (3) international codes sponsored by corporate groups and associations; and (4) international codes sponsored by not-for-profit NGOs. The main contributions of this paper are: (1) identification and specifica- tion of the connections between the rising influence and proliferation of NGOs and the propagation of codes of conduct; and (2) development of propositions, derived from our study of twelve codes and agreements and insights from inter- national relations and management theory, to suggest when NGOs are likely to have greater influence in development, implementation, and monitoring of labor and environmental codes and agreements.
Shirley J. Daniel/ - Personal Name
1st Edtion
978-3-322-90997-8
NONE
Management International Review
Management
English
2004
1-178
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