The end of the Cold War and the virtual disappearance of communism have completely altered the world economy. The supply chains of supermarkets and consumer goods industries have spread ever more widely and deeply into Asia, Africa and South America, while oil, mining and financial companies, among many others, have invested heavily in countries that were previously denied to them by political or ideological barriers.

While companies have seized the opportunities presented by globalisation, they have in many cases been completely unprepared for the risks presented by their headlong rush into these new markets. Companies have found themselves and their business partners operating in countries where corruption, injustice, internal conflict and human rights violations are rife. An increasingly alert and critical world has acted as watchdog, highlighting corporate malpractice and the links between corporations and repressive regimes.

It has increasingly been argued that companies have responsibilities for the protection and promotion of human rights. These arguments are, at least to some extent, accepted by companies. Yet, despite the increasing use of human rights language in public policy discourses, the expectations of companies remain unclear. That is, what are the ethical imperatives? What are the legal expectations? How far does responsibility extend? What can companies actually do in practice? The debate is further complicated by the range of actors (companies, governments, international institutions, local communities, non-governmental organisations [NGOs], trade unions, consumers) involved; by debates around free trade versus and fair trade; by the discussion of the specific role of governments; and by questions about the relative merits of regulation and self-regulation.

Business and Human Rights provides an analysis of the relationship between companies and human rights in the context of globalisation. The analysis is in two parts. The first maps the reasons (financial, ethical, regulatory) why human rights have become a business issue. However, simply because there are reasons why companies should be concerned about human rights, this does not say what companies should or could do. Therefore, the second part of the book looks at the practical experiences of companies in responding to specific human rights issues in the context of their own operations, in their supply chains and in specific countries. These case studies, many of which have not been previously published or analysed from the perspective of human rights, provide important insights into questions such as: How do companies organise themselves to respond to human rights challenges? What have the experiences been-positive and negative? How have companies responded to specific situations? What are the roles and responsibilities of other actors: government, trade unions, NGOs? What are the limits to responsibility?

In this outstanding collection, Rory Sullivan has drawn together leading thinkers and actors from the debate on business and human rights, to establish how far the business and human rights debate has evolved, and explore the many complex questions around roles, responsibilities and solutions that remain to be answered.

Companies, seizing the opportunities presented by globalisation, have found themselves operating in countries where corruption, injustice, internal conflict and human rights violations are rife. How do they organise themselves to respond to these challenges? "Too often practitioners have relied on the crystal ball; now, at last we have the book." Corporate Citizenship Briefing

About the Author
Dr Rory Sullivan has been Director, Investor Responsibility with Insight Investment since October 2002. He is a member of the Amnesty International (UK) Business Group and, from 1998 to 2001, was the Convenor of the Amnesty International (Australia) Business Group. In these roles, he led much of Amnesty International's work relating to trade and investment policy, and corporate accountability. Rory has worked in Australia, South-East Asia, Africa and Europe on projects relating to issues such as development strategy, community-right-to-know programmes, corporate environmental management and reporting, and auditing social and environmental performance. Most recently, he worked with the Natural Resources Cluster of the World Bank's Business Partners for Development programme, where he was responsible for the evaluation of tri-sector partnerships for development (health, education, water) between governments, extractive companies and civil-society organisations. He was previously an adviser to Environment Australia and to the OECD on the development and implementation of pollution release and transfer registers. He is the author (with Hugh Wyndham) of Effective Environmental Management: Principles and Case Studies (Allen & Unwin, 2001) and the editor (with Michael Warner) of Putting Partnerships to Work (Greenleaf Publishing, 2004). He has written over one hundred articles, book chapters and papers on human rights, environmental policy and development issues. He is also co-editor of Responsible Investment (2006).

Reviews

This is an excellent book, with outstanding individual contributions, as well as most meritorious editing by Rory Sullivan. - International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 5 September 2006 |

| This is a fine and fascinating text - a great buy for any library and a really stimulating introduction to the business issues raised by human rights. - Social and Environmental Accounting Journal, September 2004 |

| ... one thing that Rory Sullivan and his co-authors do not suffer from is lack of material ... What this definitive collection of essays exposes, however, is that even the so-called industry leaders still have a mountain to climb in translating lofty aspirations into effective realities on the ground where the dilemmas are manifold but solutions sparse ... Too often practitioners have relied on the crystal ball; now, at last we have the book. - Corporate Citizenship Briefing, January 2004 |

| Human rights is an essential element of sustainability's social pillar. The editor has drawn together essays from leading thinkers and actors in the debate. - UNEP Industry and Environment, Oct-Dec 2003 |

| ... [a] thought provoking book, which contains a huge amount of both conceptual discussion and, more interestingly, case studies from various industries and parts of the world. It highlights that there are no easy solutions to these issues, but it provides thoughtful comment, ideas and criticism. - Supply Management, 15 April 2004 |

| You probably won't read it cover-to-cover, but it's great to have to hand. - Radar, February 2004 |

| This is not a step-by-step textbook: there are no pat checklists or one-size-fits-all solutions. It's an insight into a complex, evolving area, and the choice of authors and the depth of their contributions ensure that it will remain a source book for years to come. - Ethical Corporation, May 2004 |

| The sheer breadth of information covered in the book could have been overwhelming for the reader to navigate had it not been for the excellent editing job. To Mr. Sullivan's credit, the book is extremely well organized, as each chapter begins with a succinct introductory section of concluding remarks. Given the book's clear and uniform structure, the reader has the option of going through each chapter sequentially, or skipping around from one chapter to another, in either case without losing a sense of coherence ... ... I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the business and human rights debate. Its analysis is thought provoking and challenging, while maintaining a balance and objectivity in its treatment of the complex issue. Businesses, NGOs, national and intergovernmental bodies, labour unions and local communities can all benefit from reading this book, and hopefully improve their perception of the best means for pursuing human rights, which Rory Sullivan eloquently describes as "fundamental principals allowing individuals the freedom to lead a dignified life, free from fear of want, and free to express independent beliefs". - Natural Resources Forum, May 2004 |

| ... if you're interested in the subject, it's a worthwhile and interesting [book]. - Supply Management, April 2004 |

| Focusing in particular on transnational corporations ... there is an affirmation of the need for companies to change and interesting accounts of the ways in which many companies have started the journey to that change. - The Corporate Citizen 4.1 (2004) |

| Each contribution is carefully considered, with relevant examples, and the collection as a whole will be very useful to those who are responsible for the corporate ethics and reputation of global organizations. - Change Management Monitor, 30 November 2004

Book Information
ISBN 9781874719816
Author Rory Sullivan
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Greenleaf Publishing
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 498g