Corporate Global Citizenship : Doing Business in the Public Eye

Environmental degradation. Poverty and malnutrition. Disease and illiteracy. As the world's human population skyrockets and resources grow scarce, the multinational corporation--with its ability to mobilize massive human and capital resources across geopolitical boundaries--may be mankind's best defense against an onslaught of social ills. Many companies have already joined the fray, launching ambitious global corporate citizenship programs designed to improve the quality of life in the communities and nations in which they operate. Their activities, the focus of this groundbreaking work, are precursors to a new age of enlightened capitalism, and their bold break with tradition is putting them now, more than ever, in the public eye. Corporate Global Citizenship offers the first comprehensive examination of the activities high-profile multinationals are undertaking to enhance the quality of life within the nations and communities in which they operate. It details their motivations and accomplishments in both ethical and economic terms. But more important, it seeks to provide an in-depth understanding of the global corporate citizenship movement from the perspectives of the citizens themselves, as well as from broader theoretical perspectives grounded in sociological, psychological, and environmental concepts.