Examining the Practice to Understand the Meaning: An Analysis of competing CSR-Discourses and their Reflection in UN-Initiatives
Author
stracke, sophie
Term
10. term
Publication year
2011
Submitted on
2011-02-01
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan konkurrerende forståelser af virksomheders samfundsansvar (CSR) former global styring i en tid med magtfulde transnationale selskaber og begrænset statslig regulering. Den kortlægger de historiske rødder til to modstående tilgange — CSR som frivilligt, virksomhedsledet engagement og CSR som en forpligtelse forankret i internationalt aftalte standarder — og belyser, hvordan globalisering, lange og uigennemsigtige forsyningskæder samt ansvarlighedshuller har skærpet konflikten mellem dem. Metodisk kombinerer studiet et litteraturbaseret historisk overblik med Laclau og Mouffes diskursteori (diskurs, hegemoni, antagonisme) for at analysere sprog, strategier og aktøralliancer i CSR-debatten, herunder NGOers og erhvervslivets roller. Analysen fokuserer på FN-initiativernes institutionalisering af CSR: Global Compact (frivilligt) og de såkaldte FN-normer om virksomheders menneskerettighedsansvar (foreslået bindende ramme, der ikke trådte i kraft). Afhandlingen undersøger, hvornår og hvorfor de konkurrerende diskurser opstod, hvordan de blev indflydelsesrige, og hvordan de afspejles i FN-politikker. Uddraget rummer ikke resultater; det præsenterer problemfelt, tilgang og analyseret materiale.
This thesis examines how competing ideas of corporate social responsibility (CSR) shape global governance amid powerful transnational corporations and constrained state regulation. It traces the historical roots of two rival approaches — CSR as a voluntary, business-led commitment and CSR as an obligation grounded in internationally agreed standards — and shows how globalization, opaque supply chains, and accountability gaps have intensified their contestation. Methodologically, it combines a literature-based historical review with Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory (discourse, hegemony, antagonism) to analyze the language, strategies, and coalitions in CSR debates, including the roles of NGOs and business networks. The analysis focuses on the institutionalization of CSR in United Nations initiatives: the Global Compact (voluntary) and the UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations regarding human rights (a proposed mandatory framework that did not enter into force). The study asks when and why these discourses emerged, how they became influential, and how they are reflected in UN policies. The excerpt provides no findings; it outlines the research problem, approach, and materials to be analyzed.
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