ISSUES FOR DEBATE SAGE IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SELECTIONS FROM CQ RESEARCHER. Los Angeles London New Delhi Singapore Washington DC

Transcription

1 A ISSUES FOR DEBATE IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SELECTIONS FROM CQ RESEARCHER SAGE Los Angeles London New Delhi Singapore Washington DC

2 Contents ANNOTATED CONTENTS PREFACE CONTRIBUTORS INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 1. Corporate Social Responsibility: Is Good Citizenship Good for the Bottom Line? Do businesses have a responsibility to society beyond turning profits? Is social responsibility good for the bottom line? Does corporate social responsibility really improve society? 'Company Towns' Violence and Turmoil Postwar Stimuli New Approach Response to Globalization Government Regulation? ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES 2. Curbing CEO Pay: Is Executive Compensation Out of Control? Is compensation out of control? Is the link between CEO pay and performance broken? Are new laws needed to regulate executive pay? CEO Cult Undue Influence Rules Backfire Backdating Exposed Courts, Regulators Alerted New Laws? Growing Pressure 3. Gender Pay Gap: Are Women Paid Fairly in the Workplace? Is discrimination a major cause of the wage gap? Are new laws needed to close the gender pay gap?

3 IV CONTENTS Is equity possible after the Supreme Court's Ledbetter ruling? Early Wage Gap Equal-Pay Initiatives Key Court Rulings Measuring Progress Prospects in Congress State Action Pressure for Change J 4. Labor Unions' Future: Can They Survive in the Age of Globalization? Do today's workers need unions? Are unions protecting U.S. workers from the effects of globalization? Should unions change their focus? Birth of the Movement Protecting Labor Mafia Ties Busting Unions Change to Win Anti-Union Climate Legal Action Recruiting Push ECONOMIC ISSUES 5. Socially Responsible Investing: Can Investors Do Well by Doing Good? Do socially screened investment funds perform as well as regular ones? Are screening methods used by mutual funds sound? Can socially responsible investors influence corporate behavior? Early Activism Key Rulings Sharp Critiques Taking Stock Pension Problems Continued Growth? 6. Regulating Credit Cards: Are Tougher Regulations Needed to Protect Consumers? Should Congress crack down on credit card industry practices? Have credit card issuers unfairly targeted vulnerable populations? Is credit card debt bad for the country? Nation of Debtors Paper or Plastic? Growing Profits New Regulations Bill of Rights Other Measures Plastic Future 7. Fair Trade Labeling: Is It Helping Small Farmers in Developing Countries? Does fair trade certification improve life significantly for small farmers in developing countries? Does fair trade certification distort markets, ultimately hurting some small producers? Would trade reforms help small farmers more than fair trade certification? Rise of Fair Trade U.S. Enters Market Trade Justice Movement Government Support Proliferating Labels Growth Potential

4 CONTENTS 8. Buying Green: Does It Really Help the Environment? 167 Do carbon offsets slow climate change? 170 Should government require green purchases? 172 Is buying green better for the environment than buying less? Conservation Focus 175 Environmental Awakening 178 Working With Markets 180 Shopping for Change Keeping Standards High 182 More Mandates? 182 Green Is Red-Hot Focus on Carbon Consumer Safety: Do Government Regulators Need More Power? 191 Does the current regulatory system protect consumers? 195 Do government agencies need stronger regulatory powers? 196 Is more funding the answer? Scandal and Reform 199 Product Safety / 199 Reagan's Revolution 201 Political Shifts 203 Pendulum Swings Product Safety Legislation 205 Food Safety Legislation 'Good Opportunity'? Limiting Lawsuits: Is Business Pushing Too Hard to Restrict Litigation? 2 Should federal preemption be used to limit lawsuits in state courts? 218 Should Congress limit mandatory arbitration agreements for business-consumer disputes? 221 Should the Supreme Court set additional limits on punitive damages? New Openness 223 Tort Reform 225 Bush's Initiatives Watching the Court 229 Waiting for Obama Faces of Litigation SOCIETAL ISSUES 11. The New Environmentalism: Can New Business Policies Save the Environment? 239 Is going "green" good for the corporate bottom line? 242 Is more federal action needed to encourage energy efficiency? 244 Can the industrial world switch from fossil fuels to other forms of energy? Early Warnings 248 Era of Activism Democrats Take Over 254 Focus on Business Entrepreneurs in Spotlight Confronting Warming: Can States and Localities Prevent Climate Change? 263 Should states regulate carbon emissions? 265 Can local governments prevent global warming? 267 Should state and local governments do more to prepare for the consequences of climate change? States Take Charge 271 States Challenge the EPA Limiting Land Use 276 Green Building 278

5 VI CONTENTS Cap-and-Trade Focus on Renewables Will Washington Help? 13. Carbon Trading: Will It Reduce Global Warming? Are current trading systems working? Are there better ways to cut emissions? Does carbon trading help developing countries? Who Pays for Pollution? International Cooperation Confronting the Evidence A New Player? Beyond Kyoto Cost of Inaction Ecotourism: Does It Help or Hurt Fragile Lands and Cultures? 313 Does ecotourism threaten fragile ecosystems? 316 Does ecotourism offer a realistic alternative to more traditional commercial development? 318 Should ecotourism businesses and programs be certified? 320 Tourism Is Born Rise of Ecotourism Global Presence International Development Variations on a Theme 'Green' Chic Setting Limits. Philanthropy in America: Are Americans Generous Givers? Are Americans more generous than citizens of other countries? Do increases in private philanthropy lead to cuts in government funding for social programs? Should Congress get tougher on charities? Biblical Roots New Directions Rockers and Volunteers Billionaires and Scandals Legislative Red Cross Shake-up Bonds for Vaccines Wealth Transfer?