Staking Their Claims: Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility in South Africa

How responsive are South African corporations to their social and environmental responsibilities? Given the extremes of economic inequality, is business generally proactive in redressing the legacy of apartheid, or does it only respond to regulation?

These are among the questions treated in this new volume, based on research conducted for an UNRISD project that examined the implications of corporate social and environmental responsibility for social, sustainable and economic development, as well as for democratic governance and business regulation. It breaks new ground in emerging from a tradition of applied social sciences rather than industrial sponsorship. It is therefore free to ask and answer questions not usually raised in the debates about corporate behaviour.

Staking Their Claims presents sectoral studies on the chemical, mining and food industries. It also examines crosscutting issues such as the response of business to back economic empowerment and alleviation of the AIDS pandemic. The book provides vital insights for corporate leaders, business schools, social analysts, investors, and those in the field of corporate social and environmental responsibility.

Table of contents:

1- The context of corporate social and environmental responsibility
2- Political economy
3- The mining industry
4- The chemicals industry
5- The food and drink industry
6- The impact of Black Economic Empowerment
7- Responsibility from below in the era of AIDS
8- Afterword: Getting below the bottom line