1st Edition

Terms for Endearment Business, NGOs and Sustainable Development

Edited By Jem Bendell Copyright 2000
    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    Business and NGOs are seen by many to be locked in a perpetual war of values and ideologies. What this book demonstrates is that the war has moved on. Many companies are now engaging with their stakeholders – even those with which they have traditionally had antagonistic relationships – as part of their strategies for improved social and environmental performance.  With contributions from an outstanding and diverse group of experts from business, consultancy, research institutes, NGOs and academia, Terms for Endearment investigates the how and why of these new collaborations and provides concrete examples of business working with stakeholder pressure for sustainable development.  The book forcibly argues the notion of organizations of civil society setting the standards for business behaviour in the 21st century. For those companies that choose not to pursue high standards of social and environmental performance, confrontation with NGOs must be expected, with negative consequences for sales, costs and social capital, i.e. the bottom line. Terms for Endearment therefore presents business with both a threat and opportunity as we move closer to establishing a social basis for global economic activity.

    Foreword Anita Roddick, Founder and Co-Chair, The Body Shop International; Founder, New Academy of Business, UK  Foreword Georg Kell, Senior Officer, Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General  Foreword Kumi Naidoo, President, CIVICUS  Introduction: Working with stakeholder pressure for sustainable development Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, UK   Part 1: Driving factors for business–NGO engagement1. Globalisation and the new politics of sustainable development Peter Newell, Institute of Development Studies, UK  2. Making it legit: new ways of generating corporate legitimacy in a global economy Cheryl Rodgers, University of Portsmouth, UK  3. Web wars: business, NGOs and governments in an Internet-connected world John Bray, Control Risks Group, UK Part 2: Examples from industry sectors4. Planting the seeds of change: business-NGO relations and tropical deforestation David F. Murphy and Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, UK  5. Shades of green: mining, NGOs and the pursuit of negotiating power Saleem H. Ali, MIT, USA  6. A no win-win situation? GMOs, NGOs and sustainable development Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, UK  7. The listening banks: the development of relations with NGOs Mike Lachowicz, SERM Rating Agency Ltd, UK Part 3: Organisations' experiences 8. Meeting social and environmental objectives through partnership: the experience of Unilever Anne Weir, Unilever, UK  9. Working non-"STOP" for sustainable development: case study of a Canadian environmental NGO's relationships with businesses since 1970 Marie-France Turcotte, Concordia University, Canada  10. Bridging troubled waters: the Marine Stewardship Council Simon Heap, INTRAC, UK, and Penny Fowler, Trade Policy Advisor, Oxfam UK Part 4: Seeking and managing collaboration11. Partners for sustainability John Elkington and Shelly Fennell, SustainAbility Ltd, UK  12. Culture clash and mediation: exploring the cultural dynamics of business-NGO collaboration Andy Crane, Cardiff Business School, UK  13. The art of collaboration: emerging business-NGO relations in Asia Christopher C. Plante, The Asia Foundation, USA, and Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, UK Part 5: Concepts14. Complementary resources: the win-win rationale for partnership with NGOs Steve Waddell, Organizational Futures, USA  15. Thinking partners: business, NGOs and the partnership concept David F. Murphy and Gill Coleman, New Academy of Business, UK  16. Change the rules! Business–NGO relations and structuration theory Uwe Schneidewind and Holger Petersen, University of Oldenburg, Germany Part 6: Future directions17. New frontiers: emerging NGO activities to strengthen transparency and accountability in business Rob Lake, Traidcraft, UK, and Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, UK  18. Civil regulation: a new form of democratic governance for the global economy? Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, UK

    Biography

    Bendell, Jem

    Terms for Endearment is useful for the essential task of achieving a better understanding of where power lies and what drives NGOs, businesses and the political process. - Caspar Henderson, The Ecologist || Reading this book will not guarantee you success. But it will give you a better insight into the dynamics at work. Partnership, dialogue, and engagement are the sexy words of the moment, and good fodder for a future library of books to follow. - Suzannah Lansdell, Elements (The Environment Council, UK) || ... it provides meaty evidence of the evolving relationship between businesses and the societies in which they operate. Informative and well-argued. - Community Affairs Briefing || The contributing editor should be commended highly for his contributions ... I find the text informative and the writing very accessible ... it should be a library source for societal, environmental and ethical accounting and management courses. - Social and Environmental Accounting || With increased attention being paid to both corporate responsibility and global civil society, a collection that examines the interaction between the two is particularly timely. Terms for Endearment should be notable for both practitioners and analysts of business/NGO relations. - Environment magazine || With contributions form a diverse group of experts from business, consultancy, research institutes, NGOs and academia, Terms for Endearment investigates the how and why of these new collaborations and provides concrete examples of business working with stakeholder pressure for sustainable development [and] therefore presents business with both a threat and opportunity as we move closer to establishing a social basis for global economic activity. - Connections – UNED Forum Quarterly Newsletter || ... the book is a must-read for those who champion corporate responsibility and wish to truly engage with stakeholders. - Sustain magazine || Terms for Endearment is an interesting and groundbreaking book, bringing new voices to the debate on the future of business. - Scottish Environmental Protection Agency