CSR and social conflict in the Brazilian extractive sector

ABSTRACT

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important means to address conflicts, support local development and build trust between businesses and civil society. Yet CSR often fails to live up to its ambitions and can even exacerbate conflicts between companies and communities. In this article we consider how changing CSR strategies over the past four decades between Brazilian company Vale to Norwegian company Hydro have fomented or mitigated company–community conflicts in Northern Brazil. We find that paternalistic and philanthropic approaches of Vale over time led to deep resentment and mistrust due to underdevelopment and environmental damages. Moreover, while Hydro’s more modern CSR strategies sought to deepen community engagement and build legitimacy, the company has struggled in addressing the legacies inherited from Vale and past and current civil society grievances. The case suggests that even forward-thinking CSR approaches are vulnerable to failure where they prioritise business risk over community engagement, neglect to account for past legacies in areas of operation, and fail to create a shared vision of future development. It suggests that EI companies should both understand and engage with their social and environmental impacts in the past, present, and future and create shared economic benefits in the short and long term in order to address social conflicts.     

公司独立人格理论应用于跨国集团公司之晚近发展

传统公司法坚实地建立在这样的法律理念之上,即公司的所有者或投资者(股东)与所注册成立的公司之间是严格地分开的,换句话说,只有后者才能对公司的行为后果负责。这种理论适用于十九世纪刚出现时的单一层次结构的公司,其能否延伸适用到当今世界盛行的多层结构公司(公司集团),适用到何种程度,是本文即将探讨的重点。     

以中美制度分析为基础论中国公司资本制度模式选择

美国为授权资本制的典型国家,中国实行法定资本制有其特殊的背景。以中美制度分析为基础看公司资本制度模式选择,中国应采取折衷授权资本制。     

集团诉讼制度的价值研究——兼评我国的代表人诉讼制度

价值是反映主体与客体之间需要和满足需要的效应关系的范畴,是深刻认识集团诉讼制度的良好视角和工具.集团诉讼价值是法律价值、民事诉讼价值下位的概念.集团诉讼制度的独特品性在于克服集体行动的障碍,共通性在于体现了在新的社会条件下民事诉讼目的论的发展.     

有限责任视野下公司内部人控制的合理性分析

内部人控制是现代公司制企业中普遍存在的现象,运用股东有限责任制度、公司独立人格制度和权利义务对等原理对内部人控制存在的原因进行分析发现,就公司权力配置的应然状态而言,内部人控制有其存在的制度空间、组织基础和法理依据,其作为经营管理层面上的控制权,存在于股东有限责任制度所构建的权利和利益平衡体系之中.     

反思国际法效力根据"协调意志"的意识形态性

国际法的效力根据在于所谓各国意志之间的协议,即"协调意志"说.但是,"协调意志"说的意识形态性与现代国际法理论及发展趋势存在冲突,与国际社会和国际法的发展存在不和谐之处,"协调意志"说的意识形态性在一定程度上使国际法发展的推动力受到削弱,损害了国际法作为一个学科体系的生命力.因此,我们应以开放的态度对待国际法,不应局限在某一狭隘的、群体的范围内,使其更有利于国际社会和全人类的发展.     

英美法系与中国的法人越权原则之异同

法人越权是指法人的行为超出了章程规定的目的范围。其中如何平衡投资者、法人及交易相对人的利益是关键问题。研究英美法系的主要国家对法人越权问题的研究发展状况 ,可以对我国应采取的措施有些启示     

Corporate Governance in Spain (with an Application of the Power Indices Approach)

This paper describes the governance system of Spanish listed firms in the early 1990's. Although the institutional setting of the Spanish Stock Exchanges differs little from other European national markets, we found important differences in several aspects of corporate governance. In particular, some of the standard mechanisms of control (e.g. boards and institutional shareholders) do not play an active role, whereas ownership is relatively concentrated. Moreover, power indices suggest that controlling blocs of large shareholders are very likely to form. We thus conclude that the ownership of shares is a pivotal mechanism in the governance of Spanish corporations.