试论“超越法律”的企业社会责任

"超越法律"的企业社会责任,是企业负担的那些超出法律强制性义务规定且符合社会价值和期望的责任,确认这种责任的法律规范实为"软法",它主要通过责任目标内化于企业的商业行为和治理结构之中,以实现企业的"自我管制";通过保护利益相关者的实质性和程序性权利,提高利益相关者的谈判抗衡力量以实现市场的自发对抗;并以声誉机制和非政府组织的作用作为责任的实施机制的补充。     

DOES THE BUSINESS JUDGMENT RULE HELP PROMOTE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

The business judgment rule (BJR) is a U.S. corporate law concept that has gained international recognition. It has been moulded, particularly in the definition of the Delaware courts, to protect the managerial business discretion, in other words to protect directors’ decisions from judicial review. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) questions the relationship between corporation with a business purpose and society. More and more attention is drawn to the various impacts of corporate decisions on society, asking for the necessity for directors to take these impacts into consideration when making business decisions. At the centre of CSR and the BJR are the fiduciary duties of the directors — the duty of diligence and the duty of care — and the question as to if the directors have breached their duties and if they have fulfilled them in a CSR compatible manner. This paper discusses how the BJR helps promoting CSR by discussing the advantages and disadvantages (real or apparent) of the BJR with respect to CSR.     

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Step Towards Stronger Involvement of Business in MEA Implementation?

This article explores the relationship between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). It offers an overview of the linkages, a survey of relevant provisions of key MEAs, and a review of the relationship between global trade rules and MEAs. Finally, the article highlights three ongoing discussions with relevance to linkages between CSR and MEAs: (1) whether, and if so how, to identify minimum global business standards in the environmental sphere; (2) the rapidly evolving 'sub-theme' within the CSR agenda which addresses the business/development interface, and the contribution of business to poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and achieving the Millennium Development Goals; and (3) the development by the International Organization for Standardization of an international guidance standard on 'organizational social responsibility', which, if adopted, will become ISO 26000. The risk of seeing CSR as a new pathway to MEA implementation is that the role of MEAs in informing the development of minimum acceptable environmental norms of business behaviour will be 'watered down'. If MEAs are to learn from CSR, their competitors and often stronger counterparts in the international architecture – intergovernmental trade and investment arrangements – also need to be equipped not only to be sensitive to CSR, but actively to support it. ¹     

企业社会责任的制度化

面对后金融危机时代以来中国经济可持续发展的强风险导向,现代产业网络核心的企业,已经越来越难以离开与利益相关方涉及经济、环境和社会等不同要素层面的交互和嵌入。更多地承担企业社会责任,不仅成为现代企业融入产业网络的标签,而且越来越借助制度的约束力,以保证切实践行。本研究在完成专门指向"制度性要素"的国内外文献和经验整理的基础上,归纳CSR责任制度化的世界理论共识和中国难题,藉此分析中国企业社会责任制度化的现状、问题和矛盾,在此基础上,以作为中国经济发展引擎的上海地区近200家产业和信息化领域企业为调研样本,甄别和发现责任制度化的关键议题和优先顺位,进而提出当下中国企业责任制度化的多元路径实现方案。     

Redefining Corporate Social Responsibility in an Era of Globalization and Regulatory Hardening

Globalization and the growth of multinational enterprises (MNEs) have been accompanied by an increasing call for corporations to take responsibility for their environmental and social impacts, and for greater corporate disclosure and transparency with regard to nonfinancial risks (collectively known as corporate social responsibility or CSR). At the same time, governments have increasingly turned to mandatory obligations for formerly voluntary CSR engagement, a trend we call the legalization of CSR. This article analyzes the “hardening” and legalization of CSR, and considers what this process tells us about norms and assumptions regarding the social responsibility of firms in the United States and around the world. Through our analysis of corporate trends, regulations, and case law from the United States, European Union, China, and India, we argue that the process of legalization and redefinition of CSR through a shareholder primacy lens may, troublingly, undermine the very notion of CSR. In the face of these trends, this article concludes with a redefinition of CSR that includes an express commitment to corporations’ social and ethical responsibility to society.     

Responsibility Beyond Borders: State Responsibility for Extraterritorial Violations by Corporations of International Human Rights Law

States routinely provide support and assistance to their corporate nationals in their global trade and investment ventures. While states may not intend to allow corporate nationals to violate human rights in their extraterritorial operations, by their actions or omissions, states may facilitate, or otherwise contribute to, a situation in which such violations by a corporation occur. This article investigates the extent to which the extraterritorial activities of transnational corporations (TNCs) that violate international human rights law can give rise to home state responsibility. The analysis shows that home states of TNCs have obligations under international law in certain situations to regulate the extraterritorial activities of corporate nationals or the latter's foreign subsidiaries and can incur international responsibility where they fail to do so.     

论国际法在WTO体制中的作用

国际法中的WTO规则以及国际法在WTO争端解决机制中的作用都是我们急待研究的问题。WTO规则是国际法一般规则的一部分。WTO争端解决机制是WTO体制中具有核心作用的机制。WTO争端解决机制不仅仅是适用WTO规则 ,而且还会涉及适用国际法的其它一般规则 ,如国际人权法、国际环境法、国际劳工法等。也就是说 ,WTO的内涵及外延已经超出了经济和贸易的范畴。中国加入WTO就意味着接受国际司法管辖。     

WTO与中国社会主义市场法律制度建设问题

世界贸易组织规则及各种协议、协定是国际经济贸易法的重要组成部分。中国现行的经济法律 ,如市场主体法律制度、物权法律制度、合同法律制度、社会保障制度等 ,与世界贸易组织的规则是相通的。但是 ,对与国际经贸规则接轨、国民待遇、公平竞争、法律透明度及法制统一等理念还要进一步深化到经济立法中去。同时 ,要加紧制定民法典 ,加强电子商务等促进知识经济发展的立法 ,进一步完善商事法律体系 ,改进行政执法和司法。     

公司机会准则的司法裁判

源于美国普通法的公司机会准则,具有平衡公司与董事之间利益诉求冲突的功能。为使这一功能在实践中得到充分发挥,我国《公司法》应当借鉴美国法中的丰富判例与成熟规则,对公司机会认定标准与董事得以合法利用的情形作出明确细致的规定,以增强该制度的可操作性,促进司法裁判的有效开展。     

UCP法律适用若干问题释疑

作为世界上最成功的国际惯例之一,UCP在以信用证为结算手段的国际交易中被广泛运用.除却广为关注的UCP实体规定的历次修订外,从法律适用角度看UCP,也有很多重要的问题需予以明确.例如UCP是否依据其规定自动适用,是否适用于所有当事人,若当事人没有选择适用UCP时.能否运用UCP的规定规制其间的信用证法律关系,其依据又是如何等等.这些问题的解决对适用UCP具有先决意义,也对信用证实践的当事人具有指导作用.     

论国际贸易领域中的“私法行为公法化”

2017年夏天以来美国在中美贸易之间频频制造摩擦并对中国的相关立法和企业行为发起挑战,其表象是美国政府作出的决定,但实际上背后私人企业是始作俑者;它们所涉及的问题实质是私法行为公法化现象及其理论。历史地看,"私法行为公法化"自近代国际贸易出现之日起,就已经存在,只不过美国政府将其表达的更为直接而已。私法行为公法化意指私人将蕴含营利性的动机、目的等意志的行为通过特定形式变成国家意志的行为或过程,它影响或干预国际贸易,以实现其追求自己利益最大化之目标;通过它,私人部门对国际贸易法律制度的形成和发展产生重要影响,并体现为国际贸易的国内与国际法律规范,进而对后进的国家之国际贸易产生制约。应对中美之间的贸易摩擦不能仅限于政府之间,企业等私人部门的参与也至为重要。     

中美贸易摩擦中的法律战--从不可靠实体清单制度到阻断办法

中美贸易摩擦有明暗两条主线。明线是两国政府就贸易摩擦所涉议题展开谈判,以期达成协议,解决贸易争端;暗线是中美之间就制裁和反制裁、遏制和反遏制展开的法律战。法律战是中美贸易摩擦所呈现的国家之间的法律和制度之争,是美国法律霸权主义背景下中国参与国际经济治理无法回避和必须回应的法律竞争和法律反遏制。法律战的工具具有多元性,这导致法律战呈现出复杂性。以长臂管辖和次级制裁为主要特征和核心的法律战对于中国完善国内法和参与国际法实践提出了更高的规则和制度要求。以不可靠实体清单制度和阻断办法为代表的法律战需要实体法、程序法、国内法、国际法多重要素的整体配合,才能达到政策目标。     

国际经济法的缘起及其效力——以市民社会与法的内在逻辑为视角

国际经济法乃是随着国际市民社会的产生而逐步产生的,在古代社会和近代国际强权政治体制下都不可能产生真正意义上的国际经济法.国际经济法得以发轫的内在根源在于国际市民社会成员在通过相互经济合作与交流过程中为自身私人利益的实现而产生的普遍规则需要,以及由此所产生的维护国际贸易与利益共同体存在的一般利益诉求.国际经济法作为从事国际经济贸易的市场主体在长期的外贸合作中所形成的交易惯例和贸易规则,作为这些成员通过多边谈判所达成的彼此共守的行为准则,它所调整的乃是国家间及国际贸易主体之间的具有私法意义的经济利益关系.WTO及其争端解决机制的建立,则为维护国际经济秩序和解决国际贸易纠纷提供了强有力的法律保障机制.     

International Economic Criminal Law

This inquiry explores the question of transnational companies’ criminal liability for international crimes, reviewing the current state of research in the field of international economic criminal law, a discipline that hitherto has received only scant analysis. Following some preliminary conceptual remarks (I.), the forms of corporate participation in such crimes (II.) and the supranational and national practice since Nuremberg are presented. This practice reveals a clear trend towards corporate liability, albeit represented by leading company staff. For this reason, and because legal persons (companies) ultimately act through natural persons (their staff), their liability (IV.) cannot be convincingly established on a purely collective basis – in the sense of a pure organisation model (IV. 4.1.) – but only on the basis of the attribution model, namely as a derivative corporate liability based upon supervisory or organisational culpability (IV.4.2.). The attribution model’s individual approach – or, to use procedural terms, the individualistic “trigger” for the prosecution of companies – finally brings us to the well-known forms of criminal participation (V.), with liability for complicity in particular coming into question. All in all, the essay concludes (VI.), we should not expect too much of (international) criminal corporate liability. Here, as in many other areas, criminal law can only have a (limited) preventive effect as part of a holistic approach.     

对中国“入世”的法律思考

中国加入世贸组织,利大于弊,机遇与挑战并存;可推动我国的改革开 放,促进我国市场的健全和完善,受益于 ＷＴＯ的多边贸易体制。同时在国民待遇、 国际金融服务贸易、信息资源与电子商务法律、知识产权与知识产权的国际保护、自 然资源开发和国际环境保护与可持续发展、争端解决机制、促进中华民族的统一等问 题上,亦面临着机遇与挑战。     

The contribution of EU public procurement law to corporate social responsibility

This article argues that while EU public procurement law increasingly allows public authorities to take environmental and social considerations into account in public purchasing decisions, it does impose limits on the possibility for authorities to incentivise corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies through public procurement. These specific limits are the result of the EU legislator's choice to endorse the Court of Justice's ordoliberal approach to public procurement law. This approach is in tension with EU CSR policy, and more broadly, the EU's non‐economic goals such as environmental protection, the fight against climate change, human rights and social policy. It reflects a normative preference for the right of undertakings to compete for a tender over the freedom of government authorities to choose a supplier on public interest grounds even if these choices are based exclusively on a legitimate public interest and should be reconsidered.     

法律交融中的国际贸易行政诉讼

国际贸易行政诉讼是在国际法与国内法交融、公法与私法交融过程中生成的行政诉讼特殊类型。在我国法制语境中,国际贸易行政诉讼是指在WTO制度的框架下,人民法院依法审理国际贸易行政案件并做出裁决,以保障和补救受损方国际贸易权益的具有专项性、涉外性与国际性的诉讼活动与制度。国际贸易行政诉讼具有特定的制度结构、主体结构与利益结构。考察其影响,它具有国际法定义务履行功能、国际贸易行政争端解决功能、国际贸易权益救济等复合功能。     

以基本权利为核心的贸易与人权一元论——评彼德斯曼对贸易与人权关系的理论建构

贸易与人权的关系问题是贸易关联问题研究的重要组成部分。与从国际贸易法和人权法的二元规范关系角度进行探讨有所不同,彼德斯曼的WTO权利宪法论以内涵扩张的基本权利为核心,将其建构为贸易权与其他人权在权利谱系中的一元关系问题。这种一元论依托于实质意义的立宪意义上的宪法观念,即宪法的最优异特征是确认和保障公民的基本权利。一元论在理论上的不足,显现在贸易权的宪法性质不明、公共利益条款的扩大解释自相矛盾、WTO实质宪法的基础规范缺位以及权利谱系欠缺发展权等4个方面。目前在多边贸易体制的国际层面,贸易权与其说是一种基本权利,毋宁说是一种基本权的制度保障。     

WTO的框架协议谈判现状分析

WTO制度的建立有效地推动了国际经济的发展,多年来的国际经济实践证明,WTO制度已形成了一整套比较完备的法律和原则。但是,国际经济不断发展和变化的形势迫使WTO制度进行调整,根据WTO的基本职能规定,组织多边贸易谈判,制定新一轮协议,是WTO要达到的目的。2001年以后,WTO组织的谈判议题不断增多,涉及的事项有:非农产品关税、知识产权、农业、服务业、贸易与环境、电子商务、贸易便利化、争端解决、补贴和反倾销等。这些谈判议题都是国际经济法律中被密切关注的重点。新一轮谈判要达到的目的是有利于多边贸易体制的完善,有利于公平、公正和合理的国际经济新秩序的建立,有利于世界经济的发展。     

Research on the dilemma and improvement of legal regulation for unfair competition related to corporate data in China

Corporate data disputes have been rising rapidly in recent years in China. Courts typically apply the trade secret clause, the Internet clause, and the general clause under the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of PRC to the disputes. However, there are some limitations and problems, including the limited scope of the trade secret clause, the difficulty in interpretation of the Internet clause, and short of sufficient demonstration of the general clause, all leading to the lack of clear rules and guidelines for solving corporate data competition issue. The property nature of corporate data and the business operators’ factual control of the data necessarily require standard legal protection. Corporate data is not the property right, but the property interest protected under the Anti-Unfair Competition Law. For further legal positioning of the corporate data, the paper refers to the trade secret clause’s legislative principles. The paper also learns from the United States and Japan that both information misappropriation rule and newly established ‘shared data with limited access’ provision protect corporate data under their anti-unfair competition law. The paper concludes by providing judicial and legislative suggestions to pave the way for corporate data protection in China. At the judicial level, Chinese courts should clarify the specific application conditions of the general clause. At the legislative level, enacting new legislation ‘data clause’ into the Anti-Unfair Competition Law is necessary to regulate unfair competition behaviors related to corporate data.