Suchergebnisse

Transnational corporations (TNCs) have a central role to play in globalization. At the same time, globalization carries risks for the corporation, and not all of those associated with TNCs may support globalization. While much of the globalization literature suggests that corporations are globalizing their production systems, or contributing to a global culture, there is little exploration of how globalization is framed and mediated within the corporate community itself. This article employs a semiotic analysis of images and texts from annual reports of Fortune Global 500 corporations. It argues that globalizing TNCs generate several narratives geared to persuading employees, shareholders, business partners and members of the financial community of the merits of globalization. They can be divided into at least three types geared to brand, industry leadership or organization. The narratives all have common themes to the extent that they are rooted in a customer focus, but they also demonstrate multiple and sometimes ambiguous global aspirations and expectations.

Corporate responses to environmental challenges are often held directly or indirectly responsible for significant worldwide environmental destruction. Corporations are beginning to respond to environmental and social concerns and are taking these into account. This process, known as the greening of the corporation is fraught with contradictions since the foremost aim of corporations is to earn profits. Robbins analyses the approaches of four major international companies: ARCO Chemical; Ben & Jerry's; Shell; and The Body Shop.

AbstractThe professional ideology of engineers is said to be rooted in feelings of self‐importance and a belief in an ability to lead, based on qualities of technical expertise and rational decision‐making not held by the public at large. This paper outlines the views of another group of engineers, labelled 'reflexive engineers', having a much more integrated view of socio‐technical systems. Interviews were conducted with engineers working in the Global South in fields such as community water supply and sanitation. The paper aims to uncover how they make sense of the social and how they perceive factors shaping development practice. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractFaced with a well‐documented fresh water crisis in many parts of the world, international institutions are advocating market‐based solutions involving the privatization and commodification of water. The definition of water as a commodity by multilateral organizations in the early 1990s allowed a handful of transnational corporations, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to become centrally involved in management of public water services in poorer countries. The years 2000 to 2003 saw the retreat of TNC investment in water due to national economic crises, social protest, and the difficulties of extracting profit delivering water to indigent consumers. This article examines the shift in discursive strategy of development organizations, and the resulting rise and fall of TNC involvement in water and sanitation provision in the Third World. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

At a time when the human genome has been sequenced advances in the life sciences seem to have great potential for human health, industry and the environment throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Still, for some, potential risks and ethical dilemmas remain, surrounding issues such as the appropriate use of GM crops, stem cells, genetic information, the nature of intellectual property and other challenges that come with EU accession. This book is the first of its kind to bring together experts from across Europe to explore the landscape of current life science policy and industrial develo