This book analyzes the implementation of CSR reporting and codes of business conduct and ethics in the legal systems of the USA, Austria and China and their enforcement in international supply chain arbitrations. The book demonstrates that long-term profit maximization is increasingly intertwined with corporate ethics and CSR policies. In order to prevent window-dressing and greenwashing, certain control mechanisms and legal standards are required along the entire supply chain. This book introduces an ethics and CSR system recommending a reward-based whistleblowing mechanism, internal oversight by a CSR and Ethics Committee comprised of independent board members and at least one sustainability expert, and an external, independent and comprehensive assurance of CSR reports provided by auditing firms or newly formed governmental agencies consisting of certified CSR experts. The author emphasizes the significance for supply chain leaders to ensure contractual enforcement of their codes of business ethics and conduct along the supply chain. Against this background, the author created a comprehensive fictitious case scenario covering a supply chain dispute arising from the breach of the supply chain leader’s code of business conduct and ethics by a lower-tier supply chain member. The author acknowledges the fact that in most of the cases the governing law of international supply chain contracts is English law or law based on English law. Thus, the author discusses potential contractual claims for damages arising from a loss of profits caused by a loss of reputation resulting from violations of core provisions of the chain leader’s supplier code of conduct pursuant to English law. As international supply chain disputes usually involve more than two parties, and international arbitration is the ideal means for the resolution of these disputes, the book compares the arbitration rules for consolidations and joinders of some of the most significant international arbitration institutions: SIAC, ICC, AIAC, ICDR, VIAC, CIETAC and HKIAC. The book is directed at legal practitioners, legislators of various jurisdictions, board members of corporations, ethics and compliance officers, academics, researchers and students. It is the author’s main goal that the book serves as an inspirational source for the establishment or the improvement of a corporate ethics and CSR system preventing window-dressing and greenwashing and covering the entire supply chain. Furthermore, it is intended that students develop a deeper understanding for the enforcement of corporate ethics and CSR policies.

International arbitration is a remarkably resilient institution, but many unresolved and largely unacknowledged ethical quandaries lurk below the surface. Globalization of commercial trade has increased the number and diversity of parties, counsel, experts and arbitrators, which has in turn lead to more frequent ethical conflicts just as procedures have become more formal and transparent. The predictable result is that ethical transgressions are increasingly evident and less tolerable. Despite these developments, regulation of various actors in the system arbitrators, lawyers, experts, third-party funders and arbitral institutions remains ambiguous and often ineffectual. Ethics in International Arbitration systematically analyses the causes and effects of these developments as they relate to the professional conduct of arbitrators, counsel, experts, and third-party funders in international commercial and investment arbitration. This work proposes a model for effective ethical self-regulation, meaning regulation of professional conduct at an international level and within existing arbitral procedures and structures. The work draws on historical developments and current trends to propose analytical frameworks for addressing existing problems and reifying the legitimacy of international arbitration into the future.

Asia is a continent of contradictions and boundaries; it offers exciting business opportunities, but is also characterized by unpredictability and conflict. While flexibility and creativity are in the DNA of many startups in China, major players like Xiaomi and Alibaba have also emerged as global giants, challenging established global competitors. The authors of this book show that these companies are crossing various boundaries – between cultures, mindsets, and perspectives. At the same time, Western companies entering Asian markets face challenges that are very different from those on their home turf. This book addresses the needs of current and future managers doing business in Asia, who need to understand the individual, social and business challenges that can arise from crossing boundaries. The respective case studies provide essential insights on how several Asian companies have made impressive strides towards becoming established players; how the revival of local brands and growing pride in local products has become a major challenge for global competition; how the need to actively practice corporate social responsibility in Asian markets is currently challenging many companies; and how the need for individual and team coaching among the members of management to support a company’s development has grown tremendously, calling for new solutions.

Originally drafted during the Cold War era to facilitate trade between Western and Eastern European countries, the European Convention on International Commercial Arbitration (ECICA) has come to the fore in recent years as commercial relationships proliferate between Western Europe and such resource-rich countries as Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. This commentary is the first comprehensive overview in English of the Convention's provisions, annexes, subsequent agreements, and relevant case law and scholarship. Following three introductory chapters—on subjective arbitrability, applicable law, and ordre public in enforcement procedures—the book provides detailed commentary and analysis of each of the Convention's articles in turn. Detailed answers will be found to such questions as the following: • Which law is applicable to the substance of a dispute within the Convention's scope of application? • Can a defective arbitration clause be “saved” and, if so, how? • In which circumstances can awards be enforced which have been set aside in the state of origin? • In which circumstances may courts decide in a matter governed by an arbitration agreement? In contrast to the other major international commercial arbitration body of rules—the New York Convention—the ECICA goes beyond enforcement and recognition of awards and codifies standards of conduct and procedure. These innovative provisions are discussed in depth. Arbitration disputes are increasing across the vast geographical region in which the ECICA is applicable, and practitioners acting in such disputes will welcome this thorough commentary on the functionality, advantages, and disadvantages of each of the Convention's provisions. They will approach national courts and arbitral tribunals with full knowledge of the rules of procedure and benefit from analysis of court decisions. Global firms, particularly in the oil and gas industry, will also appreciate the book's masterful explication of this powerful instrument in international commercial arbitration.

Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice defines "international law" to include not only "custom" and "convention" between States but also "the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations" within their municipal legal systems. In 1953, Bin Cheng wrote his seminal book on general principles, identifying core legal principles common to various domestic legal systems across the globe. This monograph summarizes and analyzes the general principles of law and norms of international due process, with a particular focus on developments since Cheng's writing. The aim is to collect and distill these principles and norms in a single volume as a practical resource for international law jurists, advocates, and scholars. The information contained in this book holds considerable importance given the growth of inter-state intercourse resulting in the increased use of general principles over the past 60 years. General principles can serve as rules of decision, whether in interpreting a treaty or contract, determining causation, or ascertaining unjust enrichment. They also include a core set of procedural requirements that should be followed in any adjudicative system, such as the right to impartiality and the prohibition on fraud. Although the general principles are, by definition, basic and even rudimentary, they hold vital importance for the rule of law in international relations. They are meant not to define a rule of law, but rather the rule of law.

This Handbook brings together many of the key scholars and leading practitioners in international arbitration, to present and examine cutting-edge knowledge in the field. Innovative in its breadth of coverage, chapter-topics range from the practicalities of how arbitration works, to big picture discussions of the actors involved and the values that underpin it. The book includes critical analysis of some of international arbitrations most controversial aspects, whilst providing a nuanced account overall that allows readers to draw their own informed conclusions. The book is divided into six parts, after an introduction discussing the formation of knowledge in the field. Part I provides an overview of the key legal notions needed to understand how international arbitration technically works, such as the relation between arbitration and law, the power of arbitral tribunals to make decisions, the appointment of arbitrators, and the role of public policy. Part II focuses on key actors in international arbitration, such as arbitrators, parties choosing arbitrators, and civil society. Part III examines the central values at stake in the field, including efficiency, legal certainty, and constitutional ideals. Part IV discusses intellectual paradigms structuring the thinking in and about international arbitration, such as the idea of autonomous transnational legal orders and conflicts of law. Part V presents the empirical evidence we currently have about the operations and effects of both commercial and investment arbitration. Finally, Part VI provides different disciplinary perspectives on international arbitration, including historical, sociological, literary, economic, and psychological accounts.