There is currently much debate over corporate social responsibility on whether business companies should look beyond shareholder primacy and profit maximisation to act for the benefit of others. It is generally agreed, however, even amongst advocates of shareholder primacy, that profit maximisation should only be achieved within the framework of external laws regulating the conduct of individuals and companies generally. If the objectives of such external laws are not to be defeated, then it is important for controllers of companies to ensure corporate compliance with the law. Despite this, controversies have arisen where corporate enterprises may have improperly flouted or evaded liabilities under the law. Against this background, it is argued in this book that it is necessary to ensure that responsible persons are accountable under the law so as to promote compliance with legal regulations in the corporate context. Individuals or entities behind the company who are responsible for wrongful conduct should be held liable under the law – whether it be tort law or statutory regulation. Some counter that the corporate law principles of limited liability and separate entity have the primacy to effectively shield those behind the company from at least certain types of liability. However, it is undesirable for corporate insiders to hide behind the company to avoid tortious or statutory liabilities. This book adopts a theory of interactive (corrective) justice that is applied in the corporate context to justify the imposition of civil liability on responsible directors, shareholders and other corporate participants under Anglo-Australian law. In light of this theoretical framework, possibilities of rectifying deficiencies in the law through judicial development of existing legal principles are examined. To the extent that appropriate directions in the law cannot be achieved via judicial development of the law, the book also investigates possibilities of statutory reform.

Whilst many of us would agree that human rights are more important than corporate profits, the reality is often different; such realities as child labour and environmental destruction caused by corporate activities make this patently clear. Recognising that balancing human rights and business interests can be problematic, Corporate Accountability considers the limits of existing complaint mechanisms and examines non-judicial alternatives for conflict resolution.

This book focuses on Integrated Reporting as a contemporary social and managerial innovation where a number of initiatives, organizations and individuals began to converge in response to the need for a consistent, collaborative and internationally accepted approach to redesign corporate reporting. Integrated Reporting is a process that results in communication of the annual “integrated report” which describes value creation over time. An integrated report is a concise communication about how an organization’s strategy, governance, performance and prospects lead to the creation of value over the short, medium and long term. This book offers a fresh perspective with expert contributions focusing on both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical challenges for the future of corporate reporting.

International law, corporate law, and governance gaps -- Global policy initiatives to regulate business responsibility and human rights -- Human rights conflicts and the creation of corporate responsibility collaborations -- Information and accountability : regulating the corporate social responsibility to respect human rights through ranking and reporting -- Competition, choice, and change : activist investors and concerned consumers as ethical enforcement agents -- From voluntary to obligatory : corporate reporting and codes of conduct to promote respect for human.

3.1 Right to Food

"This book explores the evolving role of international law in directing and controlling the conduct of business enterprises, in particular multinational corporations, with respect to the protection of the environment, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the respect of inter-related human rights. It assesses the progress and continuing limitations in the identification of international standards of corporate environmental accountability and responsibility, and their implementation by international organizations. This assessment shows the extent to which the international community has conceptually and operationally clarified its expectations about acceptable corporate conduct. This second edition of Elisa Morgera's book reflects the intensified convergence of international standard-setting efforts on corporate environmental accountability, with parallel international developments on business and human rights and the environment. It also explores the recent emergence of substantive international standards of corporate environmental responsibility, which have arisen from a growing number of sectoral guidelines. Equally, it points to the remaining divergences in the content of international standards of corporate environmental accountability and responsibility, which reflect differing views among States of their international obligations to ensure the protection of the environment and the respect of human rights.?--Provided by publisher.

Examines when, where, why, and how corporate accountability for past human rights violations in armed conflicts and authoritarian regimes is possible.