Corporate Social Responsibility, Private Law and Global Supply Chains

Current debate surrounding social responsibility has neglected to fully comprehend the important role of national private law in achieving socially responsible conduct in business. This insightful book demonstrates how private law makes a significant contribution to the promotion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and how it could be improved.

Based on the analysis of four substantive areas (company law/corporate governance, contract law, consumer law and tort law), this inclusive book covers a full range of issues that are important for CSR. These include directors’ duties, corporate reporting, the incorporation of CSR policies into the supply chain, consumer rights and the tortious liabilities of companies. The book discerns how national private law in the home state of multinational enterprises can legally affect their socially responsible conduct worldwide. Andreas Rühmkorf demonstrates that private law already promotes and, with certain amendments, could better promote CSR in the regulation of global supply chains. The book's findings are applied to the collapse of the Rana Plaza Building in Bangladesh, which offers a supportive empirical insight.

As an up-to-date and comprehensive survey of CSR and global supply chains, this work will benefit researchers and practitioners interested in the fields of CSR, private law, international law, political economy, international labour standards and sustainable supply chains.