NGOs and Corporations: Conflict and Collaboration

by Michael Yaziji, Jonathan Doh

Overview

We live in a period marked by the ascendency of corporations. At the same time, the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – such as Amnesty International, CARE, Greenpeace, Oxfam, Save the Children, and the WWF – has rapidly increased in the last twenty years. As a result, these two very different types of organization are playing an increasingly important role in shaping our society, yet they often have very different agendas. This book focuses on the dynamic interactions, both conflictual and collaborative, that exist between corporations and NGOs. It includes rigorous models, frameworks, and case studies to document the various ways that NGOs target corporations through boycotts, proxy campaigns, and other advocacy initiatives. It also explains the emerging pattern of cross-sectoral alliances and partnerships between corporations and NGOs. This book can help managers, activists, scholars, and students to better understand the nature, scope, and evolution of these complex interactions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521686013
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/26/2009
Series:	Business, Value Creation, and Society
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Doh is the Herbert G. Rammrath Chair in International Business, founding Director of the Center for Global Leadership, and Associate Professor of Management at the Villanova School of Business.

Michael Yaziji is Professor of Strategy and Organizations at IMD.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of tables; List of figures; Preface; Part I. Understanding NGOs: 1. Classifying NGOs: definitions, typologies and networks; 2. The emergence of NGOs in the context of business-government – societal relationships; 3. The emergence of NGOs in the context of ethical and institutional complexity; Case illustration: genetically modified organisms, social movements and NGOs; Case illustration: protecting the people: environmental NGOs and TXU energy; Part II. NGO Advocacy Campaigns: 4. NGO campaigns against corporations and (de-) legitimacy; 5. How do they do it? Understanding the power and influence of radical advocacy NGOs; 6. NGO campaign types and company responses; Case illustration: PETA and KFC; Case illustration: Coca-Cola in India; Part III. NGO-Corporate Engagement: 7. Corporate–NGO engagements: from conflict to collaboration; 8. Globalization, multinationals and NGOs: the next wave; Case illustration: conflict diamonds; Case illustration: Unilever in Indonesia; Case illustration: microfinance and poverty reduction; Part IV. The Future of Corporate-NGO Relations: 9. The future of corporate-NGO relations; Index.

Editorial Reviews

If we want to understand the relationship between businesses and civil society—the premise of the book—we need to understand the interaction between businesses and their organizational counterparts in the civil sphere, NGOs. This compact, well-organized, and highly readable book offers a welcome and timely map to this emerging terrain….The unique value of this book lies in its useful frameworks for understanding the variety of NGOs and their relations to corporations and for choosing appropriate corporate engagement strategies. Bringing such clarity is no small feat for an empirical phenomenon that is relatively new, fast changing, and dazzlingly complex.”
Klaus Weber, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Administrative Science Quarterly

“I would suggest that NGOs and Corporations is a timely book, given the increased interest in the relationships between NGOs and corporations, and a laudable effort, given that the topic area is relatively new. I was hence looking forward to reading NGOs and Corporations, as bringing together the disparate insights that have been developed so far might be useful as an introduction to the topic for students, academics, and business practitioners alike and potentially may also help advancing academic research. I trust Yaziji and Doh’s book will serve both purposes.”
Frank den Hond, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Business & Society

"This is a timely presentation of an important development in thinking about the growing role of NGOs and the future of global business. Highly recommended."
-CHOICE, M. Morgan-Davie, Utica College

"Yaziji and Doh strike a good balance in supplying frameworks, data, and case illustrations and convey a realistic view of the extent of scholarly knowledge. They review a mix of institutional, organizational, and behavioral strategy research and integrate aspects of social movement studies, business ethics, and stakeholder theories. The unique value of this book lies in its useful frameworks for understanding the variety of NGOs and their relations to corporations and for choosing appropriate corporate engagement strategies. Bringing such clarity is no small feat for an empirical phenomenon that is relatively new, fast changing, and dazzlingly complex."
American Historical Review, Klaus Weber, Northwestern University

From the Publisher