Human Rights in the Void? Due Diligence in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

The ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’ (Principles) that provide guidance for the implementation of the United Nations’ ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ framework (Framework) will probably succeed in making human rights matters more customary in corporate management procedures. They are likely to contribute to higher levels of accountability and awareness within corporations in respect of the negative impact of business activities on human rights. However, we identify tensions between the idea that the respect of human rights is a perfect moral duty for corporations and the Principle’s ‘human rights due diligence’ requirement. We argue that the effectiveness of the ‘human rights due diligence’ is in many respects dependent upon the moral commitment of corporations. The Principles leave room for an instrumental or strategic implementation of due diligence, which in some cases could result in a depreciation of the fundamental norms they seek to promote. We reveal some limits of pragmatic approaches to coping with business-related human rights abuses. As these limits become more apparent, not only does the case for further progress in international and extraterritorial human rights law become more compelling, but so too does the argument for a more forceful discussion on the moral foundations of human rights duties for corporations.     

Enhance the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and Intensify the Strengthof Fighting Against the Infringement and Piracy

The government of China has always attached great importance to the protection of copyright and taken the activity of cracking down the infringement and piracy as an important work to rectify and standardize the market economic order.     

Law Amendment to offer Individuals Import-Export Rights

Individuals in China are set to get import-export rights,which were once the preserve of powerful state mo nopolies,under proposed amendments to the nation‘s decade-ole Foreigh Trade Law,according to a senior trade official.     

Are Intellectual Property Rights Detrimental to Innovation?

Intellectual property rights are legal constraints that limit conditions of entry in industries where incumbents are innovators. The set of legal constraints is the same for all industries, and there is no consideration of the possibility that the externalities created by entry in a given industry may not necessarily be negative for the incumbent, or that the incumbent's R&D expenditures might actually be detrimental to new entrants. We show that one unique set of legal rules can foster innovation in some industries and be detrimental in others. Our model is illustrated by case studies from the Information and Communication Technologies industry.     

“Nobody Told Me I was a Nano-Consumer:” How Nanotechnologies Might Challenge the Notion of Consumer Rights

Regarding nanotechnologies and the consumer, a central paradox is the absence of a regulatory framework while more than 1,000 nano-enabled products are already available on the consumer markets. This represents a serious challenge for the consumer interest. Even though the prospects of nanotechnologies are truly fascinating and represent possibilities to solve major problems—for instance in the realms of health, energy and poverty—it is important to also discuss the potential risks of nano-enabled products. The present study reports on a Norwegian study with data derived from focus groups, a content analysis of advertisements, packaging and labels for cosmetics as well as on a Norwegian consumer survey. Conceptually, the paper is based on the notion of consumer rights introduced by President J.F. Kennedy in 1962. Based on the results of these studies, consumer policy implications are sketched.     

Measures of the General Administration of Customs of the People＇s Republic of China for Implementing the Regulations of the People＇s Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights

The Measures of the General Administration of Customs of the People＇s Republic of China for Implementing the Regulations of the People＇s Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights discussed and passed at the executive meeting of the General Administration of Customs（GAC） on Feb.17,2009 is hereby promulgated,which take effects on July 1,2009.The Measures of the General Administration of Customs of the People＇s Republic of China for Implementing the Regulations of the People＇s Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights promulgated by No.114 Decree of the GAC on May 25,2004 shall be repealed simultaneously.     

Special Campaign for Greater Protection of Intellectual Property Rights

In order to achieve more substantial progress in China‘s IPR protection cause within a relatively short period of time, the State Council decided to launch a special IPR protection campaign across the country from September 2004 to August 2005.     

Joint Effort to Resolve Disputes in Intellectual Property Rights

Recently,at an intellectual property dispute mediation seminar held by the CCPIT Mediation Center,a second batch of 10 experts appointed by the intellectual property professional committee was announced.These 10 experts are senior scholars,former judges and intellectual property experts with significant influence in the field of intellectual property in China and abroad.They have a lot of varied working experience and deep theoretical knowledge in the settlement of intellectual property disputes.Lu Pengqi,Deputy Chairman of the CCPIT and chairman of the CPPIT Mediation Center,said at the seminar that as a trade and investment promotion agency,the CCPIT has been attaching great importance to resolving intellectual property disputes through arbitration and mediation when connecting with government and enterprises.     

Measures of the General Administration of Customs of the People＇s Republic of China for Implementing the Regulations of the People＇s Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights （Part Ⅱ）

The Measures of the General Administration of Customs of the People＇s Republic of China for Implementing the Regulations of the People＇s Repubfic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights discussed and passed at the executive meeting of the General Administration of Customs （GAC） on Feb. 17, 2009 is hereby promulgated, which take effects on July 1, 2009. The Measures of the General Administration of Customs of the People＇s Republic of China for Implementing the Regulations of the People＇s Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights promulgated by No. 114 Decree of the GAC on May 25, 2004 shall be repealed simultaneously.     

Information Center of Ceramic Intellectual Property Rights Set in Jingdezhen

Iformation Center of Ceramic Intellectual Property Rights was set in Jingdezhen. The Center is in Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, it's the only national ceramic intellectual property rights information center in China ceramic industry. It will provide the public service of collecting, coordinating,     

Transnational Governance of Workers’ Rights: Outlining a Research Agenda

In twentieth century Europe and the USA, industrial relations, labour, and workers’ rights issues have been handled through collective bargaining and industrial agreements between firms and unions, with varying degrees of government intervention from country to country. This industrial relations landscape is currently undergoing fundamental change with the emergence of transnational industrial relations systems that complement existing national industrial relations systems. Despite the significance of this ongoing change, existing research has only started to explore the implications of this change for how workers’ rights are governed around the globe. This paper addresses this gap by outlining an agenda for future research into the transnational governance of workers’ rights. Fulfilling such a research agenda would be both challenging, as it requires combining the so far divergent industrial relations and business ethics research streams, and rewarding, as it provides ample scope for promising future research.

Human Rights,Transnational Corporations and Embedded Liberalism: What Chance Consensus?

I assessed change in students’ moral reasoning following five 75-min classes on business ethics and two assignments utilizing a novel pedagogical approach designed to foster ethical reasoning skills. To minimize threats to validity present in previous studies, an untreated control group design with pre- and post-training measures was used. Training (n = 114) and control (n = 76) groups comprised freshmen business majors who completed the Defining Issues Test before and after the training. Results showed that, controlling for pre-training levels of moral reasoning, students in the training group demonstrated higher levels of post-training principled moral judgment than students in the control group.     

Who Should Control a Corporation? Toward a Contingency Stakeholder Model for Allocating Ownership Rights

A number of companies allocate ownership rights to stakeholders different from shareholders, despite the fact that the law attributes these rights to the equity holders. This article contributes to an understanding of this evidence by developing a contingency model for the allocation of ownership rights. The model sheds light on why companies, despite pressures from the law, vary in their allocation of ownership rights. The model is based on the assumption that corporations increase their chance to survive and prosper if the stakeholders supplying “critical contributions” receive the ownership rights. According to the model, “critical” contributions involve (1) contractual problems due to specific investments, long-term relationships, and low measurability; (2) the assumption of the uncertainty resting on the company; and (3) the supply of scarce and valuable resources. The model is dynamic because it also provides a basis for understanding why the allocation of ownership rights changes with time. Finally, the article presents the strategies companies can use to realize an efficient distribution of ownership rights among their stakeholders.     

Doing Business with Rights Violating Regimes Corporate Social Responsibility and Myanmar’s Military Junta

Whether to do business with rights violating regimes is one of many dilemmas faced by socially responsible corporations. In this article the difficult case of Myanmar is considered. Ruled for decades by a closed and sometimes brutal military elite, the country has long been subject to informal and formal sanctions. However, as sanctions have failed to trigger political reform, it is necessary to review the policy options. The focus here is on the contribution socially responsible corporations might make to change. The article sketches contextual features of the case, examines the recent history and present pattern of business links with Myanmar, and assesses whether current approaches can stimulate reform. Concluding that they cannot, it considers fresh possibilities for corporate engagement. The argument is that socially responsible corporations, committed to improving individual life chances through engagement with developing societies, should undertake collaborative and principled direct investment in Myanmar. The underlying strategy and problems of codification and implementation are all analyzed. To close, the article contends that, by doing business with Myanmar’s rights violating regime, multinational corporations can extend the frontiers of global corporate social responsibility. Ian Holliday is Professor of Policy Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong     

Upholding the Opening for the Chalenge of the World Service Trade

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Reading ‘the marketing revolution’ through the prism of the FBI

Abstract

This paper details the rebranding process undertaken by the UK co-operative movement and provides an understanding of the strategic issues involved in maintaining a coherent brand identity across a group of autonomous, independent societies. The methodology uses previously unpublished and archive material from across the movement. This is followed by a series of semi-structured interviews with Board Directors, senior management and individuals responsible for implementing the rebranding strategy. The rebranding exercise took almost ten years and the research identifies nine (non-discrete) overlapping stages. The paper argues that while many parallels can be drawn with the corporate rebranding literature, the need to achieve compromise and consensus combined with the independence of those participating creates issues not detailed in previous academic studies.     

Optimistic About the Chinese Market in the Second Half of the Year

The Chinese domestic market willmaintain steady growth in thesecond half of the year, accordingto official analysis, and the retail sales ofthe social consumer goods of the year willgrow by 9.5 percent, and 9 percent overthe same period of year. In one of its rides, the EconomicDaily anticipated that the sales volume ofcapital goods in the second half of the yearwill grow by 30 percent over the sameperiod of last year, while the import andexport growth of foreign trade will bearound 20 percent…     

Technology Leads the Enterprise towards the Two Markets

China'sbuildingmaterialsequipment-manufacturingindustryhasgraduallygrownfromnothingandexpandedfromsmalltolarge,inthewakeofthedevelopmentofthebuildingmaterialsindustry.IthasmadecontributionsnotonlytotheterminationofChina'simportsofbuildingmaterialsequipment,butalsotothedevelopmentofChina'sbuildingmaterials.Afterthetechnologicalimports,developmentandrenovationduringtheSixthandSeventhFive-yearplans,especiallyafterthehigh-speeddevelopmentoftheEighthFive-yearPlan,theequipmentmanufacturingindustr…     

Behind the Institutional Reform of the Central Bank

OnNovember18,1998,theShanghaiBranchofthePeople'sBankofChinawasofficiallyinaugurated.tocontrolthebanksinShanghai,andZhejlangandFujianprovinces,ratherthanShanghaiCityalone.Thusfaf,thereformofbranchinstitutions,whichstartedin1993withtheaimofbreakingtheconfinementoftheirODerationalcoveragetoacertainadministratiVeregion,hasbeenrealizedandgoneintofull--scaleimplementation..Onthe26thofNovember,thesecondbranchinstitutionwassetupinGuangzhou,withjurisdictionoverGllangdong,GuangXiandHainanprovinc…