Economic Imperatives and Ethical Values in Global Business

This book undertakes an in-depth study and a systematic analysis of the workings of the Sullivan Principles and their impact on: the operations of the US corporation in South Africa; the process of the dismantling of apartheid and creation of a non-racial, democratic government in South Africa; and the actions of multinational corporations from other countries and large South African corporations in emulating the behaviour of US multinational corporations and thereby enlarging their impact through a multiplier effect. The objective of this text is to learn from the experience of the Sullivan Principles, and interpret how this experience might be translated into developing "rules of the game" and "codes of business ethics" as large multinational corporations continue to confront the issues of human rights, living and working conditions of workers in their overseas manufacturing operations, and where there is constant pressure on the corporations to pay more attention to environmental protection, sustainable growth, and preservation of biodiversity.