Blog of Q's

By ROBERT B. REICH (New York Times, February 28, 2005)

… The problem is, the choices we make in the market don’t fully
reflect our values as workers or as citizens. I didn’t want our
community bookstore in Cambridge, Mass., to close (as it did last fall)
yet I still bought lots of books from Amazon.com. In addition, we may
not see the larger bargain when our own job or community isn’t directly
at stake. I don’t like what’s happening to airline workers, but I still
try for the cheapest fare I can get.

The only way for the workers or citizens in us to trump the consumers
in us is through laws and regulations that make our purchases a social
choice as well as a personal one. A requirement that companies with
more than 50 employees offer their workers affordable health insurance,
for example, might increase slightly the price of their goods and
services. My inner consumer won’t like that very much, but the worker
in me thinks it a fair price to pay. Same with an increase in the
minimum wage or a change in labor laws making it easier for employees
to organize and negotiate better terms.

I wouldn’t go so far as to re-regulate the airline industry or hobble
free trade with China and India – that would cost me as a consumer far
too much – but I’d like the government to offer wage insurance to ease
the pain of sudden losses of pay. And I’d support labor standards that
make trade agreements a bit more fair. …

From The Wall Street Journal Online, February 25, 2005 1:22 p.m. EST  (subscription may be necessary)
Associated Press, February 25, 2005 1:22 p.m.

LOVELAND, Colo. — Nearly 20 workers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. voted
against union representation Friday, rejecting a proposal that would
have established the first union inside any of the retailer’s stores in
the country. …

Earlier this month, the company said it would close a store in Quebec
because of what company officials called “unreasonable demands” by
workers trying to negotiate the first-ever union contract with the
retailer.

In 2000, 11 workers at the meatpacking department in a Wal-Mart in
Jacksonville, Texas, voted to be represented by the UFCW. Shortly
afterward, Wal-Mart eliminated the position companywide, insisting the
move wasn’t related to the election. The Bentonville, Ark.-based chain,
has more than 5,100 locations world-wide.

by Peter Davis (Feb. 9, 2005)

… Despite varied attempts to apply a quasi-scientific approach to the
topic, most corporate responsibility case studies still lack any degree
of intellectual or academic rigour…There are some notable exceptions
to this rule. For example, Shell’s studies of its impacts on its
“fence-line” communities – those close to its oil instillations – are
thorough and insightful. International Alert’s work on the
relationships between companies and conflicts is also thoughtful and
analytical…

To be sure, for some aspects of the corporate responsibility agenda,
[the] quantitative approach works perfectly – environmental factors
such as waste emissions for example…

We are all familiar with the structure of a typical corporate
responsibility “case study”: a brief description of the activity;
quotes from admiring participants; local officials saying how valuable
the event/ investment/ activity was; all accompanied by pictures of
smiling people…

The world of academic social science has produced tomes upon tomes to
enable researchers rigorously to analyse qualitative data…First we
need to know the point of view of a study’s author…Second, case
studies must take into account the views of a true cross-section of
those involved…Third, interviews and the gathering of information
should be as neutral as possible and the questions asked need to be
made explicit in any write-up. This also requires careful consideration
to be given to factors that might prevent people from giving open,
frank and truthful responses – fear of oppression for instance.
Finally, if comparisons are meaningfully to be drawn between different
case studies, then the methodology used needs to be comparable – we
need to know that we are not comparing apples and oranges…

(from cswire.com)
02/10/2005 Press release from: Oracle Corporation

Oracle and Economist Intelligence Unit Announce Results From Corporate Responsibility Survey

… “Executives take a
pretty hard-headed view of corporate responsibility,” said Nigel Holloway, director of executive
services, Americas, at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “They feel strongly that ethical business
conduct helps to sustain their company, but that charitable work and links to NGOs are less central
objectives.”

“Corporate responsibility and accountability have expanded beyond community
involvement and into the boardroom,” said Steven Miranda, vice president of application development
at Oracle.

What amazing irony in that last statement. The full report is at: www.oracle.com/go/?&Src=3695272&Act=5