English Unlimited HAK/HUM 4/5, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM (mit Handelskorrespondenz)

124 Trading with the world 10 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE EXTRAS One company whose products were found in the rubble at Rana Plaza – Primark, a cheap British label – has rapidly promised compensation to victims and their families.  Prompted by earlier scandals over working conditions in far-flung factories, firms like Nike and Gap have emphasised ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR). Now the disaster in Dhaka shows how hard it is to claim that your products are ‘ethically sourced’. That is not just because supply lines are stretched: should multis check the supplier of their supplier’s supplier? It is also because they are operating in a place where so little is to be trusted. Is it, for instance, enough for a Western multinational to see the building certificate for a Bangladeshi factory? Or should it have sent people to check every pillar?Though CSR tends to be seen as a moral matter, it comes down to the hard practicalities of companies’ reputations and risk management.  Western firms can choose to respond in one of three ways. The first is to forget CSR, and simply exploit labour wherever it is cheapest – counting on consumers back home to ignore the blood, sweat and tears that went intomaking that cheap T-shirt or pair of trousers. Second, they could quit Bangladesh and buy from factories in countries where the risk of deadly industrial accidents is far smaller. But if large Western firms left, it would damage not just Bangladesh but also their reputations. The third approach is to stay, and try to change things. Even before the latest disaster, Walmart had launched a fire-safety training academy there, and Gap had announced a plan to help factory owners upgrade their plants. The clothing industry has held a series of meetings with NGOs and governments, to develop a strategy to improve safety in Bangladesh’s 5,000 factories.  Whatever the safeguards, there will be a gap between the cavalier promises of ethical supply chains and the reality of corrupt politics. CSR has always had a utopian element. That was exposed in Bangladesh. Now go back to your partner and inform him/ her about the contents of your article. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, but what does this mean? Discuss in class. Listen to a spokesperson for the European Commission talking about CSR and complete the text below. b a LANguAgE FOcuS 21 Corporate Social Responsibility b TCD  3/05 Corporate social responsibility is defined as “the responsibility of enterprises for their .” The European Commission encourages enterprises to have in place a process to integrate , , human rights and into their business operations. This should be done in close collaboration with their .  As evidence suggests, CSR is increasingly important to the of enterprises. It can bring benefits in terms of risk management, , access to capital, , human resource management and innovation capacity.  According to a study published at the University of California, Berkeley, sound CSR activities can insure a firm against in the case of adverse events. Mini research project . NOKIA, the well-known mobile phone producer has come in for severe criticism in connection with its repeated offshoring of production. Trace its steps from Finland to Germany to Romania and, finally, China in search of ever lower production costs. Present your findings in class.   Briefly introduce the company.   Describe Nokia’s various relocations.   Assess the effects on the respective countries’ economies and workforce. SPEAKINg 22 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv