Abstract
This article describes the theory and process of global business citizenship (GBC) and applies it in an analysis of characteristics of company codes of business conduct. GBC is distinguished from a commonly used term, “corporate citizenship,” which often denotes corporate community involvement and philanthropy. The GBC process requires (1) a set of fundamental values embedded in the corporate code of conduct and in corporate policies that reflect universal ethical standards; (2) implementation throughout the organization with thoughtful awareness of where the code and policies fit well and where they might not fit with stakeholder expectations; (3) analysis and experimentation to deal with problem cases; and (4) systematic learning processes to communicate the results of implementation and experiments internally and externally. We then identify and illustrate the three attributes of a code of conduct that would reflect a GBC approach. The three attributes are orientation, implementation, and accountability. The various components of these attributes are specified and illustrated, using website examples from six global petroleum companies.
References
B.W. Altman (1998) ArticleTitle‘Transformed Corporate Community Relations in the 1990s: A Management Tool for Achieving Corporate Citizenship’ Business and Society Review. 102 IssueID-103 43–51
C. Bartlett S. Ghoshal (1989) Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution Harvard Business School Press Boston
E.M. Burke (1999) Corporate Community Relations: The Principle of the Neighbor of Choice Praeger Westport, CT
E.F. Carasco J.B. Singh (2003) ArticleTitle‘The Content and Focus of the Codes of Ethics of the World’s Largest Transnational Corporations’ Business and Society Review 108 71–94 Occurrence Handle10.1111/1467-8594.00007
T. Donaldson T. Dunfee (1999) Ties That Bind Harvard Business School Press Boston
W.C. Frederick (1991) ArticleTitle‘The Moral Authority of Transnational Corporate Codes’ Journal of Business Ethics 10 165–177 Occurrence HandleA1991EY06600001 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00383154
K. Gordon M. Miyake (2001) ArticleTitle‘Business Approaches to Combating Bribery: A Study of Codes of Conduct’ Journal of Business Ethics 34 161–173 Occurrence Handle000171945000003 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1012517622479
R. Jenkins (2001) Corporate Codes of Conduct: Self-Regulation in a Global Economy United Nations Research Institute for Social Development Geneva
A. Kolk R. Van Tulder C. Welters (1999) ArticleTitle‘International Codes of Conduct and Corporate Social Responsibility: Can Transnational Corporations Regulate Themselves?’ Transnational Corporations 8 143–180
D. Leipziger (2003) The Corporate Responsibility Code Book Greenleaf Sheffield
Lewellyn P.G., Logsdon J.M. (2004). ‘Sustainability Reporting: Road to Greater Accountability or Path to Nowhere?’. In: Strong K., Welcomer S.A. (ed). Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Conference of the International Association for Business and Society, pp. 49–53
J.M. Logsdon (2004) ArticleTitle‘Global Business Citizenship: Applications to Environmental Issues’ Business and Society Review 109 67–87 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.0045-3609.2004.00004.x
J.M. Logsdon D.J. Wood (2002) ArticleTitle‘Business Citizenship: From Domestic to Global Level of Analysis’ Business Ethics Quarterly 12 155–187 Occurrence Handle000174399000004
Logsdon J.M., Wood D.J. (2003). ‘Global Business Citizenship for Human Rights and a Sustainable Environment’. In: Lewellyn P., Welcomer S.A. (ed). Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual Conference of the International Association for Business and Society, pp. 68–72
J.M. Logsdon D.J. Wood (2004) ‘Implementing Global Business Citizenship: Multi-Level Motivations and an Initial Research Agenda’ J. Hooker P. Madsen (Eds) International Corporate Responsibility: Exploring the Issues. Carnegie Mellon University Press Pittsburgh 423–446
J. Moses (2001) Oneness: Great Principles Shared by All Religions Ballantine New York
J.E. Post L.E. Preston S. Sachs (2002) Redefining the Corporation: Stakeholder Management and Organizational Wealth Stanford University Press Stanford, CA
M. Schwartz (2001) ArticleTitle‘The Nature of the Relationship Between Corporate Codes of Ethics and Behaviour’ Journal of Business Ethics 32 247–262 Occurrence Handle000169511200005 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1010787607771
S.P. Sethi (2002) ArticleTitle‘Standards for Corporate Conduct in the International Arena: Challenges and Opportunities for Multinational Corporations’ Business and Society Review 107 20–40 Occurrence Handle10.1111/0045-3609.00125
S.P. Sethi (2003) Setting Global Standards: Guidelines for Creating Codes of Conduct in Multinational Corporations John Wiley & Sons Hoboken
S. Waddock (2004) ArticleTitle‘Parallel Universes: Companies, Academics, and the Progress of Corporate Citizenship’ Business and Society Review 109 5–42 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.0045-3609.2004.00002.x
G.R. Weaver (2001) ArticleTitle‘Ethics Programs in Global Businesses: Culture’s Role in Managing Ethics’ Journal of Business Ethics 30 3–15 Occurrence Handle000166800500002 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1006475223493
G.R. Weaver L.K. Trevino P.L. Cochran (1999a) ArticleTitle‘Corporate Ethics Programs as Control Systems: Influences of Executive Commitment and Environmental Factors’ Academy of Management Journal 42 41–57 Occurrence Handle000078651000004
G.R. Weaver L.K. Trevino P.L. Cochran (1999b) ArticleTitle‘Integrated and Decoupled Corporate Social Performance: Management Commitments, External Pressures, and Corporate Ethics Practices’ Academy of Management Journal 42 539–552 Occurrence Handle000083263400006
D.J. Wood J.M. Logsdon (2001) ‘Theorising Business Citizenship’ J. Andriof M. McIntosh (Eds) Perspectives on Corporate Citizenship. Greenleaf Sheffield 83–103
D.J. Wood J.M. Logsdon (2002a) ‘Business Citizenship: From Individuals to Organizations’ R.E. Freeman S. Venkatraman (Eds) Ethics and Entrepreneurship: The Ruffin Series 3. Society for Business Ethics Charlottesville 59–94
Wood D.J., Logsdon J.M. (2002b). ‘A Global Business Citizenship Process Model’. In: Windsor D., Welcomer S.A. (ed). Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the International Association for Business and Society, pp. 82–85
Zaun, T., P. Dvorak, N. Shirouzu and P. Landers: (2000). ‘Pushing Back: Bridgestone Boss Has Toughness, but Is That What Crisis Demands?’. Wall Street Journal Sept. 8, A-1
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Logsdon, J.M., Wood, D.J. Global Business Citizenship and Voluntary Codes of Ethical Conduct. J Bus Ethics 59, 55–67 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-3411-2
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-3411-2