by Miriam Garvi
There is a tune that is played quite frequently these days. It is the anthem of social responsibility.
Basically, the lyrics go like this:
- start off by condemning child labor
- then enter a few couplets on environmental concerns
- end with a chorus of «we make the world a better place…»
This pleasant song celebrating high-standing codes of ethics and morals confirms the virtues of the global corporation and dispels any doubts or uneasiness that we might feel about the globalization of production flows and the concentration of power in a few nodes - reminiscent of a «space of flows» à la Manuel Castells.
Outsourcing has become a global application of the «law of supply and demand in self-regulating markets». Multi-national corporations assure us of their high-standing social responsibilities. But beyond codes of ethics is a reality that seldom corresponds with what we profess. In the new ‘hinterlands’ overseas, away from the public eye, production is outsourced to production facilities which take us back to working conditions of the pre-industrial era - times where one man’s life and well-being carried little value because there would always be another individual ready to take his place.
The recent example of Bangladesh and GrameenPhone raises important questions. Is our consumption pattern sustainable in the long run? Or does it rely on other people’s desperation to work in countries which have little industrial history - such as Bangladesh - and where production costs can be kept at bay with minimal concern for security and environmental issues?
Sometimes when codes meet reality even the most pleasant of tunes rings false if you listen more intently, blurring the lines between corporate social responsibility and corporate social hypocrisy.
