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The effectiveness of corporate human rights self-regulation : empirical research into the Tanzanian tea industry
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Pillon, Marie (2019) The effectiveness of corporate human rights self-regulation : empirical research into the Tanzanian tea industry. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3517888~S15
Abstract
This thesis explores the extent to which voluntary self-regulatory mechanisms are effective in ensuring that companies meet their international human rights responsibilities. First the thesis develops a typology of corporate self-regulatory mechanisms which differentiates, most importantly, between company-level (e.g. human rights policies, industry codes of conduct, international human rights conventions) and product-level (e.g. certification labels) self-regulatory mechanisms. The thesis argues that the effectiveness of company-level and product-level mechanisms should be evaluated collectively because (1) companies view them as component parts of their overarching human rights/sustainability strategies, and (2) they address many of the same human rights issues.
The literature on self-regulation is then explored and a series of characteristics are identified for effective self-regulation, such as an inclusive drafting process, internal and external communication of standards, and clear sanctioning guidelines. A case study is then undertaken of three tea firms operating in Tanzania with differentiated levels of commitment to company/product level self-regulation. Field research was carried out in Tanzania involving 161 interviews. The field research identifies various positive human rights impacts of the self-regulatory mechanisms examined, but also serious deficiencies in design and implementation as well as inherent limitations in what human rights-based approaches can achieve when seeking to address critical social problems in challenging environments. Some of the characteristics for effective self-regulation which were earlier identified are found to be particularly important to well-functioning mechanisms, such as the inclusion of a comprehensive set of human rights, management’s genuine motivation, training of workers and managers, and third-party monitoring with significant consequences for non-compliance. However, a number of additional factors are also identified which are critical to improve corporate human rights performance, such as the conditions under which bottom-up action from affected stakeholders occurs and the state of the company’s financial resources.
On the basis of this case study, conclusions are therefore drawn about the effectiveness of self-regulatory mechanisms in the context of the Tanzanian tea industry. Suggestions are also made for further work that is then needed to address the issue of effectiveness of voluntary self-regulatory mechanisms in other industries and geographical settings.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor K Law [Moys] > KB General and Comparative Law K Law [Moys] > KR Africa |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Tea trade -- Self-regulation -- Tanzania, Corporate governance -- Law and legislation -- Social aspects -- Tanzania, Social responsibility of business -- Tanzania, Human rights -- Tanzania | ||||
Official Date: | October 2019 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | School of Law | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Harrison, James, 1974- | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | 426 leaves : colour illustrations, colour maps. | ||||
Language: | eng |
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