ABSTRACT
What shapes business performance for social goals such as safety? Why are some firms’ products inherently safe while others endanger safety? How do state imposed legal obligations and enforcement influence business conduct, and how does their influence compare with that of non-state actors in global markets and supply chains? What role do knowledge and motivational factors play in shaping firms’ actions and performance for safety, and how are they constituted? Are specialist bodies of knowledge, such as those for human factors and safety engineering, applied in practice? What are the implications of all of this for safety policy and practice?
