Introduction

This chapter reviews the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) theory and the literature on workers’ rights. The CSR literature encompasses a broad spectrum from those authors who believe that true change can be achieved through the work of corporations modifying the nature of their business, and implementing codes of conduct, to those authors who are sceptical of the entire CSR movement. Workplaces can be governed by both CSR concepts and soft law mechanisms. The nexus of contracts theory postulates that the corporation is merely the epicenter through which other contracts flow. Contracts merely intersect and intermingle at the site of the corporation. The rise of the corporation can be viewed as infringing on the power of government. The globalization of the world may be deemed to be the Americanization of the world through products, media. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.