ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reports, analyzes, and sorts the broad and varied experience of many corporations, bringing forward the lessons that can be usefully applied in other settings. It proposes to help corporate managers get it right with respect to interactions with local communities, so that they can more efficiently and effectively accomplish their production goals and, at the same time, ensure that local communities are better (rather than worse) off as a result of their presence. The book addresses what has been learned about how companies can interact, appropriately and positively, with national governments and advocacy non-governmental organization (NGO) in ways that promote, rather than undermine, the welfare of the citizens of the countries where they operate. It reports an evidence which is based on the experience of over 60 international companies operating in Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica, Australia, and North America under difficult circumstances.
