CSR Assignment Review: The Multinational Corporation as a Political Actor: 'Varieties of Capitalism' Revisited
Question
Task : Write a research review on Detomasi, D 2015. ‘The Multinational Corporation as a Political Actor: 'Varieties of Capitalism' Revisited’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 128, Iss. 3, pp. 685-700.
Answer
Introduction: The “political CSR” has been a major concern for organizations in the current times. The article titled “The Multinational Corporation as a Political Actor: 'Varieties of Capitalism' Revisited” by David Detomasi fundamentally provides a framework that can supplement the current study about the political role of MNCs. The study is of immense value because it views an MNC as a political actor that can impact the governance model of businesses.
Key concepts and theories: Political CSR is a common term that is being used on the business setting. In the article, the focus is on the key CSR strategies that can be adopted by MNCs for the purpose of empowering the stakeholders and engaging in the provision of political good. Companies can adopt different modes of operations for positively contributing to the global governance. The key theme involves political Corporate Social Responsibility and its impact and relevance in the current times (Anthill Online, 2018).
Various previous research studies have been conducted in the subject that highlights the fact that multinational corporations play a vital role to strengthen the governance model in the political setting. According to the article “Multinational Corporations and Social Responsibilities: Let’s Eradicate Poverty” by Dr Nattavud Pimpa, the MNCs play a pivot role to promote the well-being of the society and its members (Detomasi, 2015). Similarly, in the political scene, their role is crucial since they can take internal and systematic steps to create value.
The contribution of the current article is of high value because it makes a sincere attempt to identify the theoretical developments of the field of corporate social responsibility and the political developments that have a close association with globalization.
Strengths and Weaknesses: The major strengths of the article include the emphasis on the new concept – “political CSR” and the underlying concepts. This focus helps to understand the manner in which MNCs can play a paramount role to strengthen their CSR model in the dynamic political backdrop (Miller, 2013). The writer has made a genuine attempt to integrate the state political interests as the vital variable for understanding how different MNCs pursue their political CSR objective. The focus of the article is on the political interests that come into existence due to the application of effective and functional political CSR model.
The core weaknesses of the article include the fact that the focus is only limited to the political CSR model instead of the holistic corporate social responsibility. This approach limits the research scope and does not reveal how the entire CSR model can be designed to bring about a positive change in the social, economic and political setting together.
Conclusion: The article is of use because it highlights the necessity of political CSR model and how it can be used as a useful tool by MNCs to strengthen their contribution in the dynamic organizational setting. The role of the state and the corporations together is needed to enhance the overall effectiveness and functionality of the political CSR model.
References
Anthill Online. 2018. Multinational Corporations and Social Responsibilities: Let’s Eradicate Poverty - Anthill Online. [online] Available at: http://anthillonline.com/multinational-corporations-and-social-responsibilities-let%E2%80%99s-eradicate-poverty/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2018].
Detomasi, D., 2015. The multinational corporation as a political actor:‘varieties of capitalism’revisited. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(3), pp.685-700.
Miller, T.K., 2013. Political Responsibilities of the Multinational Corporation.
