A pioneering drive has been launched to reward good ethical behavior and social responsibility among Asia-Pacific companies, but environmental activists have warned against using this as a cover for "dirty" practices.
Nineteen years after a gas leak from US chemical firm Union Carbide killed 3,800 people in Bhopal, India, business leaders, consumer groups and educational institutions have teamed up for the first-ever Asian Corporate Social Resp-onsibility (CSR) Awards.
To be given out on September 19 in Bangkok, the awards are aimed at honoring corporations for products, services and projects in four categories, including protection of the environment and reduction of poverty.
Companies with the best CSR policies and those that have financed projects to support and improve education in the region's poorer countries will also be recognized, organizers said.
These projects must demonstrate the company's leadership, sincerity and commitment to incorporate ethical values, comply with legal requirements and involvement in the community in their way of doing business.
Organizers, led by the Manila-based Asian Institute of Management business school and Singapore's new Center for Corporate Social Responsibility, are urging companies headquartered in the region to submit their favorite projects.
Non-government organizations, advertising agencies, management consultants and suppliers can also nominate entries.
"Since Enron, there's a need for corporate social responsibility everywhere," said Stephen Loke, president of the Singapore CSR center, referring to the fall of the US energy giant following revelations top executives cooked its books.
"After that, the impetus has been stronger and that's one of the reasons why shareholders, stakeholders and consumers are crying out. There's a push factor now."
Von Hernandez, an expert on toxic wastes at Greenpeace International, said honoring corporate social responsibility was laudable, but organisers should not allow the awards to be used by firms to cover-up unethical practices.
"We hope these awards will not be used to greenwash the image of dirty corporations," Hernandez told reporters, citing companies that support tree planting projects but continue to use toxic pipes that pollute the environment and endanger lives.
Michael Backman, an Australian economist and author of two books on Asian corporate culture, warned unethical corporate practices were widespread in the region.
"Corporate social responsibility in Asia probably is among some of the worst in the world. This does not mean that all companies are equally culpable but rather that the excesses of some are atrocious," Backman said.
Timber companies in at least two Southeast Asian countries are "some of the worst offenders anywhere when it comes to social irresponsibility," he said.
Backman said multinational corporations operating in Asia tended to be more socially responsible, but Hernandez disagreed, saying some multinationals practice double standards and take advantage of weak environmental laws.
Hernandez cited one European firm as an example that continues to sell food with genetically modified ingredients in Asia, while banning it in Europe.
Greenpeace said there was a need to finally draw up a legally binding global treaty on corporate accountability agreed upon during the Earth Summit in Johannesburg last year.
"In other words, we must make corporations liable for their crimes," Hernandez said.
But analysts and business executives said giving out the awards would help instill corporate ethics and improve the standing of Asian firms in the eyes of their trading partners in the US and Europe.
"The awards are a step forward, they send a signal. They are an acknowledgement that companies have obligations that go beyond the firms and their owners," Backman said.
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source