Corporate social responsibility: a myth? The example of the 'Round Table Codes of Conduct' in Germany

This paper is concerned with why and how multinational companies (MNCs) voluntarily engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), especially in social standards. The first part describes the prevailing perspectives on the CSR debate. Then, with the New Institutionalism in Sociology, an alternative view on CSR is discussed. The third part develops the argument that the ‘traditional’ rational institutional myth developed by Meyer and Rowan should be replaced or supplemented by a CSR myth. After that, the case study of “Round Table Codes of Conduct” provides an example of how MNCs deal with this emerging CSR myth

The Brauer characters of the sporadic simple Harada-Norton group and its automorphism group in characteristics 2 and 3

We determine the 2-modular and 3-modular character tables of the sporadic simple Harada-Norton group and its automorphism group.Comment: 29 page

Sosiale roller og lokale og globale interesser i vurderingen av språksituasjoner

Kommer det samiske språket til å dø ut? Trusler mot det språklige mangfoldet og mulig språkdød er hyppig diskutert i det flerspråklige Nord-Norge. Deltakere i denne diskursen er talere, lokale aktører, forskere og fageksperter, statlige myndigheter, politikere og glo­bale organisasjoner som UNESCO. Denne studien tar utgangspunkt i tre ulike vurde­ringer av den samiske språksituasjonen og språkenes fremtidsperspektiver som ble presen­tert i forskjellige medietekster. Tekstanalysen viser hvordan disse representasjo­nene av språksituasjonen involverer ulike sosiale roller og rollesett, og hvordan evalue­ringene påvirkes av disse. Operasjonaliseringen av rollesett i diskursen kan innebære konflikter mellom ulike interesser og effekter i kommunikasjonsprosessen, blant annet mellom globale og lokale perspektiver. Analysen viser at det er viktig å betrakte den diskursive konstruksjonen av trusler og varsler om truende språkdød i lyset av de ulike sosiale rollene og interessene som på ulike nivå deltar i å lage diskursen

English in Norway's multilingual North. A rhizomatic view on encounters with historical and transnational diversity

The chapter explores the multifaceted role of English in the complex and dynamic multilingual surrounding of Northern Norway, a region that has been linguistically diverse throughout history. Sámi languages and Kven have historical roots in the region and are today minoritized. More recently, linguistic diversity is affected by transnational migration, tourism, and global communication. The chapter builds on Deleuze and Guattari’s idea of rhizomatic connections. Instead of comparing sociolinguistic categories or domains, three cases of multilingual encounters are scrutinized with the aim to sketch a multiplicity of dynamic connections of linguistic practices and sociolinguistic relations within and across these. Findings show how seemingly diglossic practices – where the use of English and Norwegian keeps groups of speakers apart – encounter practices where such boundaries of languages and groups get completely blurred; how the use of English can mark both belonging and otherness at the top and bottom of workplace hierarchies; and how global English is conceived as more or less threatening to minoritized languages. The chapter argues for the importance of viewing multiplicities of connections and intersecting discourses rather than hierarchies, categories, and domains when studying the role of English in social contexts in the North

Contextualising Diversity, Work and Mobility Across Time: Cases from Norway's 'High North'

Research into language, work, and migration has evolved rapidly during the past decade. The majority of studies focus on contemporary cases. However, work migration and linguistic diversity in the workplace are not phenomena solely of the early 21st century; many workplaces have been sites of multilingual encounters throughout history. While this has been acknowledged in contemporary studies (e.g., Duchêne & Heller, 2012), there exist only a few studies on language and diversity in historical workplaces (e.g., Boutet, 2001; Hewitt, 2012; Hiss, 2017). Considering the major effects of globalisation on communication and mobility, when we look at longer timescales, we see that history has shaped the current conditions. A consideration of the temporal dimensions of work and mobility as well as surrounding contexts and conditions can help make sense of present and future changes

Does corporate social responsibility need social capital? The example of the 'Sector Model Social Responsibility' of the 'Foreign Trade Association of the German Retail Trade (AVE)', a public private partnership project

This paper raises the question of whether controlling companies with the help of a monitoring system is a successful way to establish social standards within the supply chain and to help to spread social standards into developing societies. Since the debate thus far has concentrated strongly on the question of what monitoring systems look like and how they are implemented, this paper aims to broaden the discussion by pointing out the possible interrelations between the role of social capital and the diffusion of social standards. What role can social capital play in the diffusion of social standards? After a short introduction to the debate about Corporate Social Responsibility and social standards, there is a discussion of monitoring systems and their limits. Then my own concept of social capital is developed in specific regard to the concerns outlined above. After that, the focus will shift to the possible interactions between social standards and social capital. Finally, my considerations will be illustrated with a case study of the Public Private Partnership-project “Sector Model Social Responsibility” of the “Foreign Trade Association of the German Retail Trade (AVE)”