Review of: ANN RAPPAPORT & MARGARET FRESHER FLAHERTY, CORPORATE RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES: INITIATIVES BY MULTINATIONAL MANAGEMENT. (Quorum Books 1992) [186 pp.] Acknowledgements, bibliography, figures, foreword, index, notes, tables. LC: 91-44706; ISBN: 0-89930-715-9 [Cloth $45.00.

Julian-Arnold, Gianna

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RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)Volume 4Number 3 RISK: Issues in Health & Safety Article 14June 1993Book ReviewGianna Julian-ArnoldFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/riskPart of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, EnvironmentalSciences Commons, International Business Commons, Occupational Health and Industrial HygieneCommons, and the Organizational Behavior and Theory CommonsThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the University of New Hampshire – School of Law at University of New HampshireScholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002) by an authorized editor of University ofNew Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact ellen.phillips@law.unh.edu.Repository CitationGianna Julian-Arnold, Book Review , 4 RISK 277 (1993).Book ReviewErratumThe citation for this review is 4 RISK 263 (1993) in most commercial databases.This book review is available in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002): https://scholars.unh.edu/risk/vol4/iss3/14Book Reviews 277ANN RAPPAPORT & MARGARET FRESHER FLAHERTY, COR-PORATE RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES:INITIATIVES BY MULTINATIONAL MANAGEMENT. (QuorumBooks 1992) [186 pp.] Acknowledgements, bibliography, figures, foreword,index, notes, tables. LC: 91-44706; ISBN: 0-89930-715-9 [Cloth $45.00.]This book focuses upon the range of management behaviors throughwhich companies can attempt to support sustainable development - andthe connection of these behaviors to outcomes. It provides a realisticpicture of the constraints within which multinational corporations mustact, e.g., specific regulatory requirements as well as host countrydevelopment objectives and government agendas more generally. Itexplores the question of what constitutes a good environment, healthand safety program by identifying approaches currently used bycompanies responding to increased demands for responsible action.Rapport and Flaherty analyze methods through which multinationalcorporations address health, safety and environmental issues. Thecomplexity and multifaceted nature of this type of management isillustrated through a series of case studies. Five multinationalcorporations were selected to facilitate examination of three issues.First, how does the corporation address environmental, health andsafety issues? Second, is information concerning environment, healthand safety readily communicated between the home office andsubsidiaries? Third, how is the corporation organized and staffed toaddress environment, health and safety challenges?The material set forth is the result of two research projects conductedunder the auspices of the Center for Environmental Management at TuftsUniversity. Information was gathered through extensive research,including interviews at corporate headquarters, domestic facilities andoverseas manufacturing facilities; tours of company facilities, meetingswith government officials of host countries, U.S. consulate offices,representatives of nongovernmental organizations, trade associations,media spokespersons and academics - as well as survey data oncorporate environment, health and safety practices.4 RISK - Issues in Health & Safety 263 [Summer 1993]The case studies are also examined comparatively. First, candifferences in the effectiveness of the companies' environment, healthand safety practices be explained by the type of business in which theyengage? Second, do companies with greater consumer name recognitionhave more protective environmental programs than those less wellrecognized? Third, are small companies more or less protective of theenvironment than large companies? Fourth, is profitability of thecorporation important to strong environment, health and safetyperformance? Fifth, does conformity with the environment, health andsafety program developed by corporate headquarters diminish asdistance from headquarters increases and as cultural and politicalcontexts become increasingly different from those at headquarters?Sixth, does greater top management commitment improve environment,health and safety program performance? Finally, does having a well-publicized environmental incident in the corporate history provideincreased attention to environment, health and safety programs?This text provides insight into the practical challenges facingmultinational corporations in implementing environment, health andsafety programs. Its value is, of course, augmented by the figures,tables, notes and extensive bibliography. It would appear to be "must"reading for corporate employees involved with such programs as well asfor outsiders concerned about the responsiveness of multinational firmsto issues of ever-increasing global importance.Gianna Julian-Arnoldtt Ms. Julian-Arnold has a B.S. (Chemistry), Northern Arizona University and J.D.and M.I.P., Franklin Pierce Law Center [FPLC]. She is an Intellectual PropertyResearch Fellow at FPLC and editorial assistant for RIsK.

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