ISO 14001: A Missed Opportunuity for Sustainable Global Industrial Development. by Riva Krut and Harris Gleckman, 1998. Earthscan, 192 pp, £14.95 (pbk). ISBN 1-85383-507-2
✍ Scribed by Richard Starkey
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 81 KB
- Volume
- 8
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0964-4733
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
David Jones summarizes the message of the workshop behind this book. There was a wide agreement that governmental sanctions are the outcome of past failures of policy and have unintended as well as intended consequences, both of which companies find difficult to manage. To my mind, non-governmental sanctions are usually the outcome of corporate policy failures. They could be prevented if companies had ethical policies based on strong values, and if they implemented these policies rigorously.
On the basis of this book, it seems that both the 'hard' governmental and the 'soft' non-governmental sanctions could be prevented by dialogue early on in potential conflicts. The global companies should become initiators and social actors for their own benefit. Little Women should grow up to realize that a good heart creates trust far better than good looks. This message has gone through to the editor of this book: the pretty words of part I turn into dry jargon in part II before finding the heart of the matter in part III. The discrepancy is irritating but illustrates the conflicting world-views of global actors. This book is not a piece of cake to read, except for the calories. Some chapters cause indigestion, others bulimia, but by following a sensible diet and leaving the excesses on the side of the plate, you will enjoy this meal at a reasonable price.