Corporate Law, Codes of Conduct and Workers' Rights

Table of Contents

List of tables

Acknowledgements

Overview of the book

Author biography

Introduction

Background of the Problem

Purpose of the Study

Theoretical framework

Theory of the Firm - how does the corporation function?

Nexus of Contracts

Definition of Terms

Background

Shareholder Primacy Model

Stakeholder Theory

Shareholder Voice

Workers' Rights

Anti-sweatshop movement and Supply Chain Management

"Hard law" versus "soft law"

Governance

The Intersection of CSR and Workers' Rights

Ratcheting Labour Standards

Reflexive Labour Law

Self-regulation

Private Regulation

Current Canadian scheme

Activists and targets

Bibliography for Chapter One

Chapter Two - Codes of Conduct

Shareholder-focused governance

The divergent paths of corporate law and labour law

Origins of the corporation and the corporate shield

Amendments to the CBCA

Shareholder Primacy Model

Corporations as Citizens

Governance gap? Or governance gaping hole?

Empirical Studies

How are codes implemented?

Codes - Corporation A, Corporation B, and Corporation C

Corporation A

Corporation B

Corporation C

Increasing labour standards on a worldwide level

Model Code of Conduct

Bibliography for Chapter Two

Chapter Three - Changes to Corporate Governance

Expansion of Fiduciary duties

Summary of Peoples

Summary of BCE

The CBCA and Directors' Duties

New corporate forms of organization - Benefit Corporations

Fiduciary Duties

What comes after Peoples and BCE?

Ethical Consumption

International regulation

Actual Impact on the Ground

Codes of conduct versus IFAs

Greenwashing, or failure to have actions that back up claims

Globalization and self-regulation

Being co-opted/selling out

Bibliography for Chapter Three

Chapter Four - Changes to Standard Union Contracts

The Importance of Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

UNGC

Codes versus Certifications

The purpose of shareholder proposals

Making the Corporation "Moral"

Activism

Consumer autonomy

The corporation and developing countries

Certification schemes

FSC

Other Monitoring Agencies besides WRC and FLA

Companies that sell sweatshop-free apparel

Criticism of CSR

Bibliography for Chapter Four

Chapter Five - Concluding Chapter

My model Code of Conduct

Fiduciary duties

Shareholder proposals

Transnational Governance

The corporation and developing countries

Governance

Corporations as Citizens

The Future for Workers' Rights

Bibliography for Chapter Five

Index