Abstract
This article discusses the development and application of various types of corporate social monitoring systems. Boycotts are a relatively simple form of social monitoring system which aim to produce changes in corporate social behavior. Boycotts may be organized by a single group, or by a number of groups simultaneously. Rating systems may be organized around a single issue, such as the Sullivan Principles rating scheme, or may include multiple companies and multiple issues, such as shopping guides or ethical investment systems.
Monitoring systems may be unidimensional or multidimensional, qualitative or quantitative, and absolute or relative. Consumers and investors appear to be the groups most likely to be targeted in these schemes. The importance of these monitoring systems appears to be increasing as both consumers and investors become more interested in using social criteria in decision-making.
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Karen Paul is Professor of Business & Society at Florida International University. She has been a Senior Fulbright Research Fellow and Peace Fellow of the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College at Harvard University. She has done extensive research on the use of the Sullivan Principles and other corporate codes of conduct in South Africa, and on corporate issues involving environmental ethics.
Steven D. Lydenberg has extensive experience in corporate social monitoring at the Council for Economic Priorities and Franklin Research and Development Corp., and currently as Director of Research at the ethical investing firm of Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini, and Co., Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. He is the senior author ofRating America's Corporate Conscience.
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Paul, K., Lydenberg, S.D. Applications of corporate social monitoring systems; types, dimensions, and goals. J Bus Ethics 11, 1–10 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871986
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871986