CORPORATIONS' APPROACH ON THE RESPONSIBILITY TO RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS IN EXTREME CONTEXTS: THE LEBANESE CASE
Research Questions/Issue: This paper explains how corporations approach the responsibility to respect human rights in extreme contexts such as failed countries by investigating whether such respect if it exists, is practiced voluntarily or coercively. Accordingly, the paper seeks to understand the behavior of the owners/ managers of the Lebanese corporations (that are mainly SMEs) that are enrolled within the UNGC, highlighting the role of the soft law and soft actors in the absence of the state in inviting those corporations to commit and comply with human rights respect within the framework of the UNGP.
Research methodology: to gain insight into the approach, an instrumental case study qualitative research methodology was adopted, drawing on 14 in-depth interviews with the owners/managers of Lebanese corporations that are UNGC- Regional Network members and documents, mainly those related to their communication with the UNGC. A pragmatic approach toward human rights will be adopted to investigate human rights practices in a concrete context of a failed country through the different experiences of such corporations and understand their reality. Hence, the pragmatism paradigm is the epistemological framework endorsing empirical research.
Theoretical underpinning: This study uses the institutional theory to investigate the approach towards the respect for human rights from the perspective of the institutional work looking at whether those corporations' commitment towards human rights principles is driven by ‘the right thing to do’ or by internal and external pressure(s) and the logic behind each approach.
Theoretical Implications: This study will advance the literature on the institutional work of minor actors since the literature targets majorly big firms and actors. It will also advance and consolidate the human rights logic instituted by BHR, which is gaining ground when faced with the already entrenched notions at the different institutions, markets, and organization levels.
Practical Implications: This study will advance the literature concerning BHR regarding SMEs since the BHR sidelined the latter. It will provide findings and results on the tools, processes, and best practices they use that fit their size better. It will also address the notion of respecting human rights in failed economic and social environments realizing that it will bring more precision to the tools, processes, and best practices to accommodate such environments.