Question 1
One of the UN global compact issues is sustainable food growth to ensure food security for all human population. The issue of food security is prevalent in several parts of the world with Africa being the worst hit (Williams and Oliver 755). A great percentage of the African population is unable to feed themselves despite the continent being largely agricultural. According to Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, which is a constituent of the UN, as of 2015, more than 239 million Africans were faced with hunger with the figures expected to rise in the future.
The UN categorises food insecurity as, nit just mere lack of food, but also the poor quality diet that is prevalent in several homesteads in Africa societies. The compact issue has been a focus of the Millenium Development Goals of the UN and was recently included in the revised Sustainable Development Goals that seek to have all societies being food secure and enjoying high nutrition diet (Griggs, David, et al 305). Consultative group on international agricultural research blamed the situation to drastic changes in climate, weather vagaries as well as a change in the farming activities that have impacted food growth in Africa.
Question 2
The UN global compact identifies corruption to be most prevalent in the awarding of tenders and work permits especially to international corporations who seek to expand the business beyond national borders (Webb and Philippa 191). The power to authorise the conduction of business by foreign corporations is vested in politicians and government leaders in most jurisdictions which exposes it to possible abuse by the same officials. The UN cited several prominent cases in their global compact issues that have stood out due to their magnitude and their consequent effects on the proper conduction of international trade.
Broadly, the cases concerned the issuance of work permits for foreign multinationals that showed a greater potential to make huge profits. Other forms of corruption were threats of noncompliance by the corporations upon which they were asked to part with bribes to have their production of goods allowed in the said countries. The compact issue noted the consequences as including loss of business on the part of the companies and discouraging proper standards of goods. This was through compromise of international standards through the issuance of licenses to unqualified corporations at the expense of the rightfully qualified companies.
Question 3
The IBM study revealed the changing nature of the CSR practices in modern businesses. While noting remarkable improvement regarding the role of the companies in their conduction of CSR activities, the report is also critical of the extent to which companies could go in the same (McDonald, Lynette and Sharyn 170). Some of the activities that make a company be considered as being mature in its CSR practices is the involvement of sustainable practices in its production activities.
The production activities are expected to reflect a concern for the environment in which they do their business. Companies do this through offering employment to the resident of the areas they operate in, cleaning the environment and creating other opportunities for the locals through such things as setting up social amenities like hospitals and sports facilities. Other activities that illustrate a caring nature of companies for their environment is the involvement of the society in chatting a way for the issues pertinent in the society such as insecurity and exclusion from developmental activities of the region.
Works cited
Griggs, David, et al. "Policy: Sustainable development goals for people and planet." Nature 495.7441 (2013): 305-307.
McDonald, Lynette M., and Sharyn Rundle-Thiele. "Corporate social responsibility and bank customer satisfaction: a research agenda."International Journal of Bank Marketing 26.3 (2008): 170-182.
Webb, Philippa. "The united nations convention against corruption global achievement or missed opportunity?." Journal of International Economic Law8.1 (2005): 191-229.
Williams, Oliver F. "The UN Global Compact: The challenge and the promise." Business Ethics Quarterly 14.04 (2004): 755-774.
