Open lecture with Visiting Professor Regina Scheyvens, 20 April
Corporations doing community development in the Pacific Islands: are they effective development actors?
The Department of Economy and Society at the School of Business, Economics and Law invites you to an open lecture by Regina Scheyvens, Professor of Development Studies at Massey University, New Zealand, and Professor of Human Geography at the Department of Economy and Society here at GU, and a member of the School of Business, Economics and Law’s international Visiting Professor Programme.
Time: 10.30 am
Date: Wednesday 20th April 2016
Location: F-45
(Building F, Floor 4 at the main building of the School of Business, Economics and Law at Vasagatan 1)
Abstract:
There are a number of motivating factors which are encouraging businesses to embed greater responsibility into their business practices, including pressure from shareholders, watchdog groups, consumers, environmental organisations, and host country governments. In response, many corporations have made changes to their practice including implementing environmental sustainability measures, examining their procurement strategies and training schemes, and contributing to community development programmes. In the Global South, in particular, corporations operating in less developed rural areas are increasingly involved in promoting their development credentials and making claims about their direct contributions to community development. Ideally such initiatives should lead to greater benefits for the peoples and environments in which businesses operate; however, doubts persist about whether outcomes match rhetoric. This presentation draws on a team research project (2013-2016) which has explored the ways in which investment in community development by tourism and mining corporations in Papua New Guinea and Fiji can be understood, noting both positive outcomes and areas of concern related to the corporate vision of development intervention.
There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions and discussion.