Learning by Research

Thesis Title: Organizing social responsibility of multinational corporations : the case of plastic pollution

The 21st century is characterized by the emergence and amplification of unprecedented problems, with global interdependence between human societies, and very long-term consequences on global commons such as oceans, climate and space. Managing these grand challenges (Ferraro et al., 2015) is particularly complex, as it requires the development of collective action involving a diversity of heterogeneous stakeholders. The role of multinational corporations (MNCs) is particularly discussed because of their negative externalities and growing political influence. Against this backdrop of grand challenges, how do multinational corporations engage in collective action to organize their social responsibility?
Plastic pollution is a particularly relevant case. At a time when negotiations are underway for the adoption of an international treaty to regulate plastics, countries of the Global South (Asia, Africa, Latin America) are facing a critical situation, given their limited waste management infrastructures. Drawing upon a multiple-case study carried out in five countries (Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia), findings of this research identify the mechanisms for organizing the social responsibility of multinational corporations in the consumer goods industry, such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone and Nestlé.Given the limited impact of voluntary, unilateral strategies, these MNCs collectively engage in meta-organizations. Their main aim is to promote and prepare binding regulation of their responsibilities. The type of regulation these MNCs advocate to national governments, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), is intended to organize the collective responsibility of their industry. Above all, we contribute to the literature in the fields of meta-organizations and multi-actor governance. Indeed, the ways in which deliberation is organized affect its degree of inclusiveness and systemism, thus producing or not a binding responsibilization of MNCs.

Key words: grand challenge, collective action, CSR, meta-organization, multinational corporations

Doctoral School: ED SG – Management Sciences
Research laboratory: Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Appliquées à la Gestion (CERAG - UGA- Grenoble INP-UGA)
Thesis supervision: Anne BARTEL-RADIC and Thomas REVERDY

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