Corporations and Social Costs: The Wal-Mart Case Study

Abstract

CSR is an increasingly seen as the preferred approach to addressing the social impacts of industrial production. These social impacts, however, come in the first instance from production and not the corporation. Much of the thinking about CSR fails to adequately take account of the legal corporation and so fails to come to grips with what corporate law is designed to accomplish. This article addresses the interface between the three concepts and related issues of CSR, social costs and corporate law.

Keywords: CSR, Corporate Law, Social Costs

JEL Classification: M14, L2