Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - "AIDS is not a business"
T2 - a study in global corporate social responsibility
AU - Flanagan, William
AU - Whiteman, Gail
PY - 2007/6
Y1 - 2007/6
N2 - At the end of the 1990s, Brazil was faced with a potentially explosive HIV/AIDS epidemic. Through an innovative and multifaceted campaign, and despite initial resistance from multinational pharmaceutical companies, the government of Brazil was able to negotiate price reductions for HIV medications and develop local production capacity, thereby averting a public health disaster. Using interview data and document analysis, the authors show that the exercise of corporate social responsibility can be viewed in practice as a dynamic negotiation and an interaction between multiple actors. Action undertaken in terms of voluntary CSR alone may be insufficient. This finding highlights the importance of a strong role for national governments and international organizations to pressure companies to perform better.
AB - At the end of the 1990s, Brazil was faced with a potentially explosive HIV/AIDS epidemic. Through an innovative and multifaceted campaign, and despite initial resistance from multinational pharmaceutical companies, the government of Brazil was able to negotiate price reductions for HIV medications and develop local production capacity, thereby averting a public health disaster. Using interview data and document analysis, the authors show that the exercise of corporate social responsibility can be viewed in practice as a dynamic negotiation and an interaction between multiple actors. Action undertaken in terms of voluntary CSR alone may be insufficient. This finding highlights the importance of a strong role for national governments and international organizations to pressure companies to perform better.
KW - Brazil
KW - compulsory licensing
KW - corporate social responsibility
KW - developing countries
KW - HIV/AIDS
KW - multinational pharmaceutical companies
KW - patents
KW - TRIPS
KW - WTO
U2 - 10.1007/s10551-006-9198-y
DO - 10.1007/s10551-006-9198-y
M3 - Journal article
VL - 73
SP - 65
EP - 75
JO - Journal of Business Ethics
JF - Journal of Business Ethics
SN - 0167-4544
IS - 1
M1 - 73
ER -