Improving workers’ rights through CSR measures: when private initiatives overcome the institutional ones.

Abstract

The goal of the research is to prove how big enterprises are able to affect in positive way the enhancement of human rights and working conditions in labour environments. These private organizations over time become increasingly ethical players in the global scenario replacing activities and initiatives carried out by sovereign States and international organizations. In particular, the study wants to emphasise the importance about the voluntary adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) measures applied and integrated into a global supply chain model. Although in this study we will consider the CSR topic purely from a labour perspective, these actions are intended to be all those sustainable behaviours voluntarily adopted within a company’s strategic business. Finally, as a final step a practice case concerning “Google LLC” will be presented in order to grasp the effectiveness regarding the application of CSR policies. The US company in fact is deemed one of the optimal examples engaged in the application of these practices.