Winning the ‘Right’ Way? Normative Perspectives on the Business-Government Interface
Journal
Academy of Management Proceedings
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2026-07-17
Author(s)
Abstract
In light of recent mandatory human rights due diligence (mHRDD) legislation, many emerging economies face both an opportunity - for a competitive advantage should they meet the required human rights and environmental criteria - as well as a challenge - if they are unable to meet the requirements and are excluded from increasingly compliant global supply chains. This paper, therefore, makes three contributions to scholarship at the intersection of business and human rights (BHR) and international business (IB). First, we advance the literature on the governance of the global factory, by investigating the implications of mHRDD for emerging markets. Second, drawing from the institutional systems literature, we develop a conceptual framework to shed light on three additional factors pertaining to mHRDD implementation that have been largely overlooked, namely, 1) a minimum living wage, 2) a National Action Plan on BHR, and 3) a ‘smart-mix’ of adequate labour protections. Finally, drawing from the VIS framework proposed by Fainshmidt and colleagues (2018), we develop illustrative examples and propositions, before suggesting future research directions. Building upon extant IB and BHR literature, we argue for more normative scholarship on regulatory isomorphic pressures and propose that mHRDD may provide an opportunity to bridge the ‘great divide’ between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and BHR.
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Academy of Management
Volume
2026
Number
1
Event Title
Academy of Management Annual Meeting
Event Location
Philadelphia
Event Date
July 31 - August 4, 2026
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
catherine.mcdonald@unisg.ch