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  • December 2020
  • Article
  • Business and Politics

Unwanted Attention: Swiss Multinationals and the Creation of International Corporate Guidelines in the 1970s

By: Sabine Pitteloud
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

During the last decade, we have seen an increased opposition to globalization. Within this wave of criticism, firms and more specifically multinational corporations have been major targets, accused of multiple wrongdoings, such as social dumping, fiscal evasion, job cuts, trade deficits, abuses of power, and environmental damages. In many respects, this debate echoes the one that took place during the 1970s with respect to oil shocks, de-industrialization, and imperialism. At that time, several international organizations, such as the OECD, ECOSOC, ILO, and the European Community started to address the issue of multinationals and international investments, and advocated for the creation of guidelines to regulate their activities. The following paper explores the reactions of Swiss multinationals to these attempts, as well as their strategies for protecting their latitude in conducting business. Relying on archival material of the Swiss Union of Commerce and Industry and of the Federal Archives, this paper shows how the biggest companies in the pharmaceutical, machine, and food processing industries—all of them still being global players —decided to create a task force to deal with these emerging regulations at the international level.

Keywords

Multinationals; Guidelines; Lobbying; Business History; Multinational Firms and Management; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Global Range; Switzerland

Citation

Pitteloud, Sabine. "Unwanted Attention: Swiss Multinationals and the Creation of International Corporate Guidelines in the 1970s." Special Issue on Multinational Corporations and the Politics of International Trade. Business and Politics 22, no. 4 (December 2020).
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About The Author

Sabine A. Pitteloud

General Management
→More Publications

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    • 2022
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    Les multinationales suisses dans l'arène politique (1942–1993) [Swiss Multinationals in the Political Arena (1942–1993)]

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    • February 2022
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    K.C. Li: The Tungsten King

    By: Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud
    • 2021
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    Les multinationales comme catégorie politique: les années formatrices (1970-1990)

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More from the Author
  • Les multinationales suisses dans l'arène politique (1942–1993) [Swiss Multinationals in the Political Arena (1942–1993)] By: Sabine Pitteloud
  • K.C. Li: The Tungsten King By: Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud
  • Les multinationales comme catégorie politique: les années formatrices (1970-1990) By: Sabine Pitteloud
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