From the Chief Editor
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a school of thought is still in its infancy, having been established as recently as the 1970s. It has, within its short span of life, been elevated to a buzzword due to the large impact business-oriented corporate bodies often have on issues extraneous to mere finance. These include environmental concerns and the interests of society at large.

Due to the “economics-first” maximising mindset that many lawyers and businessmen employ in the course of their work, we have found it fitting to provide a fresh perspective in the second issue of Juris this academic year. As always, we commence with a brief introduction of CSR for those unacquainted with the concept. This will be followed by interesting discussions of the CSR movement’s relevance to the common student and its correlation with corporate governance. A guest writer from the University College London shares with us her international perspective of CSR, while views on whether CSR should be legislated are also juxtaposed. On a lighter note, the Odex saga, which has been quite widely debated of late, will be also be analysed in light of CSR.

I hope that this issue of Juris would encourage all of us to critically evaluate the wide-ranging impact that each seemingly insignificant decision made by a corporation entails.

Read the Print Version of this issue here: Juris Vol 4 Issue 2 (September)

  • CSR: The Olympian Challenge by Grace Chong

    Look no further than the 2008 Beijing Olympics to see a grandiloquent display of CSR tactics on the sponsorship chessboard. Any Olympic sponsor who thinks it can use CSR as a mere watchword, however, misunderstands the power of international scrutiny. More than ever, sponsors are under pressure to make a tangible impact on the Chinese population. [Read More]

  • CSR From a Legal Perspective by Calvin Lim

    [T]he “keystone of CSR is compliance with international and national legal standards. Advising on the applicability, interpretation and application of laws is quintessentially what lawyers are trained to do.” [Read More]

  • “Students, You Can Have a Role to Play!”, an interview with Alexander Yang

    Like any ideal still in its infancy, we who take it up now face a lot of questions and challenges and wonder constantly if it is all worth it. [Read More]

  • Corporate Governance 101 – Has Singapore got it right? by Muhammad Aidil

    The solution lies not in hamstringing corporate manoeuvrability with superfluous ‘codes’ or legislation, because these merely offer boxes in which directors are inclined to tick, so as to absolve themselves of liability. [Read More]

  • CSR beyond the Shores: A U.K. Perspective by Li Daming

    … CSR today is not so much about philanthropic donation for good causes, but is rather a responsibility that companies accept towards the community around them. Indeed, the success of corporations is dependent on the existence of a healthy society, and vice versa. [Read More]

  • Juxtaposition of Views: “To Legislate or not…That is the question” by Zhong Zewei and Ang Hou Fu [Read More]
  • The Odex Saga: A Pandora’s Box? by Jeth Lee

    This issue also opens a Pandora’s box in the area of corporate social responsibility. It is firstly opined that Odex’s actions are deplorable as a profiteering manoeuvre levelled at individuals who are often, legally untrained. Although Odex categorically denied this, it is difficult to conclude otherwise judging from the adversarial manner in which settlement processes were carried out. [Read More]

  • Global Law School Attracts German LL.B Student by Tan An Qi

    You may have seen her on campus. You may have thought she is just another exchange student. In fact, she is enrolled in the full-time Bachelor of Laws degree course in NUS Faculty of Law. [Read More]