Francis O’ Donnell is an ecologist and business graduate from the Republic of Ireland. His current area of interest is the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He considers culture a serious impediment to CSR’s potential to reduce social and environmental conflict in an Irish context. He is acutely aware that Multinational Corporations and national Governments often overlook stakeholder inclusiveness due to self interest. However, he argues that CSR offers those with business interests, social interests and environmental interests a space to come together and adopt better models to reduce conflict.

His first book, Corporate Social Responsibility and Shell in Ireland: A Thin Veneer evaluates Shell’s stated commitments to society and the environment in Ireland. It also explores how weak regulation and political facilitation may have influenced Shell to act as poor corporate citizens there. He believes that the absence of proper frameworks to robustly evaluate an organisations commitment to wider society may result in some organisations adopting an à la carte attitude to CSR in general. He points to the lack of NGO’s in Ireland to monitor political processes and regulation. If the status quo remains, he believes that a platform currently exists whereby Multi National Corporations, especially those in the petrochemical industry, may perceive Ireland as a soft option to exploit business interests at the expense of key stakeholder groups and wider society as a whole.

This book is useful in provoking discussion on these issues at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive levels. It can be used in courses on leadership, corporate responsibility, ethics, public policy, business and organizational behaviour. It is particularly suitable to classes which cover leadership, ethical decision-making, stakeholder engagement and change management.

Key themes that emerge throughout the book include community engagement, the meaning of consultation with a community, the nature of leadership, the importance of planning, and ultimately the meaning of responsible behaviour in both a corporate and government context. The book deals with issues of relative power and accountability, and explores the boundaries of a company’s responsibilities to a community fractured by its presence.