Degree
Master of Laws
Program
Law
Supervisor
Christopher C Nicholls
Abstract
This thesis considers the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Canadian banking sector. Although the relevance of CSR continues to be debated, this analysis starts from the position that CSR is now a fact of life for modern banks and tests whether Canadian banks are demonstrating CSR behavior through their adoption of the Equator Principles: a series of guidelines on the management of social and environmental issues that banks voluntarily commit to follow in their project financing activities. This thesis concludes that examples of CSR behavior can be observed as Canadian banks continue to define the scope of their involvement with the EPs. However, this conclusion is tempered by the finding that self-interested business motivations are also behind EPs adoption. Any expectations that we might arrive at “socially responsible” banks should therefore be tempered by the reality that CSR has yet to gain universal implementation in Canadian banking.
Recommended Citation
Osellame, Ian, "Corporate Social Responsibility in Canadian Banking a Case Study on the Equator Principles" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1391.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1391
Included in
Banking and Finance Law Commons, Business Organizations Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Law and Economics Commons, Law and Society Commons