Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria: Where Do Responsibilities End?

Journal of Business Ethics

Volumn 129, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 1-25

  Hennchen, Esther ^a  

^a ESADE BUSINESS SCHOOL   (Spain)

Author keywords

Corporate legitimacy; Corporate social responsibility; Political role of multinational companies; Public responsibility deficit; Public responsibility strategy; Sustainability

Indexed keywords

EID: 84930041773     PISSN: 01674544     EISSN: 15730697     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2142-7     Document Type: Article

References (91)

1. Barratt, M., Choi, T., & Li, M. (2011). Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of Operations Management,29, 329–342.
2. Carbonnier, G., Brugger, F., & Krause, J. (2011). Global and local policy responses to the resource trap. Global Governance,17(2), 247–264.
3. Center for Global Development. (2010). Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.cgdev.org/section/search?q=Nigeria.
4. CNN Money. (2012, July 23). Global 500: Our annual ranking of the world’s largest corporations. CNN Money.
5. Consul General Brian L. Browne. (2006). The Niger Delta: Current State of Play. In U. Embassy (Ed.). Lagos: Wikileaks.
6. Corporate Knights. (2010). 2010 Global 100 List. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.global100.org/annual-lists/2010-global-100-list.html.
7. Der Spiegel. (2013). Dutch ruling: Shell mostly cleared in Nigeria oil spills.
8. Eagleton, D. (2013). Oil companies should call off their assault on transparency. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dominic-eagleton/oil-companies-should-call_b_2759947.html.
9. ECCR. (2010). Shell in the Niger Delta: A framework for change. Oxford: The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Social Responsibility.
10. Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. The Academy of Management Review,14(4), 532–550.
11. Embassy Abuja. (2003a). Nigeria: Restarting oil production in Warri. In U. Embassy (Ed.), Confidential communication ed. Abuja: Wikileaks.
12. Embassy Abuja. (2003b). Oil companies differ on restarting Warri. In U. Embassy (Ed.), Confidential communication. Abuja: Wikileaks.
13. Evans, A. C., Merchant, P. M., Fain, N. E., & Roberts, L. K. (2013). Brief of Amici Curiae: Dr. Juan Romagoza Arce, Cecilia Santos Moran, and Ken Wiwa in Support of Petitioners (amicus brief No. 10-1491 & 11-88). San Francisco: Center for Justice and Accountability.
14. Friedman, M. (1962). Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
15. Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profit. The New York Times Magazine, pp. 217–223.
16. Garriga, E., & Melé, D. (2004). Corporate social responsibility theories: Mapping the territory. Journal of Business Ethics,53, 51–71.
17. Graf, W. D. (1988). The Nigerian State: Political economy, state class and political system in the post-colonial era. London: Heinemann.
18. Grant, R. M. (2002). Case seven: Organizational restructuring within the Royal Dutch/Shell Group. In R. M. Grant & K. E. Neupert (Eds.), Cases in contemporary strategy analysis (3rd ed., pp. 122–148). Oxford: Blackwell.
19. Guyon, J. (1997). Why is the world’s most profitable company turning itself inside out? Fortune,4, 121–125.
20. Harvey, F., & Hirsch, A. (2013, January 30). Shell acquitted of Nigeria pollution charges. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/30/shell-acquitted-nigeria-pollution-charges.
21. Hassan, T. A. (2010, October 08). PIB: N/Assembly caves into oil majors—The Jonathan connection. Daily Trust. Retrieved from http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4172:pib-nassembly-caves-in-to-oil-majors-the-jonathan-connection-&catid=3:business&Itemid=3.
22. Human Rights Watch. (1999). The price of oil. Corporate responsibility and human rights violations in Nigeria’s oil producing communities. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch.
23. Ikein, A. A., & Briggs-Anigboh, C. (1998). Oil and fiscal federalism in Nigeria. Brookfield: Ashgate.
24. International Energy Agency. (2011). World Energy Outlook 2011. Paris: International Energy Agency.
25. Jacoba Schouten, E. M. (2010). Embedding human rights within a multinational company: The case of the international energy company Royal Dutch Shell. Rotterdam: Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
26. Jarzabkowski, P. (2008). Shaping strategy as a structuration process. Academy of Management Journal,51(4), 621–650.
27. Jensen, M. C. (2002). Value maximization, stakeholder theory, and the corporate objective function. Business Ethics Quarterly,12, 235–256.
28. Kane, P. (2013). Ogoni protests escalate in Nigeria as Shell fails to implement UNEP report. Retrieved December 20, 2013, from http://www.waronwant.org/news/latest-news/18042-ogoni-protests-escalate-in-nigeria-as-shell-fails-to-implement-unep-report.
29. Kaul, I., Conceição, P., Le Goulven, K., & Mendoza, R. U. (2003). Providing global public goods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
30. Khan, S. A. (1994). The political economy of oil. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
31. Leader, S., Ong, D., Van Ho, T., Yilmaz, A., Michalowski, S., Netto, U., et al. (2012). Corporate liability in a new setting: shell and the changing legal landscape for the multinational oil industry in the Niger Delta. Colchester: Essex Business School and Human Rights Project.
32. Lubbers, E., & Rowell, A. (2010, November 9). NGOs and BBC targeted by Shell PR machine in wake of Saro-Wiwa death—Secret documents reveal the oil giant’s crisis management strategy following the execution of the Nigerian activist. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/09/shell-pr-saro-wiwa-nigeria.
33. Manby, B. (1999). The role and responsibility of oil multinationals in Nigeria. Journal of International Affairs,53(1), 281–301.
34. Margolis, J. D., & Walsh, J. P. (2003). Misery loves companies: Rethinking social initiatives by business. Administrative Science Quarterly,48, 268–305.
35. Magrin, G., & Van Vliet, G. (2009). The use of oil revenues in Africa. In J. Lesbourne (Ed.), Governance of oil in Africa: unfinished business (pp. 103-164). Paris: Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI).
36. Matten, D., & Crane, A. (2005). Corporate citizenship: Towards an extended theoretical conceptualization. Academy of Management Review,30(1), 166–179.
37. McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. (2001). Corporate social responsibility: A theory of the firm perspective. Academy of Management Review,26, 117–127.
38. Mena, S. B., & Palazzo, G. (2012). Input and output legitimacy of multi-stakeholder initiatives. Business Ethics Quarterly,22(3), 527–556.
39. Messner, J. J., Haken, N., Hendry, K., Taft, P., Lawrence, K., Pavlou, S., et al. (2013). Failed States Index 2013: The book. Washington, DC: The Fund for Peace.
40. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
41. Milieudefensie. (2013). Nigerians and Milieudefensie appeal in Shell case. Amsterdam/Port Harcourt: Milieudefensie.
42. Naagbanton, P. (2011, August 4). Shell has admitted liability but has a long way to go to make amends. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/04/shell-nigeria-oil-spills.
43. NNPC. (2012). 2011 Daft Annual Statistical Bulletin. Abuja.
44. Nwachukwu, C. (2011). Oil spill: Shell modifies data to 70% from 98%. Vanguard.
45. Okonedo, T. (2013). Dutch court dismisses FoE claims on oil spills (News and media releases ed). Abuja: Royal Dutch Shell.
46. Palazzo, G., & Scherer, A. G. (2006). Corporate legitimacy as deliberation: A communicative framework. Journal of Business Ethics,66(1), 71–88.
47. Pendleton, A., McClenaghan, S., Melamed, C., Bunn, I., & Graymore, D. (2004). Behind the mask—the real face of corporate social responsibility. London: Christian Aid.
48. Pilkington, E. (2009, July 9). Shell pays out $15.5m over Saro-Wiwa killing. The Guardian.
49. Platform. (2012a). Oil conflict in the Niger Delta—the role of Shell: A Platform briefing for investors. London: Shell.
50. Platform. (2012b). Open letter to the Boards of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Shell Companies in Nigeria. Nigeria, London: Platform.
51. Royal Dutch Shell. (2009a). Royal Dutch Shell PLC Sustainability Report 2009. London.
52. Royal Dutch Shell. (2009). Sustainability review: Royal Dutch Shell plc sustainability review 2009. The Hague: Royal Dutch Shell.
53. Royal Dutch Shell. (2010a). Our Values. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/who_we_are/our_values/sgbp/sgbp_30032008.html.
54. Royal Dutch Shell. (2010b). Shell Sustainability Report.
55. Royal Dutch Shell. (2012a). Our operations. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.shell.com/home/content/environment_society/society/nigeria/operations/.
56. Royal Dutch Shell. (2012b). Our values. Retrieved December 28, 2012, from http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/who_we_are/our_values/.
57. Royal Dutch Shell. (2012c). Sustainability Report. Royal Dutch Shell.
58. Scherer, A. G., & Palazzo, G. (2007). Toward a political conception of corporate responsibility—business and society seen from a Habermasian perspective. Academy of Management Review,32(4), 1096–1120.
59. Scherer, A. G., & Palazzo, G. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of research on global corporate citizenship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
60. Scherer, A. G., & Palazzo, G. (2011). The new political role of business in a globalized world: A review of a new perspective on CSR and its implications for the firm, governance, and democracy. Journal of Management Studies,48(4), 899–931.
61. Shell. (1999). People, planet & profits: An act of commitment. London: Shell.
62. Shell. (2010a). Annual Report.
63. Shell. (2010b). ‘We Will Continue to Invest in Nigeria’—SHELL: Shell Nigeria.
64. Shell. (2012). Shell in Nigeria: Global Memorandum of Understanding. Royal Dutch Shell.
65. Shell Nigeria. (2011). SPDC spent N9 billion on community development in Niger Delta in 2010. Abuja: Shell Nigeria.
66. Shell Nigeria. (2012a). About Shell: Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). Retrieved December 28, 2011, from http://www.shell.com.ng/home/content/nga/aboutshell/shell_businesses/e_and_p/spdc/.
67. Shell Nigeria. (2012b). Shell in Nigeria: Improving Lives in the Niger Delta. Lagos.
68. Shell Nigeria. (2012c). SPDC voted “Best Company in Most Innovative CSR” in Nigeria. Retrieved December 28, 2011, from http://www.shell.com.ng/home/content/nga/aboutshell/media_centre/news_and_media_releases/2011/sera_award.html.
69. Smith, D. (2010, December 08). WikiLeaks cables: Shell’s grip on Nigerian state revealed. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-cables-shell-nigeria-spying.
70. SPDC. (2011a). Shell in Nigeria—working in a complex environment (Transcript of Webchat). Abuja: Shell Petroleum Development Company.
71. SPDC. (2011b). SPDC action on matters addressed in the UNEP report. Abuja: Shell Petroleum Development Corporation.
72. Standard, D. (2011). Shell accepts responsibility for oil spill in Nigeria: Oil company concedes liability in case brought on behalf of thousands of Nigerians. London: Leigh Day & Co.
73. Standard, D. (2013). Cautious welcome to Dutch Shell ruling from British Lawyers for Bodo Community. London: Leigh Day.
74. Sundaram, A. K., & Inkpen, A. C. (2004). The corporate objective revisited. Organization Science,15, 350–363.
75. Temper, L. (2013). Crude justice and ecocide in the Niger Delta: Environmental Justice Organizations, Liabilities and Trade.
76. The Oil Industry and Human Rights in the Niger Delta. (2008). U.S. Senate. https://www.earthrights.org/legal/environmental-human-rights-activists-testify-senate-abuses-chevron.
77. U.S. Embassy Abuja. (2009). Cable 09ABUJA259, C Nigeria: Shell briefs ambassador on oil gas issues.
78. US Embassy. (2009a). Cable 09ABUJA259, C Nigeria: Shell briefs ambassador on oil gas issues (Secret Government Communication). Abuja: US Embassy.
79. US Embassy (2009b). Cable 09ABUJA1907, C Shell MD discusses the status of the proposed petroleum industry bill (Confidential Government Communication). Abuja: US Embassy.
80. UNCTAD. (2009). WIR 2009: Transnational Corporations, Agricultural Production and Development(No. UNCTAD/WIR/2009). United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
81. US Consulate Lagos. (2003). Nigeria: Shell and possible Chevron may resume. In U.S. Embassy (Ed.), Confidential communication ed. Lagos: Wikileaks.
82. US Energy Information Administration. (2012). Nigeria. Washington, DC: U.S. Energy Information Administration.
83. Utting, P., & Ives, K. (2006). The politics of corporate social responsibility and the oil industry. St. Antony’s International Review,2(1), 11–34.
84. Valente, M., & Crane, A. (2009). Private, but public: Companies in emerging markets often have to take on services usually provided by the government. It isn’t always easy. The Wall Street Journal,23, R6.
85. Valente, M., & Crane, A. (2010). Public responsibility and private enterprise in developing countries. California Management Review,52(3), 52–78.
86. Vidal, J. (2011, August 25). Shell’s failure to protect Nigeria pipeline ‘led to sabotage’. The Guardian UK. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/25/shell-oil-export-nigeria-pipeline-sabotage.
87. Vidal, J. (2012, April 23). Shell Nigeria oil spill ‘60 times bigger than it claimed’. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/23/shell-nigeria-oil-spill-bigger?intcmp=122.
88. Watts, M. (2008). Imperial oil: The anatomy of a Nigerian oil insurgency, Working Paper. Berkeley: University of California.
89. World Bank. (2010). Nigeria—Public/Private Partnership Initiative (Project Information Document—Appraisal Stage).
90. Young, I. M. (2004). Responsibility and global labor justice. The Journal of Political Philosophy,12(4), 365–388.
91. Young, I. M. (2006). Responsibility and global justice: A social connection model. Social Philosophy & Policy Foundation,23(1), 102–130.