Transnational Corporate Social Responsibility; Opportunities and Challenges

The mainstream discourses in the current century have been human rights and environmental rights. The primary responsibility for the respect and ensuring of human and environmental rights belongs to governments. Meanwhile, the role of transnational corporations in violating human rights and environmental rights is often more than governments. For this reason, today, with passing the "respect to human rights" era, it is necessary for transnational corporations to ensure human rights. In fact, transnational corporations which enjoy of community, water, air, land and other resources of the host State should take some actions for social development of the host society. The responsibility of transnational corporations in the social development of the host government is known as "Transnational Corporation Society Responsibility - TCSR". This responsibility, which includes the commitment to ensure human rights, is rooted in principles such as right to development, obligation to technology transfer, fair treatment principle and development condition in foreign investments. The social responsibility of transnational corporations is also shaped by some national law regims and international law. Conversely, challenges also threaten the social responsibility of transnational corporations such as legal problems in host and parent State of TNCs, expences and benefit formula, taxs for social development and responsible-decision maker unity. By examining the performance of some transnational corporations in realizing their social responsibility, we can see the current status of this concept in the international arena.