Dodging Dilemmas: Environmental and Social Accountability in the Global Operations of California-Based High-Tech Companies

Many of the social and environmental concerns facing high-tech companies are heightened in developing countries — where communities may lack sufficient environmental regulation and enforcement, waste-management infrastructure, and protection of workers’ rights. This report, published by the Nautilus Institute in 2002, examines the environmental, health, and labor-rights challenges faced by California-based semiconductor and chip manufacturers as they expand operations overseas. Read case studies examining manufacturing in five countries: Costa Rica, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand. The report describes varied approaches to what it calls the major question for companies with operations oversees: Should multinationals follow local practice, set individual company standards, or peg performance to global industry norms?