Implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the Czech Republic

Implementation of the UN Guiding Principles: The Case of the Czech Republic
Veronika Hermanová - Hubert Smekal
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN GUIDING PRINCIPLES ON BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS (SEVILLE, 4-6 NOVEMBER 2013) 
The paper maps the state of the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the Czech Republic. Based on a sample of the thirty largest companies in the Czech Republic, the paper seeks to ascertain variables that encourage and/or discourage the implementation of these Guiding Principles. In particular, the case study explores the relationship between, on one hand, the size of a company, the origin of its owners (Czech or foreign), the company’s area of operation, and its activities in Corporate Social Responsibility, and, on the other hand, knowledge and adoption of the Guiding Principles (together with specific arguments of the companies for and against adoption). The study is based on materials from companies included in the sample and on interviews with their representatives. The acquired data are subsequently put in context by a comparison to recent processes of raising awareness and implementation of this document abroad. The paper contributes to the existing body of research on the UN Guiding Principles not only with a description of the situation in the country, but also with the ambition of formulating hypotheses on the issue which could also be applied to other Central and Eastern European post-communist countries.