Today’s global brands love presenting themselves as “moral actors” not just economic powerhouses.

They do this through “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) which has become – at times – a true challenge for them, especially in the post-October 7th world.

Multinational companies and brands may portray themselves as champions of universal values. But the more their actions are scrutinized, the more they face questions when their values are seen as inconsistent across different issues, different countries and different political environments.

SOME EXAMPLES TO CONSIDER

*Look at a global brand that is based in the United States and promotes religious inclusion, Holocaust remembrance activities and has zero tolerance for antisemitism. Then, in one of the regions they operate in, say the Middle East, local managers avoid assigning certain projects to Jewish employees for fear of offending antisemitic clients.

*Imagine a multinational company that – post-October 7th – issues statements of condemnation of the Hamas massacre in some countries. But the company makes the deliberate decision to NOT say anything – in other countries/regions – about the murders, rapes and terrorism that Israelis experienced that day.

*Think about a global brand that faces pressure from local business partners to NOT work with vendors that are connected to Jewish owners and/or Israelis. The brand quietly avoids these partners while simultaneously running anti-discrimination campaigns in Western markets.

The bottom line: global brands and........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)