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Historically, NGOs emerged on the international business scene in the late 1980s as important institutional actors. Their influence powered the globalisation of business, declining state power and the scrutiny of business practices, particularly in developing countries related to exploitation of labour, abuse of weak regulatory mechanisms and human rights violations. A spate of corporate scandals that created a crisis of leadership and a trust void in business has further bolstered NGO credibility in recent decades. Indeed, the Edelman Trust Barometer finds that, vis-à-vis business, government and the media, NGOs are the most trusted institution globally. However, NGO relationships with businesses has been characterised by mistrust and conflict. Traditionally, NGOs have been treated as peripheral or secondary stakeholders for businesses who lack 'formal' power and can easily be ignored by resource-rich corporations. In many cases, NGOs do not have the institutional standing. However, in others, particularly Western democracies and developed countries, NGOs are increasingly listed as primary stakeholders in CSR reports. Although NGOs are increasingly acknowledged as influential institutional actors, they have received relatively less attention in communication scholarships around social-mediated developments. However, the growing influence of social media are perceived as a game changer and a 'potential equalizer' in how NGOs interact with corporations. This case is more of a 'David and Goliath' battle.

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Digital activism: Unilever and the 'Kodaikanal Won't' campaign

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