Business: Miss World war; Face value

• Published in: The Economist (London) Vol. 365; no. 8302; p. 90
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: London The Economist Intelligence Unit N.A., Incorporated 07-12-2002
• Subjects: Beauty contests; Brand image; International; Islamism; Morley, Julia; Multinational corporations; Political risk; Professional baseball; Religious fundamentalism; Riots; Social responsibility; Swimwear
• ISSN: 0013-0613; 1476-8860

On December 7th this year's Miss World winner will be crowned in London - anti-pageant rioting that killed hundreds having prompted a last-minute switch from Nigeria - under a cloud from which the contest may never entirely escape. International businesses have no excuse for ignoring political risk. For sure, the corporate social responsibility brigade goes too far in its criticism of how multinationals operate in poor countries. But that does not mean any business can roll merrily into a place rife with corruption or religious fundamentalists without thinking through the risks to its brand - especially if the brand depends for its success on a positive reputation with customers. That is at least as true of Miss World.