Prof Michael Hopkins

Part-Time Professor of Corporate and Social Research

Department: Business and Management

Contact

Qualifications

BSc, MSc, PhD

Biography

Background:

CEO and Chairman of MHC International Ltd. (London & Geneva), a research and service company that specialises in macro and social development issues for the public and private sector alike (see www.mhcinternational.com). The company works in three main areas: Macro-economic advice, Labour markets and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Has worked on macro-economic problems of oil and resource rich countries with Bahrain, Qatar and Azerbaijan. He has worked on macro-economic development and labour related issues with inter alia, the World Bank, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), EU, EUROSTAT, and the Governments of UK, Netherlands, South Africa and Egypt.
He is currently leading a multi-national team to develop a Youth Employment Centre for Her Highness Sheikha Mouzah of Qatar.
In the corporate world, Michael has worked and advised on the macro aspects of CSR with ILO, World Bank, UNDP, UNRISD, Glaxo-Wellcome, BT, BAT, BP, Nestle, Manpower, MMO2, ICI, SGS, Addax Petroleum and the Egyptian Government on CSR strategies.
Emphasis is placed on measurement of CSR and its link to company performance.
Michael has also worked on human resources and labour market issues in over 100 countries around the world, inter alia, Colombia, Brazil, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Dubai, South Africa, Malaysia, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Portugal, Azerbaijan etc.

Appointments:

Part-time Professor of Corporate and Social Research at Middlesex University Business School and Visiting Professor at Brunel and Geneva Universities.
Previous appointments include software scientist with IBM, operational researcher with ITT, Research Fellow at IDS and SPRU at the
University of Sussex, UK, Lecturer in Economics at University of Valle in Colombia, and Senior Economist for 11 years with the ILO in Geneva where he helped developed the ILO's research programme on social development.

Publications:

Michael has published widely on macro economic and social development issues, based upon both theoretical and empirical research in all the main continents, and this has led to nine books and around 120 published articles.

His most recent book is Corporate Social Responsibility and International Development: Is Business the Solution (Earthscan, London, 2006; Stylus, New York, 2007). Emilio Klein, Professor of Economics, University of Santiago, Chile wrote '..a very experienced and distinguished development economist addresses the question, and does so with a high academic standard.

His previous book linking the corporate world to globalization was The Planetary Bargain: Corporate Responsibility Matters also published by Earthscan in the UK and Stylus Publishing, USA in 2003. The ILO in its International Labour Review said about the book 'This interesting book takes a broad approach to examining corporate social responsibility in both its conceptual framework and the practical case studies it considers'. Corporate Citizenship Briefing said 'Hopkins revised edition is part of his campaign to teach -not preach - to the unconverted and make CSR matter. Passionately arguing for a visionary future of CSR integrated to all levels of business, this book outlines the contemporary economic, as well as ethical, advantages to having a CSR-led business. Tackling issues of definition for all the usual quagmires before expanding on useful frameworks and applications, CSR managers will find the clear language and sound global examples a useful and convincing resource for internal communication and training.' Arun Singh, Managing Director, Tata Steel, India wrote: 'Rarely does one meet an author of a book written in a distant land by such chance and that too, a book which one has enjoyed reading! The Planetary Bargain would make good reading in India. CSR is in vogue amongst corporate India apart from the interest the book would generate in the intellectual community.'

Michael led the team in Azerbaijan last year that produced the report'Turning Black Gold into Human Gold (BGHG)'. The Norwegian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Jon Ramberg wrote'…..an excellent report on "BGHG", which I have been studying with great interest!' The UNDP Resident Coordinator to UNDP, Marco Borsotti wrote 'congratulations on excellent work the results of which are regularly cited by the President of Azerbaijan and have led to two Presidential decrees'.

Selected Presentations:

Michael has given keynote speeches regularly at large corporate and international gatherings, inter alia, Oxford University, Feb., 2001; Chamber of Commerce, Mauritius, Nov., 2001; Inter-American Bank, CSR Conference, Miami, Dec., 2002; US Bureau of Labor, Washington DC, April, 2002; Conference on Social Effects of Globalisation, ILO, Geneva, Feb., 2003; Second National Oil Conference, London, Dec., 2003; Tenth Anniversary of Humanitarian Intervention, Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb., 2004; First Middle East Conference on CSR, Dubai, April, 2004; Doha Development Forum, Qatar, April, 2005 and April 2006; University of Geneva, Nov 2006; London School of Economics, Feb 2007; Columbia University, Feb 2007; Georgetown University, Feb 2007; US Chamber of Commerce, Feb. 2007; George Washington University, Feb 2007; Woodbury University, Los Angeles, Feb 2007, Middlesex University, March, 2007; International Business University, April, 2007,Geneva, 2007; University of Cambridge, June 2007; Oil and Gas Management Conference, Doha, Qatar, Sept., 2007; Manchester University, Oct 2007; Triple Bottom Line, Paris, Nov., 2007; etc. He has also moderated World Bank e-conferences for instance April, 2004 on CSR and the Media.