As these global companies have grown and become a more important force in the world, it’s been clear for 15 years or more that there needs to be a place in the human rights discussion to examine the role of corporations, particularly big,multinational corporations, both in terms of 1) regulating and influencing their conduct, and the conduct of those they interact with on the private side; and also 2) how to channel their influence in more constructive ways, when they have the potential to influence government conduct or behavior...Companies like GE or Reebok or Adidas...view themselves as industry leaders in everything they do...they think that they are the kinds of company that over the long term want to be leaders also on social, environmental and human rights issues.