McDonald's is temporarily closing its 850 locations in Russia, in one of the most symbolic exits by a global corporation from the country in protest over the invasion of Ukraine.
— which contains more than 200 companies — is a way to encourage corporations"to do the right thing" and to hold them accountable for continuing to engage with Russia.
Publishing the list allows companies to see that others are taking action amid the conflict; it's affirming, he said, and something that can make other companies feel better about the decision. That's what Sonnenfeld called the"carrot."Sonnenfeld and his team have been tracking company withdrawals since the outbreak of war, he said. Companies such as Dell, Apple, Nike, General Motors, IBM and H&M were among the first to curtail operations in Russia, he said.
Some companies released ambiguous statements, which drove Sonnenfeld and his team to catalog the companies. "We're shocked about what a catalytic effect an objective list has had in terms of either catalyzing some to move or clarifying positions," Sonnenfeld said."We're very close to 300 now that have curtailed operations."Based in New York, David Gura is a correspondent on NPR's business desk.