Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India- a Report from Article 13

Collage Article 13 – Article 13 Group’s joint venture operating in India – today announced the launch of a new body of research on CSR in India. The purpose of this research was to better understand what leading companies in India are doing in terms of CSR, what the business benefits are and whether or not these activities are of importance to potential employees.

The research took a three phased approach including desk- and web-based research investigating practices in leading companies in India, structured quantitative research with students and graduates and insight interviews with leading HR professionals in India.

The review of the leading companies revealed the key issues in India which companies are aware of the need to tackle: a huge and growing population; mass urbanisation and a move away from a traditional agricultural based economy; and massive poverty alongside increasing and booming wealth, with the spectre of HIV/AIDS alongside diseases of the world’s neediest people. And alongside these was how best to balance the needs and wants of a growing economy with the scale of the aforementioned issues.

The research report, available on Article 13’s website (www.article13.com) gives an overview of the programmes leading companies in India are undertaking in the community, education, environment and health areas. A review of these programmes identified four emerging themes in relation to the way CSR issues are being handled in India – employees; community; environment (the tipping point) and stakeholder perspective.

From the research findings and analysis of emerging themes, Collage Article 13 presented a series of recommendations for improving CSR practices in India. These ranged from reviewing companies’ CSR approaches against the KPMG survey of global business benefit through to recognition that the environment is a tipping point and lack of natural resources such as water and fertile land are potential business threatening issues.

Full research findings can be found online by visiting www.article13.com/csr/ourpublications.asp.

About Collage Article 13
Article 13 Group has announced the launch of a new joint venture in India – Collage Article 13. In what is believed to be the first firm of its kind operating in India, Collage Article 13 will advise businesses on corporate social responsibility (CSR), good governance and sustainability.

Article 13, the UK-based strategic advisors, operating nationally and globally, on risk associated with business responsibility, have over nine years of experience with business and government clients – in the UK and internationally – across a broad range of sectors including transport, food and drink, manufacturing, construction, utilities and healthcare.

Article 13 has joined forces with Delhi-based Collage Sports Management (CSM). CSM is a sports management company with a difference. Offering a full range of services from marketing and public relations through to consultation and reputation building, CSM’s extensive networks, local knowledge and expertise in working with the corporate sector lend themselves to being an effective player in the Indian CSR arena.

Collage Article 13 will combine the in-depth experience of both companies and work with businesses operating in India to help them integrate the social, ethical and environmental practices and policies conducive to responsible and sustainable business. CSM will take responsibility for marketing Collage Article 13 in India, whilst Article 13 will provide the strategic consultancy expertise and run masterclasses in responsible business and management of non-financial risk.

The joint venture comes at a time when corporate social responsibility is rising up the agenda and investors and consumers are calling businesses operating in India to do so in a more responsible, ethical and transparent manner. At the official launch of the new enterprise, Jane Fiona Cumming referred to the headlines in Delhi being full of issues such as climate change, as well as the challenge for corporate India in achieving its economic potential. “This interface between business and strategy is where Article 13 operates. The link with Collage is an exciting new joint venture helping Indian based companies address these issues in a way that is integrated with business and more than philanthropy.”
Copyright Article 13 – May 2007
Article 13 are specialist advisors in governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development. We develop policy and strategy through the use of research and engagement to deliver innovation, governance and organisational responsibility. We typically help companies, governments and academic institutions to meet the growing pressure for better performance, whether it is social, environmental, ethical or economic.