Corporate Social Responsibility for National Building

Abstract

The three distinct pillars sustaining any nation-building process. First one is, government, which also could be categorized as political leadership; second, civil society; and third, business. Last couple of years has been a challenging year for all and one that has brought us with a global economic recession of unprecedented proportions, and attack on India’s financial capital. It may seem a trifle strange to work on Corporate Social Responsibility during such times. But we are convinced that there is no better time than now to reiterate the need for “Responsibility” - responsibility as citizens, as business persons and as humans inhabiting this fragile planet. The question whether business has a role to play in nation-building is by and large settled today. Corporate social responsibility encompasses not only what companies do with their profits, but also how they make them. It goes beyond philanthropy and compliance and addresses how companies manage their economic, social, and environmental impacts, as well as their relationships in all key spheres of influence: the workplace, the marketplace, the supply chain, the community, and the public policy realm.