Business Ethics & Philanthropy

Four years after the CSR mandate, here's a look at the geographies and sectors funds were directed towards; what has changed in the way companies give; and how we can address the gaps that still exist. Section 135 of the Indian Companies Act, 2013, or the CSR clause, came into effect on April 1, 2014....

Companies and society win when business leaders are gender-inclusive. Researchers from Harvard Business School examined how corporate leadership and organizational structure influence CSR by utilizing the most visible form: corporate philanthropy. Focusing specifically on how women leaders might impact CSR, researchers from Harvard Business School and Catalyst conducted follow-up analysis. Compared to companies without women executive...

2015 was a watershed moment in the international development scenario. It was the year of transition from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs in short. What are the SDGs? Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted on 25 September 2015 by 193 countries to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for...

CSR and HR are mutually beneficial to each other in an organisation. Given their mutual focus on the human element of an organisation, these two departments have always supported and strengthened each other. CSR function was handled by the HR department in majority of Indian companies before the mandate. After the mandate though, the two...

The land of Barsana, two hours’ drive south of New Delhi, is sacred to those who practise bhakti yoga. It is home to people who have been brought up to make spirituality their life’s focus, to imbibe the qualities of selflessness and loving service. However, these very people do not have the best healthcare systems....

Rising wealth in Asia is one of the biggest economic stories of the 21st century. We are witnessing enormous societal change as hundreds of millions leave behind a life of poverty. As prominent Asian philanthropists Ratan Tata and Ronnie Chan have written, these changes raise some fundamental questions: What does it mean to be part...

In 2014, India became the first country in the world to mandate companies to spend a fraction of their revenue on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). However, long before the Companies Act 2013, cultural beliefs in daan and good karma, have always been a deep-rooted part of India’s corporate culture. Business houses such as the Tata’s...

We live in an era of big data. The proliferation of apps, social media, and e-commerce platforms, as well as sensor-rich consumer devices like mobile phones, wearable devices, commercial cameras, and even cars generate terabytes of data about the environment and about us. With impressive efficiency gains made in data collection, mining and analysis, technology...

Impact measurement is often quite specialised and needs to be undertaken by an independent team with specific skills depending upon project design. What is CSR impact measurement? Impacts of the development projects typically take a while to manifest. For instance, a girl child education programme can show an increased enrolment and retention of girls and on...

Digitisation in recruitment has spread out the fake job racket dramatically. With job scammers using big brand names to lure the vulnerable job seeker, corporate entities have taken up the responsibility to spread awareness. The brands have taken measures to ensure that job aspirants are easily able to differentiate fake jobs from real ones...

Every year, some 12 million young Indians join the workforce, according to a recent EY study, and 64% of the population is likely to be of working age by 2020-21. That’s at the heart of India’s much-vaunted demographic dividend, which is supposed to propel its GDP—but there is a huge disconnect between job creation...

Financial services brands are helping customers let their money do the talking, by facilitating spending and investment with a positive impact. While people want to support brands with a positive impact, they don’t always have time to scrutinize every individual purchase. Now, financial services brands are stepping in, with payment tracking, analysis and investment tools...