Philanthropy, CSR and Sustainability

Introduction

There was a time when religion preached for the welfare of the society and entrusted state with this pious responsibility. Now the time has come when business joins hands with government in adding value to the society right from “from cradle to grave”. In earlier times religion had very crucial and dominant role to play in human life. Religion expresses itself both in an individual practices related to communal faith and in group sacraments and communication budding from collective commitment. The noble ideas of symbiosis, co-existence, harmony, giving back to the society, responsibility towards wellness of the environment, sensitization of human beings towards protection and preservation of natural resources and innumerable other good ideas stemmed from almost all the religions. These ideas seem to have universal acceptance despite all spreaded differences in beliefs and faiths across the religions around the globe. As a highly influential system, religion rules over the minds of people giving the thought direction and act prescription.

Business, being a part of the society, has always been influenced by it and its philosophies. From ancient times, business had been bearing cumulative social costs incurred by its own activities. Business adopted more philosophical way to be socially responsible following the value and belief system established by any religion or philosophy. It trusted more on making temples, mosques, churches; funding or running orphanages and educational institutes and donating for social cause.

However, there was hardly any well-established linkage between those ethical or moral acts and the business objectives. Further, they believed in “doing” rather than “telling” it.

With the advent of “industrial revolution” business expanded its horizons connecting suppliers and buyers; sometimes across the national boundary. Cost & Benefit Analysis of every activity performed by business became essential. In the ruthless race where industrialized nations jostled to get ahead and overlooked the hidden as well as visible socio-environmental costs acquired by it. In this era values lost sincere and serious implementation and were not counted in a powerful way by the firms.

It is interesting to note that at the same time tangible reflection of embedded ethical values were seen, when Indian industry was being set up by the great business visionaries and entrepreneurs. It would be relevant to quote Jamsetji Tata who was more than merely an entrepreneur; who helped India take her place in the league of industrialized nations. He was a patriot and a humanist whose ideals and vision shaped an exceptional business conglomerate. The brick-and-mortar endeavors that Jamsetji planned and executed were but one part of grand ideas. How much of a man of the future he was can be gauged from his views about his workers and their welfare. Jamsetji offered his people shorter working hours, well-ventilated workplaces, and provident fund and gratuity long before they became statutory in the west. He spelled out his concept of a township for the workers at the steel plant in a letter he wrote to his son, Dorab Tata, in 1902, five years before even a site for the enterprise had been decided;