The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : "Social responsibility must relate to core business"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 06, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

"Social responsibility must relate to core business"

Staff Reporter

Companies now sensitive to social role: U.S. Consul General

EXCHANGING VIEWS: U.S. Consul General in Chennai David T. Hopper (right) seen with Annamma Philip (centre), Principal, Stella Maris College for Women, and Dinesh Agarwal, General Manager, NTPC, at the seminar in Chennai on Tuesday. - Photo: K.V. Sr inivasan

CHENNAI: The U.S. Consul General in Chennai David T. Hopper on Tuesday said the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of a company should be related to its core business activity.

"For companies to find good business in socially responsible actions, several conditions need to be met. One of these conditions is that whatever those companies do in the social realm should be related to the core business," he said, while addressing a national seminar.

The seminar on "Co-Creating prosperity, Fostering corporate social responsibility and community based organisation partnerships" was organised by the department of public relations, Stella Maris College (autonomous).

"Companies sensitive"

"The companies that are really battling in the global field, that are building global brands, that are trying to take their products all over the world, have become extremely sensitive to their social role. Even in management schools and research, there is talk about social strategy," he said.

The top ten most admired companies in the U.S. had entire sections about their role in social and environmental issues on their websites, and this highlighted the importance of CSR and its role in business development. "Tax policy of the government can also create incentives for CSR," he added.

"Popular"

Mr. Hopper also formally inaugurated the public relations department (it was launched in August this year) and said the course was popular and successful.

"The students of the department should be prepared for a world where the abilities to understand a variety of sectors and to communicate effectively are key to success."

Dinesh Agarwal, general manager (C.S.R.), NTPC Limited, in his key note address, said CSR was a business strategy for a company to further profit and today, CSR addressed issues beyond legal requirements. CSR was definitely not charity or philanthropy, but was purely for profit and business development.

College principal Sr. Annamma Philip andSundari Krishnamurthy, head, department of public relations, spoke on the occasion.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu