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Corporate call

Corporate houses in the city are reaching out to the community in their own special way. HEMA VIJAY reports

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY Corporates can make a difference to the lives of the marginalised

Forget the handing out of a few cheques for disaster relief and the mandatory blood donation camps. There are a few, but growing number, of corporate houses in the city actively reaching out to the community. Balance sheets are not the only priority for these firms, as they now realise that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is as important, if they are to succeed in the long term. These firms have their own social programmes. For instance, Office Tiger's `OT reach' insists on the mandatory participation of its employees. The activities include visits to orphanages, institutions for the intellectually challenged individuals, special children wards, old age homes and hospitals. Office Tiger has even an ongoing blood donation campaign for which a database of volunteer donors from its firm has been made available to leading blood banks in case of emergencies.

Even more poignant is the case of Cognizant, which, like Microsoft, has set up its own foundation for the cause. The foundation focusses on two core areas — education and healthcare.

Social responsibility

"Cognizant believes its leadership role in the IT services comes with a certain responsibility," says Lakshmi Narayanan, president and CEO, Cognizant. He adds, "The most successful organisations are those that give back to the community." Since its inception in 2005, the foundation has partnered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in the satellite-based nationwide distance education programme, `Edusat', that uses space technology to catalyse the transformation of rural India. Among other things, it also networks with the Rescue Foundation, an NGO that is looking at enhancing skilled human capital in rural India.

Take a look at another firm, an age old one — L&T. Through its ECC Club (Employees Recreational and Entertainment Club), it ventures into social service. Incidentally, most L&T employees right from the top management are members of this club. As V. S. Ramana, Head, Corporate Communications, L&T, puts it, "The motivation for participating in CSR activities is high when the employees see that the chairperson of the club is K. V. Rangaswamy, L&T's executive head of operations of its Rs. 9,000-crore construction arm.

Standard Chartered's tsunami relief efforts and its work in battling blindness and the AIDS scare have also been catching attention. But are enough corporates really reaching out to the community? In the West, CSR is a serious priority with all business houses, which see CSR efforts as having important repercussions on business ratings. Microsoft chief Bill Gates' statement that he spends one half of his time in making the money to spend for the community in the other half of his time is telling.

"Sadly, here in India, barring a few, most corporate groups jump into action only when there is a calamity. They donate some money, make a big noise about it, grab the headlines and sink into oblivion thereafter," says Kalaichezhian, trustee, NGO Service Trust, adding, "but calamities are exceptional occurrences. There are so many grave concerns constantly crying out for intervention such as (lack of) infrastructure in corporation schools and hospitals, civic amenities in cities, health issues... Round the globe, business houses have an active stake and participation in these endeavours." What we need is ongoing action and momentum that is sustained right through, he insists.

The fact is you don't really need an impressive balance sheet to make a big difference to the community. NEG Micon recycles the packing wood that its windmill parts get shipped in into benches and desks for local corporation schools. Simple, but effective. Even small firms like Callidai Motor Works do it on the job, all the time, by incorporating community service in their basic method of functioning. For instance, Callidai Motors employs only differently abled persons. Its managing director Bhargav Sundaram has also had the bright idea of developing a job portal (www.helpforhandicap.org) , an online employment registry with a list of physically and mentally challenged persons along with their age, qualifications/capacities and contact addresses. If recruitment wings of corporate houses take time to use this registry, they would have done a lot for the community without any extra effort.

"Business houses can make a big difference merely by doing a little in their own respective arenas," says Kalaichezhian. "For instance, if the cell phone communities come forward to provide free phone lines in government hospitals, if furniture firms were to donate a few worn out pieces to shelters for the destitutes... the possibilities are endless," he says. He also suggests that corporate houses should come forward to build classrooms and toilets in schools and public places, or even take up the nurturing of individual sets of students in orphanages. He adds, "Business houses could adopt small hospital wings in government hospitals, or tiny departments in municipalities and take care of its maintenance and infrastructure, much in the same manner they have been adopting parks in the city. They could have their signboards here too and take rightful credit." For a CSR initiative to be effective, it needs to brainstorm with social activists and perpetrators of social change. There is also the need for corporate houses to come together and work in tandem to be more effective.

Internal targets

Agrees T. T. Ashok, managing director, Taylor Rubber Factory, and chairman, the CSR subcommittee of CII's South Region Chapter, "Companies now realise the importance of CSR, but now, we need to deploy our efforts and resources efficiently and not repeat ourselves. Companies need to set internal targets. We need to get together, share experiences and work in unison. We also need to evolve enough in CSR to audit our CSR activities, and benchmark our firms with global standards." So, apparently, it is not business as usual in the corporate world, at least not all the time. Firms now realise they don't and can't exist in isolation. Some corporates do have a social conscience. The pity is, their numbers are few, and their attention far too less in between.

Lend a helping hand

Here is what corporates can consider doing: