Concept of CSR is now firmly rooted in the global business agenda and is regarded as an element of success and survival.
By Sangeeta Waldron
I am delighted and proud to announce that my book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations is now out in India and is published by Jaico Publishing. My book originally published in the UK and the US in 2021 and was shortlisted for the UK Business Book Awards in 2022 in the sustainability and change category. So, to be published on a third continent is exciting, especially as this is now a key region, as India’s strong economy has overtaken the UK in terms of size, making it the fifth biggest, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This growth of India’s economy means that it is more important than ever for all businesses in India, local, national, and multinational to be serious about their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments. Especially as the concept of CSR is now firmly rooted in the global business agenda and is regarded as an element of success and survival.
The challenge for a company is to create a robust, innovative, and authentic CSR strategy, which meets all the stakeholders’ objectives. To move from theory to action, and for this, a mind shift is needed.
Especially, as, there are still some corporates who use their CSR activities purely as a marketing tool, which means that these companies are probably greenwashing and pretending! This is where my book comes in, as now, more than ever, it is vital for all types of businesses to have authentic corporate social responsibility initiatives that are not a publicity spin.
My book demonstrates that CSR is the future of business and importantly shows businesses how to do it. To make the book different, powerful, and engaging I interviewed 15 global inspirational thought leaders and entrepreneurs, such as David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank; Lois Acton, mentored by Anita Roddick, founder of the Bodyshop, Fred Huguez, who escaped the LA gang culture about the essence of sustainability, and more. For the Indian edition of the book, I interviewed three more influencers who are relevant to the Indian market. Making the total number of interviews for this book 18.
Each interview within every chapter, along with the research, show there is international public support for business to do better and that CSR is driving investment. This is the time for all types of business to have CSR as the lifeblood for all their customers and employees.
Within the book there is a special chapter on India, and I have been lucky to interview Rusen Kumar, the founder of India CSR Network, a true visionary who set up this platform, before India became the first country in the world to introduce a CSR law in 2014.
We know that the world is at a tipping point – climate change, plastic pollution, bush fires, disappearing forests, a global pandemic and explosive conversations about diversity and inclusion. Added to this, with India set to continue outgrowing other countries for a considerable time, along with India expecting to climb the list of the world’s largest economies, it means that this book is both timely and relevant to the Indian market.
