ABSTRACT

This Ph.D. thesis is the outcome of 5-year doctoral study on “A Study on Impact of The Companies Act, 2013 on Corporate Social Responsibility in India”. This study contributes to new dimension about CSR in India. This Ph.D. thesis proposes new model, principles, Corporate Social Responsibility, and stakeholder engagement on CSR including healthcare and education through the dialectical interaction.
Definition of CSR
CSR is process by which an organization thinks about and evolves its relationships with stakeholders for the common good and demonstrates its commitment. In this regard by adoption of appropriate business process as and strategies, thus, CSR is not a charity or donations. Nowadays CSR has undergone metamorphosis to include and accepting of moral responsibilities towards the stakeholders i.e., the consumers, employees, labour, suppliers, government and the society and community. In short, CSR is a process for the care of people. After the amendment of The Indian Companies Act 1956, in 2013, it has been made compulsory by government that companies having net worth of Rs. 500 crore of more, Turnover Rs. 1000 crores or more, and net profit of Rs. 5 crores or more have to spend at least 2% percent of their 3 years average annual profit for CSR. So now, it is compulsory for them to spend their money on developing society, but the major task is how they should spend and where they should spend. Hence, this research focuses on healthcare and education towards a strategic CSR process to balance business and social goals. The proposed CSR process comprehensively can be applied to any CSR project.
After CSR was made compulsory by The Indian Companies Act 2013, a huge pool of resources was made available. Well defined projects and effective collaborations will lead India to being on the top of the list of socially developed nations. Research reports say that the overall CSR spend is concentrated in selected states only and towards selected causes like education, healthcare and environment. This study addresses a few critical issues. Many corporations today have recognized that being socially responsible is more than just donating money for a cause. Companies are gradually recognizing the benefits of meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). From board meeting to a CEO interview, CSR is a critical topic of discussion. While a few companies have proved to be exceptional in social performance, most are still finding it difficult to choose the right actions in this regard. This research shows how dynamic companies are bringing CSR issues to the center stage on the corporate radar by merging leads to greater impact through achieving societal objectives, and in turn contributes to the achievement of business objectives. Against this backdrop the present study focuses on the following:
1. To explore the practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India.
2. To examine the changing trends in the performance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on social development activities in India.
3. To ascertain the impact of The Companies, Act, 2013 on CSR activities in India and to examine the CSR spending by major companies including Education & Healthcare sectors in India.
4. The determine the relationship between total number of companies under CSR and total amount spent in India.
5. To compare the CSR benefits across various development activities by Public and Non-Public Sector Organisations.
6. To examine CSR spending of major 20 companies on Education sector and major 10 companies on healthcare sector with relation to societal quality of life in India through their CSR policy, programmes and strategies. CSR is a way of conducting business by which corporate entities visibly contribute to the social good, socially responsible companies use CSR to integrate economic, environmental and social objectives with the company’s operations and growth.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Stake Holders, The Companies Act, 2013, Charity, Philanthropy, Education, Healthcare, Environment