Joining Hands - A Social Responsibility Conclave was organised by the Net Impact Club at the Indian School of Business (ISB) on November 11, 2006. The conclave was a call for corporate India to take up wider social responsibilities by effective public-private-civic alliances.
It provided update on all on major trends, shaping the socio-development landscape in India, and helped strategise moves and solutions to create a successful, measurable and sustainable social impact.

Net Impact President, Santosh Srinivas, in his welcome address hoped that this effort would serve as a springboard to greater ideas in addressing social issues. "Today we are here to devise some strategy for the road ahead," he said. Savita Mahajan, Assistant Dean, ISB, said that the students at the ISB, who she referred to as 'the future positions of influence' are geared to be aware, and to be empathetic to larger development and societal issues "so that in future their decision does not just impact the corporation, but across society, across geographical boundaries and across generations," she said.

Dr. Krishna Tanuku, Advisor and Mentor of Net Impact, urged to go beyond the `feel good factor’ of philanthropy, and focus more on the concept of social equity which is people centric. "This conclave is a starting point for a greater movement to address social concerns, individually and collectively," said Tanuku.

Anu Aga, Director, Thermax Llimited, focused on finding innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions'. Aga pointed out that the private public and civic sector should focus on common passions rather than mull over differences in ideology and methodology. For a successful alliance, there is a need of clarity of roles, a need for transparency in operation and a viable business plan. "We need to move away from that charity mode," said Aga. The public-private alliance, according to her, has become the flavour of the season, a way to appease the government. Clarifying the working definition of Corporate Social Responsibility, she said, "Old mindsets like the business-of-business-is-business should change. However, the dilemma of CSR is that, most often, we are rescuing the government, and duplicating the work that they should be doing." Aga exemplified the Grameen Bank as a workable and creative idea which has empowered and energised rural livelihood. "Let us try to emulate it, if not go one better," she said.

Dispelling the myth that it is wrong for a company to make profits, Gurucharan Das, Former CEO, Procter and Gamble, India, said, "Society makes a corporation guilty for engaging in profits. Business is stuck with labels of being exploitative. In course, the corporation loses its self-esteem. This mindset has to change. The business of making money also involves raising skills of people, creating enterprises and ultimately contributing to national wealth." Das stressed that it is 'illegal and immoral' for companies to engage in philanthropy. "I don’t like the word Corporate Social Responsibility," Das said, "I believe that individual contribution to social good has more impact." Das was of the opinion that to give wisely and to focus on where to give was more vital. He proposed three mantras to do so: -

• Let philanthropy enhance and further your brand image.

• Do not do cheque book philanthropy - engage the employees.

• Do not do it yourself - outsource philanthropy.