Bangalore HR Summit 2008 to be Held in December

Future Managers from SPJIMR-Mumbai Lend Different Strokes to the Social Sector

In the new world order, for a voluminous country of 1.13 billion people amidst all the economic positivity and political dogma, the growing divide between the rich and the poor, the privileged and the underprivileged is growing wider by the day. We might

choose to bask under the light of 'India Shining', but look from the other side and you'll see a dark shadow of the same slogan. The gap between boardroom planning and ground implementation needs to be bridged by managers who are sensitized towards the issues that challenge India even as it stands poised to target a double-digit growth rate. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) would remain confined only to the corporate preamble unless a real urge to outreach the grass-root level is realised. The neglected social sector is a dormant behemoth of the Indian economy. If tapped to harness the true potential, it could trigger the country onto the trajectory of inclusive growth, something long dreamt but yet to be realised. The time to act upon is now.

Ideas galore, innovations unbounded, and skills to plan, execute and manage is what, in the simplest of terms, would describe a young manager of today. To channelize this energy to strike a socio-economic balance, one needs to instil in these young professionals the zeal to make a difference, and the desire to travel that extra mile to make benefits reach the destitute and make prosperity simmer from the bottom strata of the society. The Centre for Development of Corporate Citizenship (DOCC) at the S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, was established in 2001 with a view to mould management education in tune with the Indian context. The seeds towards this approach were sown in 1993. The centre was founded to further the institute's twin principles of 'Value-based Growth' and 'Influencing Practice'. A unique initiative of the centre is the socially relevant projects that all the participants of the institute undertake with an NGO during summers. By creating linkages between the managerial mind-set, the efforts of the NGOs, and the support of the government, there is hope that the fruits of management effectiveness and efficiency will reach a larger cross-section of the society. Since its inception, SPJIMR students have carried out 1100 such projects in collaboration with 800 NGOs. This year students have scanned the length and breadth of the country by undertaking projects from Ladakh to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and from Ahmedabad to Assam.

Samidha Mittal and Sandeep Kumar Verma, reviewed the Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) Policy proposed by the state government in Jharkhand for the land donors in the age of the industrial revolution that the nascent state is facing. They conducted their study in association with Citizens' Foundation (NGO). The students are of the view that the proposal of making these land-donors the share-holders in the industries would be ineffective due to the marginal literacy levels. The traditional socialist development approach followed by the central government, the resulting forced sale of tribal lands, the influx of outsiders due to industrialization, and the gaps in the existing policies has instilled fear among the natives making them resistant to development.

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Contributed by -
Rahul Ramchandani,
PGDM 2007-09 (Marketing),
Public Relations Committee,
S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai.

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