Is profit-making the only goal of a business? Should an unbridled market mechanism drive corporate enterprise? To what extent should corporations compensate for the manifest and hidden costs that are incurred by the society at large? These are some of the questions that have engaged specialist economists, business barons, corporate heads and management experts for decades. Corporate Ethics, Governance, and Social Responsibility: Precepts and Practices addresses these issues and deals with three key concepts impacting contemporary businesses: business or corporate ethics, corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility.

Is profit-making the only goal of a business? Should an unbridled market mechanism drive corporate enterprise? To what extent should corporations compensate for the manifest and hidden costs that are incurred by the society at large? These are some of the questions that have engaged specialist economists, business barons, corporate heads and management experts for decades. A consensus has emerged that corporate practices cannot bypass the fundamental demands of ethical behaviour, that administration and policies of governance have to be more transparent and publicly accountable, and that businesses must be sensitive to the community and environment within which they are established. This has led to the emergence of three key concepts of contemporary businesses, namely, business or corporate ethics, corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility.

Is profit-making the only goal of a business? Should an unbridled market mechanism drive corporate enterprise? To what extent should corporations compensate for the manifest and hidden costs that are incurred by the society at large? These are some of the questions that have engaged specialist economists, business barons, corporate heads and management experts for decades. Corporate Ethics, Governance, and Social Responsibility: Precepts and Practices addresses these issues and deals with three key concepts impacting contemporary businesses: business or corporate ethics, corporate governance,

The present volume covers a wide spectrum of issues from Governance to Ethics. What contributes to the survival of a business is its sincerity to the society. Keeping this as the core of the discussion, the book covers the topics including governance practices in India and abroad, the role of board of directors, independent directors, audit committees and auditors. The book also contains discussion on the role of SEBI, stock exchanges and the Government of India. An analysis of the provisions incorporated in the Companies Act, 2013 is unique. Another major part of discussion pertains to the precepts and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility. Presentation of Live Cases drawn from the contemporary developments is another highlight of the book. Salient Features: Ideas and tools for implementation of ethics with the help of qualitative and quantitative analysis and interpretation. Corporate governance reforms and best practices for a global perspective and business ethics from behavioural and applied aspects. Maximum flexibility in presenting the amount and order of materials on corporate governance and business ethics. Live and practical examples in the form of case studies/exhibits at relevant places.

This book deals with the role of international standards for corporate governance in the context of corporate social responsibility. Based on the fundamentals of moral theory, the book examines governance and CSR in general, addressing questions such as: Is “good governance” not affected by moral concerns? How do the principles and practices of CSR standards adhere to or conflict with insights from business ethics and moral theory? To what extent do the standards and governance models provide normative guidance? Do the standards and governance guidelines provide an adequate means of benchmarking and auditing? Are these standards a help or a hindrance to stakeholder engagement and transparency? The book provides insightful and thought-provoking answers to these and many other important questions concerning CSR standards, and offers a valuable resource for practitioners, academics and students at business schools and other institutions.

Presenting an analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India, this book looks at the unique roots of the concept in India. It examines Gandhi’s philosophical moorings that inform India’s approach to CSR, and the role of civil society in setting an agenda for championing the rights of the stakeholders. The book goes on to focus on the role of the government in grooming the Indian business to be sensitive of its social concerns. Drawing on rich empirical data, the book shows that CSR in India cannot be conceptualized in ethnocentric terms. Arguing that it is not about ‘the typical Indianness’ of the articulation, it emphasizes the point that CSR in India needs to be conceptualized in a wider perspective by taking into account its philosophical roots with reference to the prevalent socio-economic and political context. The book is a valuable contribution to the literature on CSR, and is of interest to scholars of Asian Studies, business and development studies.

The current economic situation has highlighted deficiencies in corporate governance while also showing the importance of stakeholder relations. It has also raised the profile of the debates regarding corporate social responsibility and shown the inter-relationship with governance. And the two together are essential for sustainable business. The social and environmental contexts of business are generally considered to be as significant as the economic and financial contexts and good governance will address all of these aspects. The combination of these aspects offers long term benefits for a firm, such as reducing risk and attracting new investors, shareholders and more equity as well as sustainable performance. Written by experts from all over the world, A Handbook of Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility is the most authoritative single-volume guide to the relationship between good governance and social responsibility and the reality of managing both. In addition to the theory and practice of governance and CSR, the book includes case studies from large and small organizations and NGOs to highlight examples of good and bad practice, and to show international and cultural similarities and differences while at the same time furthering the debate regarding the relationship between good governance and social responsibility.