Corporate Social Responsibility and Aap

Social Responsibility Journal

Volume 3 Number 3 2007

69

Corporate Social Responsibility and Affirmative Action Program

Prashant Roy & Mohsin Alam

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the responsibility of the growing private sector in India towards society

and how it can contribute to the providing social justice in the Indian society.

Design/methodology/approach – Only doctrinal method of research has been adopted because of time constraints.

Findings – During the course of the research, the hypocritical approach of corporates was revealed, especially in the

context. On one hand, the corporates are resisting any legislation which would forcefully push them towards affirmative

action; but on the other hand no such initiative has been taken up by them to stop the government from doing so.

Research limitations/implications – Any sort of field study was impracticable.

Practical implications – At the time of writing, the government’s mood is swinging towards passing legislation to-persuade

the corporate sector to participate in providing affirmative action to the lower strata of the society.

Originality/value – This is one of the first researches in this area and not many people have actually written about CSR

and affirmative action put together.

Keywords Affirmative action, Social justice, Corporate social responsibility, India Politics

Paper type Research paper

Introduction- Why Affirmative Action in Private Sector

The Inevitability Argument

India’s ruling Alliance – The United Progressive Alliance’s1 (UPA) Common Minimum Program (CMP) in no uncertain

terms declares that the government would be serious about affirmative action in private sector.2 This may pose a serious

threat to the autonomy to the private sector in India, which feels that this is the perfect time to freely follow a policy of

growth and sees affirmative action as a pothole in this regard.3 Affirmative action has been implemented in USA, but the...