Managing social values & hi-tech corporate practices in south Asia through better understanding of corporate social responsibility

Preface: Recent history has shown that Chinese-based corporations seem to be ahead of their Indo-Pak counterparts on implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability practices. The question does not lie in understanding if they are really doing a better job of avoiding unethical conduct on a large scale but the question is that do we understand Corporate Social Responsibility requirements for our society? A closer look reveals that in this era of globalization the present day business operations in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world are not as different as many assume. Both have to deal with the misted up explanation of what it means for a company to be ethical and responsible. Given the reality that the multinational corporations yield massive influence in developing countries like Pakistan, India etc, where working in the corporate atmosphere is considered a symbol of class, it is quite appropriate to insist that actions of these capitalist multinationals must be synchronized with the fact of realization of greater responsibility in helping address the rising encumber of basic human needs (yet ignored in South Asia). Objectives: This research is being undertaken to test the proposition that ethics, governance and corporate social responsibility practices of corporations based in the South Asia differ dramatically from corporations based in other parts of the world. The analysis is meant to provide companies in SA with a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the business environments. For any corporation in South Asia following are the important areas in which pondering would instigate after reading this entire article: What is the business rationale for corporate responsibility and how can we set key performance indicators? What is an effective corporate social responsibility for any organization? Who will be the stakeholders involved for defining corporate social responsibility? How will we measure the impact of responsibility initiatives? Scope of Work: This project/research paper will focus (but will not be limited to) on the following issues: I. The changing social trends in South Asia and their correlation with the corporate practices. II. The social factors responsible for decline of productivity in the hi-tech corporate environment and its repercussions. III. Managing these issues so as to reduce the unconstructive effect. IV. The corporate factors responsible for decline of motivation in employees in South Asia and its repercussions. V. Minimizing this effect through better management. VI. The historical examples in relation to this topic. VII. Others....