A PROJECT REPORT ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WITH FOCUS ON TIMES OF INDIAS PILOT PROJECT Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for

the Award of the Degree of Bachelor in Business Administration 2009-2012

Under the Guidance of: Ms. Supriya Maheshwari (Faculty, Maims)

Submitted By: Pushkar Ranjan Roll no - 02314701709

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, DelhiPSP Area, Plot No. 1, Sector 22, Rohini, Delhi 110086
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Student Declaration

(i)

Certificate from Guide

(ii)

Acknowledgement

(iii)

Executive Summary

(iv)

Chapter Scheme

(v)

STUDENT DECLARATION

This is to certify that I have completed the Summer Project titled A Project Report On Corporate Social Responsibility With Focus On TIMES OF INDIAS PILOT PROJECT under the guidance of Ms. Supriya Maheshwari, faculty of MAIMS in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration at Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies, Delhi. This is an original piece of work & I have not submitted it earlier elsewhere.

Name:

Pushkar Ranjan

University Enrollment No.: 02314701709

CERTIFICATE FROM THE INSTITUTE GUIDE

This is to certify that the summer project titled A Project Report On Corporate Social Responsibility With Focus On TIMES academic work done by Pushkar Ranjan OF INDIAS PILOT PROJECT is an

submitted in the partial fulfillment of the

requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration at Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies, Delhi, under my guidance & direction.

To the best of my knowledge and belief the data & information presented by him in the project has not been submitted earlier.

Signature Name of the Faculty: Ms. Supriya Maheshwari Designation: Faculty of MAIMS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I hereby take the opportunity to express my profound sense of gratitude and reverence to all those who have helped and encouraged me towards successful completion of the Project Report. Working on a comparitively new concept of Corporate Social Responsibilty has been really fulfilling.

I would like to thank my Project Guide Ms. Supriya Maheshwari for her immense guidance and valuable help. She helped me understand and remember important details of the project that I would have otherwise lost. My project has been a success only because of her guidance.

I would also like to thank my class Co-ordinator Ms Shilpi for providing me important insights on the topic and ways to properly collect data. My sincere thanks also goes to my sister Ms. Bhavya Kumari who equipped me with a computer just in time without which the process of making this project would have been a herculean task. .

Pushkar Ranjan Enrollment no. - 02314701709

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CSR is becoming an increasingly powerful tool of modern societies carried out by companies on a voluntary basis working to deliver social cohesion and environmental sustainability as well as economic development. In transition and post-transition countries, CSR can become a forceful tool contributing towards sustainable development and societal regeneration as well. In addition to the obvious, direct, benefits of CSR enjoyed by the ultimate beneficiaries of responsible corporate practices, CSR brings benefits to the companies that practice it. Organizations considering environmental, social and broader economic questions in connection with their core operations unleash innovations and deliver better financial returns. Strategically and systematically integrated into their business, CSR helps companies to better address reputation risks, attract investors, improve relations with stakeholders and become more competitive in mature markets.

The Times of India (TOI) is an English-language broadsheet newspaper that is widely read throughout India. It has the largest circulation among all English-language newspapers in the world, across all formats. TOI has been doing several extraordinary projects under its CSR policy and has contributed significantly to Indias momentum of development. It has changed the way people looked towards a media house by taking up many challenging works for the development of the society. Lead India , Aman Ki Aasha , Teach India are some of the most famous CSR projects accomplished by it. Teach India has been the most promonent of all its projects as it is aimed at educating Indian population , those who cant afford education or those who can afford it but now are out of age to get it.

TOI has recently conducted a pilot project to educate underpriviledged youth (18-32 years age group) in spoken English so as to make them more employable and produce a skilled workforce for the companies in India that rely on spoken skills and well groomed personality but are unable to find those. The pilot project will be then transformed into a wide level project named Teach India 2010. It will cover the whole Delhi/NCR region and in coming years the project will be widened to cover the whole country as was done in previous Teach India campaigns.

Such initiaves are very necessary for India if it has to increase its pace of development .

CHAPTER SCHEME

Chapter 1

Introduction
Introduction to CSR Introduction to Times Of India

Chapter 2 -

Research Methodology
Meaning of Research Significance Objective of Study Research Methodology

Data Collection

Chapter 3 -

Times Of Indias CSR Initiatives In India

Teach India Lead India Aman Ki Aasha

Chapter 4 -

Analysis
TOIs Pilot Project Intoduction Program Stakeholders Curriculum Target till 2011

Chapter 5 Chapter 6 -

Conclusions and Findings Recommendations

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Chapter 7

Limitations

Chapter 8 -

Bibliography

Websites Reffered Books Reffered People Met

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

What is the meaning of the term Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is viewed as a comprehensive set of policies, practices and programs that are integrated into business operations, supply chains, and decision-making processes throughout the organization -- wherever the organization does business -- and includes responsibility for current and past actions as well as future impacts1. CSR involves addressing the legal, ethical, commercial and other expectations society has for business, and making decisions that fairly balance the claims of all key stakeholders. Effective CSR aims at achieving commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment. Simply put it means what you do, how you do it, and when and what you say. Several terms have been used interchangeably with CSR. They include -- business ethics, corporate citizenship, corporate accountability, sustainability and corporate responsibility. The issues that represent an organizations CSR focus vary by size (small, medium and large), sector (for example, financial institutions, infrastructure providers, textile manufacturers, agriproducers, supermarket retailers, etc.) and even by geographic region. In its broadest categories, CSR typically includes issues related to business ethics, community investment, environment, governance, humanrights, the marketplace and the workplace.

Figure 1 : Areas of Corporate Social Responsibility 10

What is the need for CSR?

While the interests of shareholders and the actions of managers of any business enterprise have to be governed by the laws of economics, requiring an adequate financial return on investments made, in reality the operations of an enterprise need to be driven by a much larger set of objectives that are today being defined under the term CSR. The broad rationale for a new set of ethics for corporate decision making, which clearly constructs and upholds a organization's social responsibility, arises from the fact that a business enterprise derives several benefits from society, which must, therefore, require the enterprise to provide returns to society as well. A business cannot succeed in a society which fails. This, therefore, clearly establishes the stake of a business organization in the good health and well being of a society of which it is a part. More importantly, in this age of widespread communication and growing emphasis on transparency, customers of any product or service are unlikely to feel satisfied in buying from an organization that is seen to violate the expectations of what is deemed to be ethically and socially responsible behaviour. It is becoming increasingly evident that organizations that pay genuine attention to the principles of socially responsible behaviour are also finding favour with the public and are the preferred choice for their goods and services.

How do organizations pledge their commitment towards CSR?

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Typically, an organization interested in making a pledge towards CSR, will start by first outlining a commitment towards the concept. Given the gravity of the action and its huge responsibility, this commitment will be deliberated on extensively by the top management of the business, before it is made public. This declaration is somewhat analogous to a Quality Policy of an ISO 9000 organization. Such a declaration is followed by the development of a CSR management and reporting framework. Here, a detailed CSR review is to be conducted to identify priority CSR risks, opportunities and impacts, followed by an exercise involving stakeholder engagement to obtain the views of all concerned. Once the reporting and management system of the CSR is put into motion, regular audits and Board / top management level reviews need to be conducted to ensure that the system is performing as intended3. Finally, organizations may report on their CSR practices in their annual performance report under a different section, or may even produce an exclusive report focusing on CSR practices and issues relevant to the organization. This is a cyclic process one of continual improvements. The learning curve is never-ending. Having said that, there is no cookbook recipe for an organization to pledge its commitment towards CSR. In fact, many organizations already have processes in place to manage several of the components of CSR, but few, if any, have achieved a systematic, structured response that reflects the priority issues from a business perspective. But perhaps the biggest challenge posed by CSR is its very definition some organizations see CSR as an off-shoot of fair / ethical trade, while others see it as a recognition of employee aspirations at the work place, while yet others see it as a business element with a philanthropic bent. Clearly, the verdict on what exactly constitutes CSR is still out.

Figure 2 : Internal Dimensions That A Company Has To Take Care Of

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CSR in India

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How does CSR relate to a country like India?

Mahatma Gandhi, the charismatic visionary leader who brought the cause of India's independence from British colonial rule, was a person who in several respects was ahead of his time. His view of the ownership of capital was one of trusteeship, motivated by the belief that essentially society was providing capitalists with an opportunity to manage resources that should really be seen as a form of trusteeship on behalf of society in general. Today, the world is coming round full circle in emphasizing this concept through an articulation of the principle of social responsibility of business and industry. And this trend is no different in India either.

A much less publicized but deeper aspect of the importance of CSR in India comes to light when one considers CSR as a concept that covers a range of issues under the fabric of sustainable development. This is a crucial terminology for developing nations in the world today. Protection of the environment and a country's natural resources are a key element of this concept. Additionally, there is this equally important need to ensure that society does not suffer from disparities of income and provision of basic services like health care, education and literacy. To illustrate, the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture, and Biodiversity (WEHAB) agenda of the UN Secretary General are deemed as essentials for bringing about a solution to the basic problems facing a society in a developing country such as India. Consequently, if corporate actions are to target the most fundamental problems facing a poor country like India, then the components of the MDGs, including water and sanitation, prevention of eradicable diseases and the items included in the WEHAB agenda in some sense become guideposts for corporate social strategy and action.

What is the current status of CSR in India?

As of the year 2000, CSR is fast gaining momentum as an important aspect of business practice in India. An appreciative quantum of roundtables and networks pertaining to CSR are being established and doing good work. Given below are a few of the more prominent examples.

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Corporate Roundtable on Development of Strategies for the Environment and Sustainable

Development - Business Council for Sustainable Development (CoRE-BCSD) of India

There are several bodies now emerging on the Indian scene that focus on issues of CSR. For instance, the Corporate Roundtable on Development of Strategies for the Environment and Sustainable Development - Business Council for Sustainable Development (CoRE-BCSD) of India6 is a grouping of Indian corporates trying collectively and individually to build in sustainable development concepts into their operation). Initiated by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), CoREBCSD

India includes some of the most innovative, some of the largest and also the most forward looking organizations in the country. Subject experts from these corporates identify and conceptualize projects. A team of industry members and TERI researchers then works to develop appropriate solutions/strategies for use by the industry. Currently the Roundtable includes some of the leading

Indian corporates, such as: - The Associated Cement Companies Limited - Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited - Century Textiles & Industries Limited - Gas Authority of India Limited - Gujarat Ambuja Cements Limited - Hindustan Lever Limited - Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited - ITC Limited - Paper Brands & Speciality Papers Division - National Thermal Power Corporation Limited - Reliance Energy Limited - Tata Chemicals Limited

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Activities of CoRE-BCSD India Weekly email news (on environment and sustainable development) service called CoRE Clips. Specific referral service, help desk and project work relating to energy, environment, CSR and sustainable development Publication of a quarterly newsmagazine called EnCORE; theme-based publications include Cleaner is Cheaper, Cases Compendium on Corporate Environmental Excellence, Business Unusual : Proceedings of CEO Forum Citizens at Work: CSR compendium of companies nominated for TERI CSR Awards Participation in meetings and workshops; for instance the Annual CEOs Forum to chalk out a road map for its activities Annual steering committee meeting and CoRE BCSD, India quarterly meetings on a focal theme

India Partnership Forum of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)

The India Partnership Forum of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) 7 is also an active proponent of CSR. It encourages a multi-stakeholder dialogue for promoting CSR in Indian business, including policy issues with regard to creation of an enabling environment. The activities of the forum do not just stop there. They also include mainstreaming CSR education in business schools, capacity building on community development, capacity building on sustainable reporting processes and indices, building an Indian CSR case study database and operationalizing CSR. The British Councils CSR Network

As a step towards promoting Corporate Social Responsibility and generating awareness and interest amongst young future business leaders, the British Council in partnership with New Academy of Business, UK has supported programmes and workshops on CSR since 2002. In March 2004, the British Council launched the 'CSR Network' in partnership with several Management schools in North 16

India. The network members are: Aravali Institute of Management, Jodhpur Institute for Integrated Learning in Management, New Delhi Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad National Law University, Jodhpur New Academy of Business, UK University Business School, Panjab University

The aim of the network is to generate awareness on CSR by building a shared understanding of the subject and promote links between academics, students and corporates through practitioner experience and engagement with local communities.

CSR Models on Offer by the Times Foundation, India That CSR is quickly becoming a business catch-phrase or (depending on the way one sees it) even an industry by itself - is evident when one sees the various CSR models that the Times Foundation, one of the largest and most professionally managed media conglomerate in India has to offer.

Some ofthe CSR models on offer include: Micro-credit and enterprise programme (a model for financial institutions) - Providing loans to establish micro-businesses in order to induce self-sufficiency and sustainable development. Raising funds for co-operative banking For example, Citibank India community partners extend micro-credit to low income women in urban areas. They have successfully organized womens collectives and directed financial resources to those women who cannot access banking channels. Payroll contribution (Giving financial resources by involving the employees of an organization) - Here, the organization deducts a small amount from the salaries of their employees who volunteer under the scheme. The money so collected is used to support a cause directly or indirectly.

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 Consumer donations In this model, interested consumers can make donation through their organization.

The model works through: - Online donation through a website - Invitation to donate directly through mail for a cause - Donations on a transactional basis as in the case of credit cards, billing of bills, etc. For instance, ICICI has launched a social development portal - www.icicicommunities.org, comprising of a medium for online donation and resource centres on education and infant mortality prevention. A trading zone to local communities enabling them to access the global retail market is also envisioned for the future. Cause related marketing This is a sales-driven, promotional tactic that is centred around boosting profits, enhancing brand image and publicity. Cause-related marketing campaigns vary in their scope and design, the types of non-profit partners, and the nature of the relationships between companies and their marketing partners. In the most common type of relationship, an organization might donate a portion of each purchase made by its customers during a specific period of time to the non-profit entity. CRM benefits the buyer of the product because they feel a part of purchase is going for a good cause.

The EU-India CSR Network

The EU-India Network for Corporate Social Responsibility8 acts as a forum for exchange of information, experiences and best practices between European and Indian companies on corporate responsibility. It aims to make CSR an integral part of EU-India relations. Unfortunately, numerous excellent and innovative schemes being developed by corporations in India go unnoticed.

The EUIndia CSR has been active in both turning the spotlight on them and acting as a voice from the South in the debate on corporate responsibility in Europe. Currently, the network is in the process of developing the first-ever 'CSR Kit' on India. This kit profiles over 100 companies operating in India and their CSR initiatives. It also includes a comprehensive list of European and Indian NGO's and civil society organizations which are working in this field. 18

CSR in Asia

In Asia too, the concept of CSR is taking firm hold. Like India, there are a number of good examples of alliances and networks promoting the essence of CSR amongst businesses and the general public alike.

Partners in Change of the South Asian Alliance for Responsible Business

Building networks and alliances in the South Asia region, Partners in Change9 is a founder member of South Asian Alliance for Responsible Business (SARB), in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). SARB seeks to further the cause of CSR in South Asia. The group comprises participants from Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. PiC is in the process of developing a CSR Self-Appraisal Toolkit for use by corporate sector. The larger stakeholder and intermediary consultation which this exercise would entail is being effected through an e-group route.

CSR Asia

CSR Asia11 was founded in Hong Kong in 2004 to provide information and develop tools for CSR in the Asia-Pacific Region. CSR Asia, in association with its partners (such as Centre for Social Markets12, CSR in China13, etc.), publishes specialized reports, provides training and education on CSR issues, facilitates stakeholder dialogues and undertakes customized contract research for multinational and NGO clients. CSR Asia also informs people about CSR issues as they arise through their daily internet news service14, online news database and online weekly CSR Asia Newsletter.

The Asia-Pacific CSR Group 19

The Asia Pacific CSR Group16 was launched in July 2004, bringing together 9 CSR organizations in the region. Members of the Asia Pacific CSR Group engage in active learning exchanges and practices, networking and sharing of information with the aim of supporting each other to achieve the vision of the members or goals of the group. Goals include the recognition of standards and benchmarks that may commonly apply like governance as well as good business practices in the fields of environmental protection/conservation, equitable human resource management amongst others. The Group plans to undertake a study of a CSR Index for the region to raise the level of CSR across the region and facilitate and enhance consumer confidence through acceptable benchmarks.

Global Status of CSR

Increasingly, companies across the globe are recognizing that they have a wider responsibility to the communities within which they operate. Given below are examples of what CSR means in the USA and Europe.

CSR in USA

The United States has had a strong tradition of corporate philanthropy. Corporate social programs have always been very popular. These include employee volunteering, matched giving, involvement with organizations with a very strong local community focus. The Government is a quiet but key player especially in the regulation of CSR. The USA Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulates CSR in financial services sector. The CRA sets minimum requirements, monitors compliance, incentives through tax credits and impacts on mergers and acquisitions. The latest trends in the US include a stronger global focus especially for multinationals, increasing emphasis on sustainability, growing awareness of core business advantages of CSR

Recent changes and development in the realm of CSR in the US include a growth in strategic programs focusing on more than just economic growth and examples of businesses/companies with 20

successful CSR implementations include IBM, Microsoft, EDS, American Express and Cisco Systems. The trends in Canada have been similar to those in the US.

CSR IN US(EXAMPLE)

CSR is fairly developed in US. This is partly because the corporates have to undergo very less regulation there. CSR is viewed as a necessary than a voluntary activity. There is a prominent strain of charity in American culture. Same time American corporates show a considerable opposition to workers organizing themselves. This in itself is a major deviation from the norms of 'Freedom to Associate'. One documented case-study of CSR is of Merck Pharmaceuticals' initiative to cure river blindness, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes across various parts of Africa. Merck's R&D discovered that a particular veterinary formulation of theirs could cure river blindness. It voluntarily approached the governments of these countries and offered them the drug at a rock bottom price. This not only worked towards betterment of the populace but also was a big morale booster for the employees.

CSR in Europe

In Europe, different countries have different cultural traditions, different styles of government (e.g. centralized versus decentralized), but there is a definite focus on social partnerships. This means getting business and civil society engaged in issues that are significant to all primarily social exclusion through workforce participation The governments are actively involved in this aspect both in the EU and in individual European countries. For instance, the aim of the European Summit on Employment, Economic Reform and Social Cohesion in Lisbon (held in March 2000) was To make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustained economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.

Additionally, there has been an increasingly stronger focus on social partnerships and the diverse policies and approaches of the EU countries do have common goals such as: To encourage companies social involvement To fight social exclusion and build more inclusive societies 21

 To do it more efficiently. In the United Kingdom, business in the Community: long established charity government funding support. Support for networks such as Employees in the Community. There has also been a Minister appointed for CSR (in Department of Trade and Industry) since 2000. THE TIMES FOUNDATION

(TIMES OF INDIA)

The Times of India

The June 26, 2010 front page of the Mumbaiedition of The Times of India Type Format Owner Publisher Daily newspaper Broadsheet Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. The Times Group

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Editor-in-chief Associate editor Founded Political alignment Language Headquarters

Jaideep Bose Jug Suraiya

3 November 1838 Classical liberal[1]

English Times House 7 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,New Delhi, Delhi 110002 India

Circulation Sister newspapers OCLC Official website

3,146,000 Daily The Economic Times

23379369 Timesofindia.com

The Times of India (TOI) is an English language broadsheet newspaper that is widely read throughout India. It has the largest circulation among all English-language newspapers in the world, across all formats (broadsheet, tabloid, compact, Berliner and online).[2][3] It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. which is owned by the Sahu Jain family. In 2008, the newspaper reported that (with a circulation of over 3.14 million) it was certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations as the world's largest selling English-language daily newspaper, placing as the 8th largest selling newspaper in any language in the world. According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2010, the Times of India is the most 23

widely read English newspaper in India with a readership of 70.35 lakhs. This ranks the Times of India as the top English newspaper in India by readership. According to ComScore, TOI Online is the world's most-visited newspaper website with 159 million page views in May 2009, ahead of the New York Times, The Sun, Washington Post, Daily Mail and USA Today websites.

History The Times Of India was founded on November 3, 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce,[6] during the British Raj. Published every Saturday and Wednesday, The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce was launched as a bi-weekly edition. It contained news from Britain and the world, as well as the Subcontinent. The daily editions of the paper were started from 1850 and in 1861, the Bombay Times was renamed The Times of India. In the 19th century this newspaper company employed more than 800 people and had a sizable circulation in India and Europe. It was after India's Independence that the ownership of the paper passed on to the then famous industrial family of Dalmiyas and later it was taken over by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain of the Sahu Jain group from Bijnore, UP. India's press in the 1840s was a motley collection of small-circulation daily or weekly sheets printed on rickety presses. Few extended beyond their small communities and seldom tried to unite the many castes, tribes, and regional subcultures of India. The Anglo-Indian papers promoted purely British interests. Robert Knight (18251892) was the principal founder and the first editor of the Times Of India.

The Times Foundation Times Foundation is a development house set up by the Times of India Group to promote equitable, inclusive and sustainable development, facilitating affirmative interventions for self-development, education, health, women's empowerment, environment and disaster management. Times Foundation acts as a catalyst, primarily through information dissemination, issue-based mobilization and fund-raising. Times Foundation is a point of convergence for government agencies, NGOs, the corporate sector and individuals to bring issues to the fore, heighten awareness, encourage dialogue and deliberation to synergise 24

initiatives

for

inclusive

and

equitable

socio-economic

development.

The interventions of the Foundation include advocacy and analysis, information dissemination and awareness generation, partnership building, promoting social initiatives among corporate houses and civil society, capacity building, fundraising in the focus areas of health, education, livelihood generation, relief and rehabilitation for marginalised groups like women, street and homeless children, the unemployed, the differently abled persons.

The core verticals in the areas of intervention are Public Private Partnerships, Public Policy Advocacy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Capacity Building and Information

Dissemination.

Times Foundation is a strategic organisation, working on a macro canvas - connecting, highlighting, facilitating - creating effective bridges among stakeholders to ensure clarity of purpose and focused action. Times Foundation's role encompasses facilitating and networking and effectively connecting with all stakeholders in its pursuit of an inclusive society where people and their concerns are mainstreamed and effectively addressed.r e

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CHAPTER 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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MEANING OF RESEARCH
Redman and Mory define research as a systemized effort to gain new knowledge. Some people consider research as a movement, a movement from the known to the unknown. Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense. According to Clifford Woody, research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH
All process is born of inquiry. Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry and inquiry leads to invention. Is a famous Hudson Maxim in context of which the significance of research can well be understood. Increased amounts of research make progress possible.

Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and it promotes the development of logical habits of thinking and organization.

The role of research in several fields of applied economics, whether related to business or to the economy as a whole, has greatly increased in modern times. The increasing complex nature of business and government has focused attention on the use of research in solving operational problems. Research, as an aid to economic policy, has gained added importance, both for government and business.

RESEARCH DESIGN:
Research Design refers to "framework or plan for a study that guides the collection and analysis of data". A typical research design of a company basically tries to resolve the following issues: a) Determining Data Collection Design b) Determining Data Methods 27

c) Determining Data Sources d) Determining Primary Data Collection Methods e) Developing Questionnaires f) Determining Sampling Plan

Research Designs used in the project

THE TYPE OF RESEARCH DONE IN THIS PROJECT IS EXPLORATORY

DATA COLLECTION
Information can be collected through following sources
Primary Data: In some cases the researchers may realize the need for collecting the first hand information. As in the case of everyday life, if we want to have first hand information or any happening or event, we either ask someone who knows about it or we observe it ourselves, we do the both. Thus, the two methods by which primary data can be collected is observation and questionnaire. Secondary Data: Any data, which have been gathered earlier for some other purpose, are secondary data in the hands of researcher. Those data collected first hand, either by the researcher or by someone else, especially for the purpose of the study is known as secondary data.

The data collected for this project has been taken from the secondary source although some information has also been collected by direct interview of the senior officials related to the pilot project.

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Sources of secondary data which were used are: Internet TOIs websites and many survey websites were visited to get data regarding CSR practices. Magazines survey and articles were studied to attain information regarding TOI Broachers and pamphlets - they were studied to get detailed information regarding company.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

To understand concept of CSR and its importance. To study various CSR initiaves taken by TOI. Study in detail The Pilot project taken by TOI on spoken English to underpriviledged groups.

PURPOSE
To learn more about CSR of companies emphasizing on various initiaves taken by TOI

with or13Pp1

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CHAPTER 3
Times of Indias Initiatives

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Lead india

The campaign that transformed the perception of advertising. Its not every day that you get to sell something more meaningful than soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, toiletries and credit cards in advertising. Its not every day that you get to stir the collective consciousness of an entire nation through a piece of advertising copy. Its not every day that you can dare to run a parallel democracy in the worlds largest democracy, through an idea. This is a story of the Changing Times of India , a story that gives fresh meaning to what is referred to as THE BIG IDEA. The Times of Indias India Poised-Lead India campaign, communicated by JWT India, was a nationwide search to choose our own leaders who, unlike politicians, have only the countrys interest in mind. Not just that, it was also about providing every right thinking Indian a chance to step out of the comfort zone and take a shot at stewarding the entire nation. The entire effort was to elevate a newspaper from merely being a social mouthpiece to becoming a catalyst of social change. Hence the target market was sought as the common man who was tired of bureaucracy, corruption and political inefficiency and wanted to bring about change. India Poised commenced with an inspiring passage which the Times of India chose to carry on its front page on the first day of the New Year in 2007. That single piece then converted itself into a film spot with Amitabh Bachchan volunteering to do it at no cost. This piece, aired on National television, cinema, radio, blogs and was uploaded and shared by millions on the internet including YouTube, gathering a momentum that was, to say the least, staggering. So overwhelming was the feedback that on August 15, Independence Day, The Times of India rolled out another single front page advertisement, that launched what could possibly become the most audacious and ambitious initiative in modern thought marketing. This time, the man to lead the charge was Indias reigning Bollywood heartthrob Shahrukh Khan.The compelling message was summed up in two simple letters DO. It was time for the country to dominate and domination starts with do.

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Over the next five months, Lead India became a movement that searched the length and breadth of the country seeking to push forward a team of brave Indian professionals for the future political leadership of the worlds largest democracy. Over 37,000 Indians volunteered and signed up for this initiative. On October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the campaign moved into its final phase .Sixty four applicants were short-listed and eight courageous, unflinching Indians thereafter. Star One, part of Indias largest television network joined the movement and over the next ten weeks, this group of eight took on the cynics and pessimists on a prime time television reality show. The choice was whittled down to R.K.Misra from Bangalore and Devang Nanavati from Ahmedabad with the former eventually being declared the winner. The point of the campaign, however, was not purely about identifying a winner. It was more about empowering the common Indian with a chance to step up and take on the task of leading the nation. It was a clarion call to be the change that we expect in Indian society; an opportunity for citizens to shrug off their indifference and out a shoulder to the wheel. Lead India triggered off an avalanche of responses:

Over 37,000 Indians raised their hands in response to this initiative. The campaign website had registered more than 1.3 million hits at last count. y To date, there have been more than a million YouTube downloads for this campaign. The British High Commission also volunteered to sponsor a Chevening Leadership course at the London School of Economics for the Lead India finalists.

The campaign earned JWT India, plenty of awards in 2008, including the multiple Cannes Lions and the Grand Prix, an INMA award for the world's best newspaper marketing campaign, an ABBY Award for the Best Integrated Campaign, and the 'Best of Show' award for community service. No communication in recent times has captured the soul of India like the India Poised- Lead India campaign. We must be the change we want to see in this world - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 32

 Teach india

The 'Teach India' campaign was launched on July 6, 2008, with the objective of providing education to the unprivileged children in India and eradicating illiteracy. The campaign was inspired by TOI's earlier initiative 'Lead India' launched in August 2007

According to the feedback received from the 'Lead India' campaign, India would not be able to lead unless its populace was literate and that there was a need for citizens to come forward and contribute to the cause. It was for this purpose that the Teach India campaign was launched. The campaign was divided into two phases. The first phase invited citizens of the country to volunteer with a non-government organization (NGO) in their locality and spend two hours a week teaching underprivileged children. The second phase, which started at the end of 2008, selected students from top educational institutes all over the country who were willing to dedicate two years to teaching the underprivileged.

To execute the campaign, TOI tied up with select NGOs in the field of education in multiple cities across India. Corporations, schools, and social organizations also lent their support to the campaign. The campaign was promoted through print, television, online, outdoor and onground events. While the campaign won some of the most prestigious advertising awards, experts remained divided in their opinion on whether TOI had adopted a genuine approach to initiating social changes in India or whether it was just a marketing gimmick to enhance the brand image of the Times Group.

Aman Ki Aasha

Aman ki Asha: Destination Peace looks beyond the confines of a 62-year-old boundary issue to the primal bonds that tie together the people of both countries. It does not, in any way, trivialise the very real areas of difference that exist between the neighbours; it just recognises that we cant remain hostage to those differences forever and seeks to add a new dimension to the relationship.

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Trade & economic cooperation

To be activated through an annual trade meet between the two countries on a scale larger than ever before, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry. The inaugural meet is planned for Karachi in Feb 2010.

The event includes: - Exploration of the key areas of opportunity, and the policy changes needed to exploit those areas -Industry-specific discussions, with top administration people/industrialists from India and Pakistan pitching the business opportunities in their respective sectors -One-to-one meetings between businessmen, etc. Citizens interactions

Launch of a mega people-to-people activity where thousands of schoolchildren across India will reach out to their counterparts in Pakistan sending messages of peace, love and harmony. 25 winners of the best messages will go on exchange visits to live in each others homes (Details will be announced shortly in The Times of India).

In addition, both the Times group and the Jang group will enhance coverage to include facets of life, economy and culture all the stuff that often gets left out in the hurly burly of spot news. Readers on both sides of the border can look forward to a new window opening, one which will add to the appreciation of the other.

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CHAPTER 4
PILOT PROJECT FOR TEACH INDIA 2010 : SPOKEN ENGLISH TRAINING TO MAKE THE UNDERPRIVILEDGED YOUTH MORE EMPLOYABLE

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INTRODUCTION

Demographic dividend: Large, yet unskilled youth population in India The youth population has the potential to greatly contribute to the growth of a nations economy. India has a population of 521 million youth between the age of 12 and 35, the largest in the world and is banking upon this group to break into the league of the most advanced nations in the world. But the contribution by the youth to Indias progress might be limited since a large number of those are still unskilled.

Need: Spoken English essential to get jobs in certain upcoming sectors Now that English has become the preferred language of conversation for jobs in the retail, hospitality, healthcare, BPO and other sectors, the ability to converse in English not only builds confidence in an individual but also improves ones chances of finding employment.

Existing models: No relevant spoken English training programs existing for the youth from the underprivileged sections There are no existing spoken English training models for the underprivileged target segment which have created impact at scale. Organizations, both notfor-profit and for-profit, have either focused on imparting quality education to school going children, or in designing spoken English programs for the not-so-underprivileged sections of the society. We believe we are attempting to solve a problem which no one has even attempted to solve before at the scale we aspire to. The Times Groups involvement: Aligns with the enlightened self-interest of the Group The Times Group not only has the domain expertise and intellectual capability, but also has access to relevant resources including media channels and a large English speaking readership base to launch and execute a large scale spoken English training program for youth from the underprivileged sections of the society.

Such an initiative gives the Group an opportunity to directly engage with its readers, besides promoting English in the non-English speaking sections which will, in the long run, add to the sustainability of the business.

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PROGRAM

Program aspiration

The Times Group plans to launch an initiative to impart spoken English training to the youth belonging to the underprivileged sections of the urban society. The aspiration is to go as deep into the slums as possible and help the truly downtrodden including youth in drug rehabilitation centres, prostitution victims, etc. and assist them in finding jobs and settling down in the mainstream society.

Relevance of program The curriculum for the course will be designed keeping in mind the present language levels of the target segment and the spoken English requirements of potential employers. The Times Group will work closely with the curriculum developer to benchmark these and design a course such that it maximizes the impact on a learners employability. The course will be further refined during a pilot. Times of Indias readers involvement The entire initiative will primarily be volunteers driven. The Times Group will try access its large English speaking reader base through campaigns like Teach India and motivate them to associate themselves with the initiative to teach spoken English. Since the initiative will require the volunteer to make substantial time commitment, we believe that only the open-eyed volunteers will step up to the challenge and be a part of the initiative.

Implementation partners for the program The initiative will be implemented on the ground by partner grassroots NGOs, mostly working in urban slums. These partner NGOs will be very carefully selected and the Times Group will support them on multiple fronts including training and not just financially. These partner NGOs will be responsible for organizing the spoken English classes, getting the learners in the classrooms, and managing the day-today affairs.

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Relevant impact of the program The initiative will only create substantial impact if the learners are able to access employment opportunities and get jobs. The Times Group will pro-actively attempt to build a bridge between the learners and the potential employers and connect the two. The learners are often not able to approach employers directly due to confidence issues, while most of the employers dont know how to access this vast group of potential employees.

Primarily a volunteer driven initiative; volunteers could be Times of India readers approached through Teach India, college students or corporate volunteers

Two volunteers teach one batch Each volunteer teaches spoken English to a batch for two hours a day, thrice a week for three months

STAKEHOLDERS

Fig : Relationship Between various Stakeholders

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Learner The ability to converse in English opens the doors to employment in various sectors. The learners will undergo the training on spoken English and the target of the training will be to make them job-ready in terms of spoken English requirements. The team will also ensure access to suitable employment opportunities.

A typical target learner: Is between 18 to 32 year of age Has a monthly family income of under Rs. 8,000 Has had basic introduction to English but never used it in daily life i.e. is familiar with the English alphabet and can read simple words like cat, road, etc. Knows a trade or skill like driving, beautician, computer data entry, etc. Seeks to improve employability through the course

There are millions of such potential learners living in both the urban and rural parts of the country and a majority of them are unskilled and even the skilled ones are unable to get employed because they lack the ability to converse in English.

Volunteer The initiative aspires to involve as many volunteers as possible to teach spoken English to the learners. This will not only give an opportunity to volunteers to be a part of the initiative, but also reduce the cost of operation, thus enabling the initiative to reach out to a larger number of learners.

Spoken English classes will be held in the NGO premises. Four batches of two hours each will be held in a day and there will be 20 learners in each of the batches. CSR department of TOI foresees three broad categories of volunteers who will be interested in being involved with the initiative: Times of India reader Readers approached through campaigns like Teach India College students Students in first or second year of college Corporate employees Employees who can volunteer on company time if the corporate agrees. 39

NGO

The project will be implemented on the ground through partner NGOs. The partner NGOs should be credible and efficient and also have a grassroots presence.

Besides, the NGOs should be working with our target learner group and preferably should be training them on skill building. Existing spoken English training classes will be an additional plus. The NGOs should be willing to partner with the Times Group and should not be very identity focused. The NGOs will be selected based on thorough due diligence.

The NGOs will be expected to employ coordinators to manage the volunteers and the centres. If a centre doesnt have many volunteers teaching, the NGO will be required to employ a teacher for spoken English instead. They will also be responsible for mobilizing the community and getting learners in the classroom.

The deliverables expected from NGOs are as follows: Getting classrooms in order Rooms with basic infrastructure in place, seating for students and teacher, teaching tools like black boards, etc. Getting learners in the class 20 learners per batch in each of the four batches in one cycle Coordinating with and managing volunteers Arranging teachers of spoken English for centres where not many volunteers are available to take classes 40

Employer

After extensive research on various industrial sectors, the sectors most likely to employ the learners trained in spoken English are retail, financial services, and hospitality. Organized retail has the highest potential of absorbing the learners, with an estimated 66 million Food & Grocery store operators required by 2022 across India. Financial Services will require almost 4 million new low-end salespersons by 2022 across India, while almost 1.6 million new jobs requiring spoken English will be created in the tourism and hospitality sector by that time. These over 70 million new employment opportunities will require the employees to be able to converse in English. Almost 3 million of these over 70 million employment opportunities will be created in the National Capital Region comprising Delhi, Gurgaon and NOIDA by 2022, with an annual requirement of almost 200,000 English speaking employees in the area itself.

The entire focus of the program is to make a learner employment ready and to ensure that the curriculum is industry relevant. The Times Group has started contacting potential employers to understand their HR requirements in terms of spoken English capability. This information will be conveyed to the curriculum developers to enable them to design an industry relevant curriculum. The Group will also attempt to create a platform for the interaction of the learners with the employers to facilitate employment and will also convey relevant information on employment opportunities to them.

The Times Group is in the process of forming alliances with employers like organized food retail, fast food outlets, financial services, etc. Conversations are underway with companies like McDonalds, Subway, Tata AIG and SBI and they have expressed a need for personnel to occupy positions such as crew members, floor assistants and insurance agents. British Council has designed a 144 hour spoken English curriculum British Council conducted Needs Analysis within the slums of Delhi along with our group to benchmark learner and teacher needs Activities in the curriculum to be based on examples from relevant industries The curriculum is designed to make the learners ready for job on completion of the course 41

CURRICULUM After evaluating various curriculum developers including Veta (Asias largest private spoken English training institute), EduLever (Curriculum developers of YouthReach program) and other private spoken English training institutes, the team has zeroed down to British Council as the best option to develop the curriculum for the spoken English training program.

The British Council team was committed and thorough. British Council started with a benchmarking or needs analysis exercise to measure the current standard and learning capabilities of learners, the language and teaching level of teachers, and quality and usability of teaching material, supporting teaching aids and infrastructure. Post this they will analyze the needs of various potential employers and benchmark the spoken English levels required for those jobs, to ensure that the focus of the curriculum is to improve the employability of a youth. It is important that to make the best use of the curriculum, the learner has a basic understanding of the English language, i.e. she/he should be able to recognize the English alphabet and also read simple three or four alphabet words.

The curriculum will use a learner-focused approach, with the teacher acting as a facilitator rather than a dispenser of knowledge. Collaborative learning methodologies will be extensively used. After a set of modules on strengthening core spoken English, the learners would be trained on the use of language in IT and in customer service scenarios. Even the assignments in the curriculum will be based on examples from relevant industries like retail, financial services, hospitality, etc. All these will ensure that the curriculum is very industry relevant.

The entire curriculum duration will be 144 hours, which can be taught in classes of two hours each. If six classes are conducted for a batch every week, the learners should be able to complete the course in 12 week duration.

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DELIVERY MODEL

The Times Group will provide the fund and all relevant support for the initiative and it will be executed on the ground through grassroots NGOs. These NGOs will identify and enroll target learners with the help of community mobilizers. The aspiration is to run this initiative through Teach India volunteers who teach the spoken English course to the learners.

For designing the spoken English curriculum, the Times Group will collaborate with the British Council. During the initial stage, The Times Groups role in coordinating NGOs, Teach India volunteers and student volunteers will be hands on, but later, once the initiative has stabilized, nodal NGOs can be brought in to act as a second tier for coordination with the NGOs.

For the pilot, the team is trying hard to get as many volunteers as possible, but in the absence of a well coordinated media campaign, it might be difficult to get volunteers at all the centres selected for the pilot. We expect some of the classes to be conducted by full time NGO teachers.

Pilot The pilot is planned to run in the National Capital Region, and we have identified 25 classrooms of which 14 to 16 classrooms will be a part of the pilot. We expect 12 to 16 volunteers to be involved in the pilot as well as 14 to 18 permanent NGO teaching staff. Each class room will have 3 or 4 batches with 20 students each. The pilot is currently scheduled to start on July 19, 2010 and is expected to complete on Oct 18, 2010. Prior to starting the classes on July 19, 2010, the British Council will conduct a two week training program for the volunteers and the permanent NGO teaching staff. NGOs for pilot

A representative sample of the NGOs was selected based on the following criteria: Years of expertise with the target segment Involvement with the community Experience of conducting spoken English classes with the target segment Experience of conducting other hard skills training classes for the target segment Location urban, rural 43

Past relationship with The Times Group

Number of classes, learners and class schedules The current plan is to run classes every day (two hours per day), six days a week at every NGO classroom, with three or four batches running concurrently at every centre. The classes can be taught by the following two: Volunteers - Times of India Reader, typically home makers and retired people - Students mainly college going - Corporate volunteers -Permanent NGO teaching staff

During the pilot phase, the aspiration is to run one classroom completely through volunteers, to run one half of a classroom through volunteers and run a batch each in two classrooms through volunteers.

The tables below show details of the class schedule, with options for classes being conducted by NGO employee teachers or Teach India volunteers or student volunteers. The minimum number of batches a centre/classroom can have is three and the maximum is four. A lego approach has been followed in designing the class schedules i.e. flexibility is built into the system to switch between the different options as and when required depending on the availability of volunteers and permanent NGO teaching staff. We have a strong preference for option 1. However, options 2 and 3 will be judiciously used to bring stability to the program and to augment the paucity of volunteers. Every cycle of the program is preceded by a two week training for teachers and volunteers.

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Overall target till 2011

By the end of 2011, the initiative plans to train almost 20,000 learners by rolling out the program across 100 NGO classrooms in the National Capital Region. Considering there will be between 60 and 80 learners at each centre during a cycle, we will be training between 6,000 and 8,000 learners every cycle, with 3 cycles being planned every year.

Manpower Requirements

Team The core team will be lead by the CEO of Corporate Social Responsibility. There will be four primary verticals in the team: Program, Brand & Strategy, Business Development and Broader CSR. The team would also require a pool of Quality Mentors to ensure that the quality of the program is maintained.

Roles and responsibilities: Program: To identify and select NGOs for partnering in the project based on their past experience, performance, market reputation, etc. To align NGO capacities to project infrastructuralrequirements like setting up classrooms, building seating capacity, etc. To coordinate with partner NGOs for identifying and recruiting teachers based on selection criteria determined in collaboration with the curriculum developer To coordinate with partner NGOs for identifying and enrolling learners belonging to the target group To monitor daily operations of NGOs and to coordinate assistance when required

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To

assist

NGOs

in

expanding

their

capacity

for

scaling

up-

Brand & Strategy: To manage the spoken English course curriculum including organizing feedback and review sessions by both teachers and learners To organize training and induction sessions for teachers and volunteers who will be teaching the learners To manage the certification programs for learners who successfully complete the spoken English course To review and approve NGO financials before funding project implementation To manage the reserve pool of teachers and allocating responsibilities to them, including those of reviewing classes or substituting To assist in the design of the Teach India campaign and coordinate with the Brand department of the Times of India Group during the launch

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Business Development: To identify relevant employment opportunities for learners and contact potential recruiters To coordinate with potential recruiters the placement of learners To manage induction of volunteers and interns to the initiative To coordinate with volunteers and interns during everyday operations

Broader CSR: To put together a plan for aligning the activities of the Times of India Group to the UN Global Compact principles, GRI Guidelines, and CSR directives by the Government of India which include directives on care for all stakeholders, ethical functioning, respect for workers rights and welfare, respect for human rights, respect for environment and activities for social and inclusive development To set measurable targets with timeframe for fulfilling the CSR directives To put together and disseminate information on CSR policy, activities and progress to all stakeholders

Manpower requirements for the next year The current CSR team consists of a CEO and two Senior Managers. By the year 2011, due to the expansion of the initiative, one or two additional team members will be required in the Program roles, while one team member will be required in the Business Development role.

Soon after the pilot, some time in Nov, 2010 we hope to launch the program in Delhi/NCR region. Launch in other selected parts of the country will happen early next year. The learnings from the pilot will be incorporated during the launch of the program in Nov. Since the predominant model we are going to follow will have classes being conducted by volunteers and since volunteer training for multiple batches have to be completed prior to starting classes, the marketing and branding activities should start at least 8 weeks prior to launching a new cycle of the program.

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CHAPTER 5
Conclusions and Findings

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On CSR

CSR is a business strategy that works. In a world where brand value and reputation are increasingly seen as an organization's most valuable assets, CSR can build the loyalty and trust that ensure a bright sustainable future. In our complex, global society, corporations are becoming increasingly visible.

These businesses are not judged on their results but on their behavior too. Thus CSR should be an integral part of every aspect of business life. Following can be seen as the summary of benefits of CSR : o Improved finanacial performance o Better risk and crisis management o Reduced operating costs o Increased worker commitment o Good relations with government and communities o Enhanced brand value and reputation o Long-term sustainability for your organization and society o Long-term return on investments o Increased productivity

Although CSR is also sometimes seen as disadvantageous by few , or atleast not as advantageous as generally people regard it to be .

On Pilot Project (TOI)

This Pilot Project has been launched by CSR department of Times Group. It has been launched to gauge the problems that can arise during the implementation of Teach India 2010 .

It had been found during the Pilot that gathering volunteers and students was a tough task and had to be coordinated by the CSR department thoroughly . 49

NGOs collected the target students and CSR department itself recruited volunteers through previous Teach India network. There were also teachers that the NGOs chose themselves for fulltime teaching.

All the teachers and volunteers were given a 15 day training on how to face the classroom comprising students of 18-32 year age group and having low level of English language.

Then was the time for real teaching of three months . Based on the feedback of teachers , volunteers and students , the pilot was deemed to be successfully implemented and and few implemented in a better way. issues came up which could be

Teach India 2010 will be implemented in November 2010 taking care of the problems that came up and the suggested solutions to them.

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CHAPTER 6
RECOMMENDATIONS

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RECOMMENDATIONS

The pilot project could have been taken for a longer duration so as to verify the constraints that could be faced in actually launching Teach India 2010 , more accurately.

Times Of India should appoint more officials in the CSR department. TOI should have done more publicity of the pilot project too , in order to attract potential volunteers in advance. These kinds of projects should be brought more frequently if INDIA has to be transformed into real superpower.

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CHAPTER 7
LIMITATIONS

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Limitations of The Study

Time constraint was one of the factors that hindered the study.

Being a project based only on secondary data many factors were excluded from the study.

Vastness of the topic also limits the study and understanding. Only a generalized view is given in the research but it varies from person to person , company to company and society to society.

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CHAPTER 8
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Websites Reffered 1. www.google.com 2. www.scribd.com 3. www.wikipedia.com 4. www.teachindia.com 5. www.worldvision.in/corp 6. www.unglobalcompact.org 7. www.timesofindia.com

Books Reffered

1. Market Friendliness and Corporate Social Responsibility:

Can they work in tandem? by Dr. M. Kancha

2. Making sense of Corporate Social Responsibility, by Audra

Jones

3. Doing the most good for your company and

your cause, by Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee

People Met

1. Mr. Sanjeev Kaura , CEO - CSR Times Group 2. Ms. Seenu Kurien ,Senior Manager CSR Times Group

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