Fairtrade: Social Responsibility Lessons for the Corporate

Structured Assignment Reference No. CSR0058C-2

This structured assignment was written by Anita M under the direction of Doris Rajakumari John, Icfai Business School Case Development Centre, Chennai.

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Fairtrade: Social Responsibility Lessons for the Corporate

Structured Assignment
Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding
Concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Fairtrade To understand the state of CSR in developing and developed countries a. Corporate Citizenship In South Asia: How The Corporate Community Is Contributing To Development, http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/7.6/mdg_jamshed.pdf, March 2005 b. CSR and Developing Countries, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/publications/innovationbriefs/no1.pdf, February 2007 c. Rhetoric and Realities: Analysing Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe (RARE), http://www.rare-eu.net/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/RARE_Background_Paper.pdf, August 2005 To understand the flaws in CSR Corporate Social Responsibility- does it make any difference?, http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=190D98C562A4-4238-B143-1067009690&mode=link&guid=480df5c6113a4a5596b86ea18727bfcd, October 2004.

Analysis of Fair Trade Activities

1. ..The main purpose was to offer employment thereby generating a source of income to the poor. [Section: Fairtrade Movement Evolution and Growth, para 1 of the case study]. State the factors that promulgated the need for fairtrade and how it evolved as an alternative business model. 2. Explain the state of fairtrade across the globe with reference to stakeholders, products, pricing and labelling schemes.

CSR Initiatives of Corporates

3. Corporate social responsibility was essential to easing the tension between social justice and entrepreneurial drive, and failure to achieve that balancing act could put market capitalism at risk.a Describe the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. What are the benefits derived out of Corporate Social Responsibility? 4. Is there any difference between the CSR initiatives in developed and developing countries? Rationalise your answer. 5. Corporates have their own distinctive CSR practices. [Section: Fair Trade A Curriculum for CSR, para 6 of the case study]. Are the companies justifying the initiatives that they take up in the name of CSR? 6. Give a brief note on the CSR initiatives of your dream company and make a critical analysis on it.

Bank Chief Underscores Importance Of Corporate Social Responsibility During Second Committee Panel Discussion On Global Compacts Progress, http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/gaef3193.doc.htm, November 1st 2007
a

Lessons to be Learnt from Fairtrade

7. Fair Trade works. It works for poor people; it works for consumers. It works as a business model; it works as sustainable development; it works to protect the environment; it works as an idea!b Do you consider that fair trade initiatives are more socially responsible than CSR? Justify your answer. 8. What are the lessons of social responsibility offered by the fair trade to the CSR? 9. If you are the decision-making authority of a company, how will you formulate the CSR initiatives of your dream company, incorporating ideas from fairtrade?

Highlights of the PES Fair Trade Conference, www.ifat.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=68, June 2005