Team Post #1 P&G India - Social Responsibility in the Global Marketplace
P&G is firmly committed to global social responsibility, and shares two strong examples in its company literature. One of P&G’s tenets is that they are good corporate citizens; their global cause credo is “P&G Live, Learn & Thrive.” P&G India has launched many initiatives to develop its communities. One is Project Shiksha, an education initiative that has been launched across the country. According to the P&G India website, that country has the largest number of children without access to education; two-thirds of them are girls. For Project Shiksha P&G partnered with Sony Television to appeal to its consumers and viewers to support the cause. All an individual has to do is to buy a package of Tide, Ariel, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Rejoice, Vicks VapoRub or Pampers during April, May and June and that purchase will help support one day’s education for one child per pack purchased. Shiksha is being supported by some of India’s leading actors such as Kajol, Mandira Bedi, and Revathy, as well as singer Sonu Nigam and tennis prodigy Sania Mirza.
In its latest Annual Report, P&G India describes the work it’s done with village Satlapur Panchyat, where one of their plants is located. They’ve expanded the local school, secured donations of books and computers, and donated hand pumps for drinking water. The company statement from the 2004 Annual Report, “We believe we have made a meaningful difference to the lives [of the villagers] and will continue to demonstrate our commitment to the community not just through the quality of our products and services, but also through socially responsible initiatives that improve their lives” (p9 – P&G Hygiene and Health Care Limited Annual Report 2003-2004).
Some of their past initiatives have included Peace – an environmental program, Future Focus – a career guidance service, and Project Poshan – with UNICEF to combat malnutrition. P&G India has received numerous awards for its humanitarian work, and is consistently voted among India’s Best Employers.
Another quote from their website summarizes their strategy for social responsibility. They "believe in building the community in which we live and operate by supporting its ongoing development." After the events of Bhopal (Union Carbide) of 20 years ago, and the ongoing controversy over the remaining pollution and welfare of the survivors in that village and the constant feed of news stories about corporate accountability around the globe, it is clear that some companies value place and community and can see the connection between corporate care and corporate profits.
posted by Linda White @ 9:48 AM
4 Comments:
It is very interesting to see how large corporations fulfilling the social responsibility. It is beneficial for both the local communities and the organization. Increasingly the employees and investors of organizations are showing interest in social responsibility. My previous company Involved in lot of social Infosys technologies LTD. service activities. Lot of times people used to recognize our organizations based on the social activities they did, as an employee it used to make us very happy to be part of this.
This is a very interesting article. It is great to see that there are companies who do not only care for making profits….and more profits, but who are also committed to improving the lives of their communities. Some of these social responsible initiatives such as Project Shiksha will eventually lead to more customers/purchases/profits. This is a smart way of positioning the brand, and attracting more customers. And it benefits both the company and the community.
Response to Rambo - I believe that all large corporations must become socially responsible citizens. There has been so much environmental racism, exploitation of labor, and deceptive practices that I often wonder how the CEOs can sleep at night. This is a good beginning, but it still is not enough. I would love to see companies making a real commitment to education, to healing the wounds of poverty, and helping to enact legislation to ensure a living wage for all workers.
Response to Winita -
P&G is a smart company. Their global operations are a model for other multinational companies. As you say, there is a strong connection between social responsibility and brand loyalty.
There is still some controversy about some of P&G's practices -- particularly with animal testing --but I believe they are a company to emulate.
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