The Tata Group: Integrating Social Responsibility with Corporate Strategy

Even when economic conditions were adverse, as in the late 1990s, the financial commitment of the group towards social activities kept on increasing, from Rs 670 million in 1997-98 to Rs 1.36 billion in 1999-2000. From its inception, the Tata group has taken up a number of initiatives for the development of society. A unique feature of the group is that 63 percent of the equity capital of the parent firm - Tata Sons Limited - is held by Tata trusts, which are philanthropic in nature. According to a statement on the Tata group's website (www.tata.com), "The wealth gathered by Jamsetji Tata and his sons in half a century of industrial pioneering formed but a minute fraction of the amount by which they enriched the nation...

Since inception, the Tata group has placed equal importance on maximizing financial returns as on fulfilling its social and environmental responsibilities - popularly known as the triple bottom line. After decades of corporate philanthropy, the efforts of the group in recent years have been directed towards synchronization of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). Through its TBL initiative, the Tata group aimed at harmonizing environmental factors by reducing the negative impact of its commercial activities and initiating drives encouraging environment-friendly practices. (Refer Figure I). In order to build social capital in the community, the group has got its senior management involved in social programs, and has encouraged employees to share their skills with others and work with community-based organizations...