We are living in a world today where every other day we have to witness gruesome or violent incidents happening across the different parts of the world. It has become a way with the world to treat evil with more evil. Using force to set a wrong right or to discipline a wrongdoer has been adopted as a norm by humans at all levels of society. Such a scenario happens apparently because human beings today have forgotten to demonstrate humanity with their fellow beings. Acting insanely selfish, the people run for materialistic things instead of staying attached to their roots.
In an account of helping the citizens of the nations to overcome such kind of practices and enable to learn the art of positivity, the top-notch Companies since last few decades, have been focusing on corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is not new anymore in the business world. With the overall aim to achieve a positive impact on society as a whole while maximizing the creation of shared value for the owners of the business, its employees, shareholders, and stakeholders, the Companies around the world are already practicing CSR. According to ISO business standards, the purpose of CSR is to guide organizations to act "in an ethical and transparent way that contributes to the health and welfare of society". However, recently, even the educational institutes are coming forward to include CSR activities in its curriculum.
The Rise of CSR in Institutes
More and more universities and colleges are integrating social responsibility into their mission statements, including their research and teaching missions, arguing that higher education is better off when it gives back to the society that is responsible for funding it. Although some of the reports suggest that CSR still remains within the philanthropic space, over the years it has earned a place for itself in institutional buildings. Also, with global influences and with communities becoming more active and demanding, there appears to be a discernible trend, that while CSR remains largely restricted to community development, it is getting more strategic in nature.
The institutes understand the need for serving the environment and people for their upliftment. At the same time, they understand how CSR is also one of the key contributing factors for their growth and visibility. On the other hand, today, students are also well-versed with the fact that for being a part of any big corporate house, they need to be an all-rounder. After all, the most notable criterion for being selected by an MNC is being a part of multiple activities. And this is driving them to take part in the CSR activities organized in their respective institutes proactively.
CSR in Practice
As a matter of fact, corporate social activities can change a student's mindset by the various activities that they conduct. CSR activities have developed a global outlook among students. Irrespective of their native place; they contribute to the CSR activities anywhere. Many universities and colleges have made corporate social responsibility a mandatory subject. Due to this, students are now moving towards being better human beings by taking a step forward towards globalization. More than any other institute, India's premier B-school club has been highly active with CSR activities. From adopting villages to conduct productive activities and function throughout the year, the institutes are leaving no stone unturned to enable the youth to be a part of the upliftment of rural India. The students under the CSR activities are also encouraged to visit remote areas and teach the children over there so that they can gain a sense of responsibility towards their fellow beings.
Moreover, several private organizations are joining hands with the Government and earning funds for CSR activities to make the ultimate dream of offering quality education in India come true. Along with Government, the eminent companies are also helping the institutes through different programmes including Wipro's "Applying Thought in Schools", ITC Limited's Primary Education Program that has benefitted over 300,000 children, TATA Group's Tata Education Excellence Program and so on.
Following ardently the quote of Mahatma Gandhi's "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others", the educational institutes of the country is approaching CSR in an all-inclusive manner where students, teachers and all staff alike are involved in such activities. To conclude, it can be summarized that being a part of corporate social activities can transform a person and is a step towards globalization.
