The post liberalized and
globalized Indian economy is witnessing shrinking role of state and growing
role of Corporate and Business in overall development of country. Corporates
with their wider reach, professionalism, innovation and wealth have the ability
to influence the pace of growth and development. In recent survey by TERI it
was found that the public expectations from corporate and business are growing.
Indians feel that business sector must play a wider and more expansive societal
role. In addition to providing good quality products at reasonable prices,
companies should strive to make their operations environmentally sound, adhere
to high labour standards, reduce human rights abuses and mitigate poverty.
What is CSR?
Corporate Social responsibility
in the past few decades has intrigued not only the scholars but the practioners
as well. It is essentially a concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to
contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment? (European Commission,
2001). Companies consider themselves as an integral part of the society and act
in a socially responsible way (EC, 2001). Till very recently it was viewed as
philanthropic activity indulged into only when the firms were in jeopardy. But
it is now viewed to be inclusive, broad and diverse. CSR is now viewed as
integral part of business strategy to minimize the business risks linked to
uncertainty. Though the critic are of the view, CSR is nothing but Corporate
Conspiracy to Snatch Resources (CSR), in the name of CSR.
Where are the jobs?
Most of the
multinational Corporate have their CSR wing and Dept. exclusively dedicated for
doing community development and CSR activities directly or indirectly in the
vicinity of their operations. In other companies CSR is running under HR or
Environment Deptt.They recruit professionals from Social work, rural
development and other developmental fields to undertake and manage the CSR
activities of company. It is observed that companies whose operations directly
impact the nature like mining, manufacturing, power generations etc have CSR
wing quite active to tackle the grievances of nearby population and engage the
stakeholders. In green field projects we have seen corporate giant and Govt.
struggling hard to get the land acquisitions and Resettlement and
Rehabilitation (R&R) issues solved, here also CSR professionals are in
great demand.
Due to the
diversity of this career area, opportunities exist within the private, public
and voluntary sectors. It is important to highlight that many CSR
roles may not be titled as such but their job content may reflect CSR
activities.
Private
Sector –
Larger
companies may have CSR departments or have CSR functions located within
particular areas including marketing, communications, environmental management,
public affairs, investor relations, finance, operations and human resources.
Opportunities are also opening up in the large accounting and consulting firms,
many of which are trying to compete with the niche CSR consulting firms by
offering their own CSR client services.
Public
Sector - CSR career options can be found in
national government agencies, PSUs and international organizations.
Nonprofits
and Research - There are a wide variety of
non-governmental organizations (NGO?s), industry associations, think tanks and
academic institutions engaging in learning and/or advocacy within the CSR
arena. Such groups promote and examine the use of CSR concepts within the
private and public spheres. For example:
CSR ? still an emerging profession
There is no
such thing as a typical career path in CSR and there is no single professional
body at present that represents the needs and interests of all those working in
the field. This is due to the diverse disciplines involved and also the
complexity of the roles and responsibilities of a CSR practitioner. The
process of establishing and responding to the CSR agenda within an organization
will require specialists with specific CSR competencies.
What qualifications are needed for a CSR
role?
There are no
specific qualifications required for this field but there are an increasing
number of qualifications becoming available at Masters Level and as part of MBA
courses. The professional courses like Master of Social Works (MSW) MBA in
rural development and Post Graduate Diploma in Rural development offered by
different universities and reputed institution may be right option for career
in CSR.
What
skills or competencies would be required for a CSR role?
]
This is hard
to clarify due to the diverse roles and range of disciplines involved. Though
the major skills required for successful CSR Professional are
·
Business skills (including
building insight, communication skills, decision making, commercial awareness,
IT, innovation, strategic awareness, leadership, handling complexity and
problem solving).
·
People skills (including
adaptability and empathy, developing others, influencing without power, open
minded, integrity, political awareness, self-development and learning, building
partnerships, team working and questioning "business as usual")
·
Technical skills (including
technical expertise, understanding impacts, stakeholder dialogue, internal
consultancy, selling the business case, understanding human rights and
understanding sustainability).
From above three
skills, following 6 core competencies are listed for managers involved
with CSR in organizations:
·
Understanding society
·
Building capacity
·
Questioning business as usual
·
Stakeholder relations
·
Strategic view
·
Harnessing diversity
How do I
find out more about CSR roles?
- Browse relevant websites and job listings - build up knowledge of what skills, qualifications and experience are being asked for.
- Check out the following reference books in the Getting Started? section of the Careers Information Room:
- The Ethical Careers Guide - Business Ethics section
- The Sustainable Careers Handbook
- Consider joining a CSR network.
- Organize an internship, work experience or voluntary placement.
How do I
find a job in CSR?
This very much
depends on which area of CSR you are interested in and the type of organization
you want to work for. Many direct CSR roles require specialist knowledge and
business experience and therefore may not be open to those on graduate
programmes or just starting out with a company. You may have to take a
longer term strategy and build up your skills and experience in relevant areas
first. However, there are jobs out there so here are a few tips:
·
Companies recruits professional both fresher and
experienced through advertising in media or internal sources.
·
Search-out the companies/foundations/trust of
company owners doing CSR Works.
·
Think hard about organizations you admire and
research their values and culture. What is their stance on CSR? Is it
embedded in their core values? Do they have opportunities for getting involved
with CSR activities? Search out their Websites and CSR Sections.
·
Most of the CSR Jobs are done by NGOs so search
out the NGOs having linkages with big corporate.
·
Some consultancies have CSR departments and take
on people in this area. For environmental consultancies with a CSR
interest check out these too.
·
Get some CSR experience by securing an
internship, work placement or by volunteering to assist an organization with
their CSR project.
·
Keep up to date with CSR developments.
Monitor CSR websites and newspaper articles.
·
Consider further study. Some consultancies
for example, prefer graduates with business or NGO experience and/or a Masters
level qualification in a CSR related area.
·
Monitor online job listings or register with a
recruitment agency that handles CSR vacancies .
Universities Offering Degree /Diplomas
In Social Work
The premier
institutes offering degrees/diplomas in Social work and Rural Development is as
follows:
Master
of Social Work (MSW)/MA Social Work
·
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
-
·
Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra
·
Lucknow University, Lucknow
·
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
·
Vikram University,Ujjain
·
Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi
·
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Aligarh
·
Agra University, Agra
·
University of Delhi, Delhi
·
Jamia Millia Islamia, University New Delhi
·
Punjab University,Patiala
·
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Varanasi
·
Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur
·
Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad
·
Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur
·
Nagpur University, MG Marg, Nagpur
·
MS University of Baroda, Vadodhara
·
Amravati University, Near Tapowan, Amravati
·
University of Bombay, Mumbai
·
Nagpur University, Nagpur
·
University of Poona, Pune
·
Marathwada University, Aurangabad
·
Andhra University, Waltair
·
Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar
·
Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati
·
Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Tirupati
·
Karnatak University, Dharwad
·
Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri
·
Bharathidasan Palkalai Perun, Tiruchirapalli
·
University of Madras,Chennai
·
Bharathiar University,Coimbatore
·
Osmania University,Hyderabad
·
Sri Padmavathi Mahila, Vishavidyalayam,
Tirupathi
·
Bangalore University, Jnana Bharathi, Bangalore
·
Madurai Kamaraj University,Madurai
·
University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram
·
Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan
·
Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar
·
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New
Delhi.
Post
Graduate Diploma in Rural Development (PGDRD)/MBA (Rural Development)
- National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) Hydrabad
- Institute of Rural Management- Anand-388001.
- Xavier Institute of Social Service Purulia road, Ranchi.
- Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar-751013.
- Institute of Rural Management, IIRM Campus, Mansarovar, Jaipur,
- Indira Gandhi National Open University,New Delhi
