CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) AND FUNDING FOIR RESEARCHES
ABSTRACT :
Quite often various corporations use the term Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) to denote their donations for social reasons.
Corporate bodies are commercial companies whose only target is to make
profit. There is no wonder that they would maintain the same target in
their CSR activities also. It is known to all that they use CSR
activities for two major reasons. These are : (01) Exemption of
government taxes, where there are such provisions and (02) Sale
Promotion through advertisement. Even though it is usually believed
that organizations or people availing various facilities due to CSR
gets additional gain due to it, what have been discovered in reality
are the following : (01) the activities due to CSR do not come to any
"real help", (02) the activities help to create wrong impressions,
(03) the activities at times does more harm than benefit for the so
called beneficiaries. The above phenomenon in the context of
Bangladesh will be the subject of discussion of this article.
INTRODUCTION :
In view of ever-increasing displeasure against the aggressive nature
of various corporate bodies, the brains employed by such organizations
are constantly endeavoring to devise means to prove or show that they
have ample concern for the common people. Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) is one throughput of such endeavor. In this
endeavor, the real objective is not ensure welfare of the people, but
(i) to show that they are really concerned for their welfare, (ii) to
ensure advertisement of the name, brand or product and (iii)
tax-evasion, where applicable. Quite often the news and entertainment
lords take this opportunity and arrange "round-table talks" and
"talent-search" projects respectively. It is now known to all that
such ventures ensure profuse financial benefit to both types of lords
where they use various affluent corporate bodies as sponsors. It is
also known that
(01) The round-table conferences are one type of get together where
they talk for the sake of talking, with no definite target or mission
for its fulfillment and
(02) Talent search creates tremendous disturbances for the
educational institutions, the students and their parents.
The experience of this author, however, is that at least some of the
corporate-bodies realize the truth and is prepared to show CSR in
alternate ways. In this article I shall discuss this issue in brief.
DARK FACES OF "CSR" :
We shall present here in brief the various types of dark faces of
"CSR" we notice in Bangladesh. Some of these are :
(01) "CSR" FOR URBAN DWELLERS : Local and foreign visitors may be
amazed to see the "beautification of roads" in Khulna city. The
islands have been decorated with fences of stainless-steel and other
costly materials, the islands have been adorned with sculptures and
fountains and even some light posts have been transformed into
artificial tree-trunks bejeweled with beautiful elements. All these
have been done by the City Corporation with fund from various
corporate bodies. Naturally their names glitter in prominent
positions. While this is the visible bright side of the story, the
invisible side is :
(i) The city corporation whose responsibility is to supply pure
drinking water to the inhabitants has not still been able to meet 70%
of the total demand.
(ii) The city corporation has failed to provide drainage, which is
their another prime responsibility.
(iii) Most of the city roads are in pathetic condition.
(iv) The city corporation whose another responsibility was "solid
waste disposal" has cleverly shifted the same unto a number of NGO's,
where the inhabitants have to pay them and where no tax was lessened.
Thus, in a city where then authorities could not address the most
important issues like water supply, sewerage, solid-waste disposal,
good roads etc., have spent huge sum for decoration. If the city
corporation was asked to prepare a priority list, could they think of
"decorating the light posts" before attaining 100% goal in drinking
water supply ? This indicates that the corporate bodies are interested
to help in the fields where they can find big publicity, and not in
the real welfare of the people.
(02) "CSR" FOR THE UNIVERSITIES : Let me narrate a story. On one
working day, in a university the teachers heard tremendous sound. When
inquired about the source it was reported that one "Entertainment
media" financed by "corporate lords" was taking shots for a television
program. When asked "who gave them permission to make such sounds on a
working day", the university authority dealing in sports and games
politely replied "sir, this "corporate lord" sponsored our sports the
previous year. If we do not give them permission we may not get the
same any more". The teachers immediately controlled themselves. They
were aware, in case there happens anything adverse with sports then
the students may revolt against them. The teachers however, did not
expect anything excess. They wanted just silence during the working
hours.
If the sponsorship of corporate lords in the universities goes on
increasing in the above way, soon the university-authorities might
face demands for :
(i) "admitting the daughter of Lord –X, failing which there would be
no sports" or
(ii) "giving pass grade to the son of Lord-Y, failing which there
would be no cultural week",
(iii) "appointing the son of Lord-Z as teacher, failing which there
would be no convocation", etc.
Let me narrate another interesting story. The Vice Chancellor of a
university called a meeting and declared that they would have to
arrange convocation the following month. The deans and heads could not
agree because they told, it would hamper their academic schedule. But
finally they all had to agree. Why ? Because one sponsoring "Corporate
lord" promised to donate their "soon-to-be-expired" food items. In
case the university did not agree, they would have to spend a lot for
their destruction. When the authority financing the universities
openly declare that they don't have adequate fund and by that way
compels them to take fund from outside, naturally they have to look
for sponsors. And, when the corporate bodies act as sponsor, it is
natural for them to look into their selfish interest first.
(03) "CSR" BY THE NEWS-MEDIA LORDS : Occasionally a number of
newspapers arrange round table conference on current and hot issues.
They launch costly programs in which leading personalities express
their views. No body knows how far the society or the country is
benefited from such public get-togethers. They have never been seen to
endeavor for finding a decision or solution or continue 'monitoring'
activities, which is essential for the success of such program. What
is true in such colorful-festivals is, the media-lords earn a lot from
the sponsors, who want their names and logos to be displayed all over.
(04) "CSR" BY THE ENTERTAINMENT-MEDIA LORDS : Occasionally various
entertainment media lords express their great concern for the
performing artists and arrange programs like talent-search. They
launch programs, where they collect entire expenses plus overhead from
the corporate sponsors. In such program interested participants are
made to remain standing in long queues to be examined and selected to
the "door of heaven". The few who are really selected for the heaven
find extremely alluring gifts. By this time, however, thousands of
students have lost their valuable time resulting in poor results in
examination and other natural consequences. In this case, however, in
place of spending the entertainment-media lords earn huge sum, because
all costs with overhead are borne by the corporate lords.
BRIGHT FACE OF CSR :
From my own experience I, however, find bright side also of CSR. One
corporate-body on one occasion proposed to me for organizing a
competition, where they agreed to give the awards and bear all costs.
I denied doing that for fear of losing academic hours. I proposed that
in my usual process I know the students having best-grades in the
class. So, they can give awards to them. To my amazement the corporate
body agreed. I also proposed that the award ceremony must be held on a
day on which the university holds any function. In this case they
complained saying that, that does not give the desired publicity. I
proposed that in that case they can arrange the ceremony in a local
hotel or auditorium and on a non-working day. To my further amazement
they agreed. That gave me the idea that at least some of the corporate
bodies really realizes the situation and the ill-affect of their
big-sounding CSR programs.
"CSR" FIOR RESEARCH :
While the schools and colleges can increase their knowledge base
prepared by their higher institutions like universities, the
universities do not have that scope. Thus the only way left before the
universities for increasing their knowledge base is to do the same by
themselves. And the only way to do the same is through research. The
story of research in our universities is not at all bright. Previously
our universities had to handle the additional job relating to
affiliation of degree colleges. The government thought that the
universities could not continue research jobs due to this additional
job. So, they were relieved from that job and this responsibility was
given upon the National University. However, neither there was any
significant improvement in research in the universities, nor the
National University could prove its efficiency. It is natural that the
government is now re-thinking of giving the previous responsibility
upon the universities.
FIELDS OF RESEARCH :
Even though we always stress upon research in all fields, a careful
though may reveal that it is not essential in all fields. It is
evident that the scope of research in some applied and highly
technical subjects and fields like Physics, Automobile, Computer
engineering, electronics etc. is extremely limited in our country.
Since the developed countries are far ahead of us in these
subjects/fields, it is better for us to import or purchase their
research findings. Research should better be carried out in
subjects/fields in which there is less or limited scope of research
abroad. These are the subjects specifically of our country and our
people, or in other words these are the subjects/fields which are
specifically dependent upon our special context and climate. By this
consideration preferences on research may be given on the following
subjects and fields :
(i) Bengali language : We have already discussed why adequate and high
level research should be conducted on this subject.
(ii) Agriculture : There is little possibility that a foreign country
would suggest the best seed, animal species, fertilizer or technology
suited to our soil and climate. Even though they may conduct
experiments in controlled environment that cannot give suitable
results.
(iii) Physical Planning : The problem with the physical planning of
Bangladesh is, our planners get higher degrees from abroad, where the
context is entirely different. When they apply those knowledge here we
find complete failure. Such failures can now easily be felt in the
capital city and other large cities, where the planners have applied
their knowledge. Places where they could not still apply their
knowledge are relatively better. While the oil-rich,
automobile-manufacturer, less-peopled and affluent countries may look
for planning solutions involving (a) more use of automobiles and
fuels, (b) less use of men etc., our need is completely different. In
such case, researches should be conducted in our this land in order to
find out planning solutions appropriate for our country. It has
already been proved that 'foreign solutions' in this subject is
extremely harmful for us.
(iv) Architecture : There is little possibility that the research
findings on Architecture obtained in foreign countries can ever be
helpful for the people of our country. In our country we are having
completely different types of climate, building materials, people's
culture, personal, familial and social needs etc. Thus researches in
architecture to find out the best architectural solution for our
people and society is a must for the success of architecture here.
(v) Water resources engineering : There is no possibility that any
foreign country would be able to give solutions to the water related
problems we are facing now. It is well-known that the morphology of
aquifer, river, soil condition, rains, perennial and long-time
variations of various contributing factors etc. have unique characters
in this country.
CSR FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS :
Various affluent corporate bodies spend huge sun on advertisement on
newspapers and television screens. In this age it is quite doubtful
how far such advertisement help to increase the sale of their
products, or if good manufacturers at all need any advertisement for
their products. The news and TV medias, however, constantly shout
about the "success" and "essentiality" of advertisement, even though
we know that
(01) The nice, colorful and costly advertisement in the newspapers
sacrifice itself in the waste bin or in making paper bags the
following day,
(02) Interesting and expensive television advertisements entertain one
group of viewers as merely entertaining items, with no consequences on
purchase of product,
(03) Many of the costly and interesting but over-used television
advertisements are used as "toilet-break" by the viewers,
(04) Top personnel of some corporate bodies use advertisement as good
source of income through underhand kick-back or commission and
(05) Knowing fully well that good products and services need no
advertisement, most of the corporate bodies use advertisement as means
of aversion of taxes.
CONCLUSION :
In the above situation I believe, the best way for the corporate
bodies to show their CSR and even the spending on advertisement is to
sponsor "research works in the universities". While such jobs would
associate their names with something worthwhile (that would not turn
to paper bag within a day, or be used as toilet break). The university
can publicly show their names along with funding for various
researches. In case any fruitful and innovative throughput is obtained
through such researches, the name of the sponsoring corporate body
would always remain associated with it. By following this path the
corporate bodies can not only show but prove their concern for the
society.
Bijon B. Sarma, Professor on LPR, (Architecture Discipline, Khulna
University).
--
Prof. Bijon Behari Sarma
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