200912: Enterprise Leadership - TATA - Corporate Social Responsibility - Report Writing Assessment Answer

Enterprise Leadership Assignment

Assignment Task

You must use the following Essential References and cite all of the references A-D.

1. View and analyse the YouTube clip https://www.youtube.com/watchv=ku6SAMsyHbo
2. Download, read and analyse the following articles:Banerjee, S.B. 2011, Embedding Sustainability Across the Organization: A Critical Perspective, Academy of Management Learning and Education, vol. 10, no. 4, pp.719- 731. Haugh H.M. and Talwar A. 2010, How do Corporations Embed Sustainability Across the Organization?, Academy of Management Learning and Education, vol. 9, no. 3, pp.384- 396. Mahapatra, P.S. 2013, CSR in TCS – A Case Study, Parikalpana – KIIT Journal of Management, vol. 9, iss. 2, pp.76-81. Thite, M. 2013, Interview with Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus Tata Group, Global Business Review, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 549-552.
3. Read, analyse and apply theoretical aspects in Chapter 5 – Social responsibility and managerialethics (pp154-194) in Robbins, S, Bergman, R, Stagg, I & Coulter M 2015, Management 7, 7th edn, Pearson Australia, Sydney.
4. Consider the significance of the “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow” quote to your work and how itapplies to theory.

Your report needs to:

1. Research, Analyse, Synthesise and then Report on the Tata approach to Corporate SocialResponsibility and Sustainability.
2. Discuss approaches to managing culture and diversity of employment practices in Tatacompanies.
3. Conclude by identifying 3 specific ideas that you might consider implementing in your futureas a manager.

Report format: Table of Contents Executive Summary (150 words included in word count) Introduction Body of the Report divided into the Tata approach to:

- Corporate Social Responsibility - Sustainability -Approaches to managing culture and diversity of employment practices Conclusion

-Identification of 3 specific ideas that you might consider implementing in your future as a manager. - Reference List Appendix/Appendices

Enterprise leadership in TATA

Introduction

The quality of management and the ability of managers to apply strategic approaches to make sustainability a reality is an issue that continues to vex most organizations. The moral dilemma arises when management has to make choices of how the business can ensure minimal operation costs but at the same time play a crucial part in corporate social responsibility. According to Banerjee (2011), the contemporary business practices have called for a more diverse and ethical approach to business operation and calls for more credible, responsible and community involved enterprises for sustainability to be achieved. Corporate social responsibility and sustainability are two different activities which may seem unrelated but go hand in hand to ensure the going concern of a business entity. According to Branzei & Nadkarni (2008), Corporate social responsibility refers to initiatives by a business to make a positive impact on the economic, environmental and social aspects of the society and ensuring they do so with utmost care for the community. Sustainability, on the other hand, refers to policies adopted in a company’s operations which ensure that the needs of future generation are preserved. Jamshedji Tata is a man who understood the meaning of sustainability and founded the TATA company with a view that the generations to come would benefit more than the populations at the time he started the business. According to Banerjee (2011), the TATA company began as a small cotton processing firm and has today grown into one of the most productive global enterprises in the world. The value of engaging in CSR by TATA is not only practiced as an initiative to achieve a good corporate image but is guided by the religious and ethical ground of the corporation. The founding father of the company got an opportunity to study in foreign countries but wanted to participate in the social development and therefore brought the knowledge back to his home in India, Identified a business gap and ventured in it and even after his death, his sons still went ahead to continue his legacy. That very foundation of valuing community development and having a transformational leadership culture is what has made TATA a global giant in a variety of business operations that it runs. According to Branzei & Nadkarni (2008), TATA is a community of companies situated in different countries and continents and included companies like TATA Motors, TATA steel, hotels, star bucks, libraries, learning institutions and power stations among others. This business report aims at assessing the various strategies that companies can borrow from TATA which is a very appropriate case study since its sustainability policies and corporate social contribution is a study phenomenon.

Corporate social responsibility

According to Haugh and Talwar (2010), TATA made a significant investment in community development and was ranked the 11 best community contributors in the world by the business sector. It has been a long term goal and tradition of the company to assist in community development, not because of the economic benefits but also for their kindness and moral behavior. According to Haugh and Talwar (2010), the company ensures that they support the community development and invest in initiatives to improve the social welfare of those in the community. According to Mahapatra (2013), it offers employment to over 581,000 employees in both the formal and informal sector. The company is involved in a lot of research and development projects meant to expand the knowledge capacity of various fields which include the medical and technology research. During the tsunami calamity when civilians of different nations lacked essentials like clean water and food to eat, the company was actively involved in relief aid and also engaged in scientific research. The study managed to come up with a unique and new product known as the TATA Swach which enables water purification for purposes of future calamities (Meena, 2010). The company has several charitable organizations in Africa and also own a learning institution known as the TATA skills and training program which equips various young people with revenue-generating skills thus enabling the graduates to make something of their lives. TATA owns the Industrial training institute in India and also established a modern class library at JLR.

According to Mahapatra (2013), the company has also invested in a variety of projects in India and other parts of the world which are meant to create energy saving sources and also create employment and stimulate economic development of economies. The Kalinganagar plant building is an energy provision project in India. They have engaged farmers in comprehensive training which ensures that the farmers can earn income for their development.

According to Mishra & Mohanty (2013) the company is involved in environmental observation whereby they have an initiative for whale shark conservation in India and a Flamingo conservation operation in Trombay. Their businesses sources raw materials from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms so as to encourage farmers to follow the environmental protection guidelines of the alliance which stress on proper methods of farming. According to Mishra & Suar (2010), the Emeralds for Elephants in Africa and India is also another major initiative meant to serve their obligation to the sustainable environment.

By volunteering worldwide and also making a positive contribution to the economic, environmental and social aspects, the company plays its CSR role very diligently and is a good example for companies to emulate. The commitment and the positive impact the CSR has on its corporate image have sometimes contributed to some scandals that the company is entangled in whereby some of its rivals accuse the company of engaging in illegal land grabbing so as to push the company to relocate and take out the competition.

Sustainability of TATA

TATA is famous for its sustainability initiatives that make it possible for stakeholders to have faith in their processes. Sustainability assurance is very crucial for a company’s performance and going concern since it assures the stakeholders that the firm will continue to grow and exist and even live to benefit future generations even more. This achievement was the main dream of the founding father of the company Jamshedji Tata; he died before realizing that dream, but his sons lived to fulfill that legacy and made it a reality for him. Tata ensures to uphold a culture of the moral and ethical framework which guides the employees in all their duties and responsibilities. According to Randall (2003), they have a well-established code of conduct known as the TATA business excellence model by Ratan TATA which acts as a guideline for the worker. They have impact measures referred to as the TATA index for sustainable human development which was developed to monitor and improve the TATA companies. The company structure and policies which include the TATA community Initiatives (TCCI) ensures that a healthy culture for development of employees.

The company has a well-established communication and dialogue system which ensures that the flow of information is constant and efficient. New hires have issued booklets which explain the company policies and procedures so as to ensure they are competent in their work. According to Sagar & Singla(2004), the supply and purchasing department are guided on how to ensure minimal costs in their operations and also on how to deal with customers. According to Thite (2013), employee training programs and workshops are an everyday activity of the company and which are meant to enhance the performance of employees by equipping them with the necessary skills to be productive for the enterprise.

Approaches to managing diversity and culture of employment practices

Diversity at the TATA workplace is created by the differences in culture, race, and gender among other demographic aspects. Sometimes an individual from a particular category may undermine the others making it hard for them to perform efficiently. According to Randall (2003), managing the influence of workplace diversity in an ethical approach is one of the major approaches to neutralizing diversity in employment practices. Work practices are issues dealing with how the working conditions of the workers, the recruitment procedures and the ways in which the company ensures their staffs are productive. In the application of these practices, it is very crucial that all the members of the organization are treated with the respect they deserve and are also involved equally in the company development. According to Thite (2013), the employees receive equal chances of getting growth opportunities equally in the firm. The management at TATA always ensures that they encourage teamwork and provide a good team spirit through effective communication and appreciation of efforts. The management should make sure that there is a common ethical framework for employees to work with, the theory of absolutism states that there is a standard set of rules that applies to all cultures and which should be implemented to workplaces to make all of them equal.

Conclusion

CSR is an essential for all businesses regardless of their size and development stage. The practice of CSR helps a company improve their corporate image and thus promote the development of markets and sustainability of market positions. Sustainability is based on the policies and procedures of a company and how much the management is committed to achieving the long-term goals of the enterprise. An ethical approach to business practices is being preferred by most businesses as a risk management initiative and a strategy to enhance the sustainability of a company. The TATA Company is well established and uses both the CSR and strategic sustainable practices to ensure it has a going concern.