A Colloquium organized by Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Indian Institute of Advanced Study-Shimla
The Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship at IIMB, in association with The Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla jointly organized a one-day colloquium on Gandhi, Governance and the Corporation on Gandhiji's birthday on October 2, 2008.
The relevance of Gandhian thought on responsibilities towards society at large has great value in today's world. While Gandhian philosophy in a political and moral context has been researched extensively in India and elsewhere in recent decades, the application to business and other corporations has received relatively less attention. This colloquium was an attempt to bridge this gap by looking at key Gandhian themes like Trusteeship and Truth and exploring their linkages to corporate stewardship, accountability, transparency and communication.
Eminent Gandhian and Corporate Governance scholars along with experienced business leaders explored the application of these themes to corporate governance and responsibility in matters such as corporate reputation, inclusive development, shareholder wealth creation, stakeholder concern, and other contemporary concerns.
In the Inaugural session, Professor Pankaj Chandra Director, IIMB provided an introduction to the Colloquium. "Neither Gandhian principles nor corporate governance practices are new subjects by themselves, but what is unique about this colloquium is its objective of revisiting some of these principles and reiterating their relevance and imperatives to corporate behavior and contribution. It is imperative for aspiring managers, as well, to understand this vital link between the success of corporations and the well-being of the societies in which they are located; it is only appropriate that such thinking is emerging out of IIM Bangalore, the first time such an initiative is taking place from a management school anywhere in the world. Given the enormous economic power and strength of corporations around the world, and the pressing need for all-round and inclusive development of the peoples in different geographies, it would be a great achievement if such power could be harnessed towards such equitable and sustainable development," Dr. Chandra said.
The first keynote address was delivered by Professor Dwijendra Tripathi, who spoke on "Gandhism and Corporate Behaviour - A Journey Through time". Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta gave the second keynote address on the topic "The Political Ecnomy of Gandhism and Corporate Business". Prof N Balasubramanian the spoke on "Corporate Governance in a Gandhian Framework."
Ambassador Alan Nazareth, Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust presented a set of books on the Mahatma to IIMB, which were received by Prof Pankaj Chandra.
Prof Peter deSouza, Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla then gave his perspectives on "Taking the Gandhi-in-Business Agenda Forward." Prof deSouza stressed the continuing importance of key Gandhian tenets of personal and organizational behavior. He said: "It is not unusual for Gandhi and his philosophy to be positioned at a high moral and political plane with an image of almost impossible attainment by ordinary mortals. This colloquium seeks to bring these principles down to a level of appreciation and application to day-to-day corporate behavior. I hope this is the first of a series of events and publications that would disseminate research and counsel for the benefit of the world business community."
Speakers at this colloquium included Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Adviser to the Union Finance Minister; Tridip Suhrud, DAIICT, Ahmedabad; Narendra Pani, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; Sudarshan Iyengar, Vice Chancellor Gujarat Vidyapeeth; Errol D'Souza of IIM Ahmedabad and Prof Chiranjib Sen of IIMB. Industry was represented by M V Subbaiah, former Chairman, Murugappa Group, and R Gopalakrishnan, Tata Sons, Mumbai.
Commenting on the event, Professor Balasubramanian, Chairman of the IIMB Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship said, "It comes at a time when there is a need for a shift in focus and strategy for corporate governance, with the world economy facing a setback in the recent times. This colloquium revisits Gandhian principles in the chosen areas and explores and commends their widespread application to corporations both in India and elsewhere. Some of the principles Gandhiji espoused were of such cardinal relevance to corporations in their interactions with societal constituents, including shareholders, they stand out among the best practice prescriptions internationally. It is time that we rediscover these principles and use them not only in Indian corporations to achieve global reputation and leadership - as some of our companies have already done - but also to serve as beacon lights for adoption by corporations elsewhere in the world. This colloquium is a timely reminder of our own heritage and values in a world desperately looking for leads towards improved models for better governance of corporations."
As follow-ups, a CD compilation of the presentations has been prepared, and the papers are being published in book form. In case you are interested in obtaining the CD or getting a copy of the publication, do get in touch with:
Mr Manoj Chakravarti
Chief Operations Officer
Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore - 560 076
Phone: 91-80-26993274
Email: manoj.chakravarti@iimb.ernet.in
About Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship - IIMB:
The IIMB Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship was formed in 2003 to bring under a single umbrella all the research, teaching and policy support work the Institute faculty was engaged in for the past several years in the area of Corporate Governance and Citizenship.
Besides teaching courses in Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility at MBA level, the Centre offers exclusive training programmes for Company Directors including banks and provides policy support in the field of corporate legislation and regulation. The faculty is drawn from different disciplines like finance and control, marketing, strategy, economics and organization behavior.
The Centre has been provisionally accredited as a Centre of excellence by the National Foundation for Corporate Governance, a Trust sponsored by the Government of India, Ministry of Company Affairs, for promotion of improved Corporate Governance in India.
About Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla:
The Indian Institute of Advanced Study was set up by the Ministry of Education, Government of India as a Society under the Societies Registration act XXI of 1860, with effect from 6th October 1964. The Institute started functioning at Shimla on 20th October, 1965 when it was formally inaugurated by the then President of India, Professor S.Radhakrishnan.
The Institute aims at free and creative enquiry into the fundamental themes and problems of life and thought. It is a residential centre for research and encourages promotion of creative thought in areas which have deep human significance, and provides an environment suitable for academic research.
A Colloquium organized by Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Indian Institute of Advanced Study-Shimla
The Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship at IIMB, in association with The Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla jointly organized a one-day colloquium on Gandhi, Governance and the Corporation on Gandhiji's birthday on October 2, 2008.
The relevance of Gandhian thought on responsibilities towards society at large has great value in today's world. While Gandhian philosophy in a political and moral context has been researched extensively in India and elsewhere in recent decades, the application to business and other corporations has received relatively less attention. This colloquium was an attempt to bridge this gap by looking at key Gandhian themes like Trusteeship and Truth and exploring their linkages to corporate stewardship, accountability, transparency and communication.
Eminent Gandhian and Corporate Governance scholars along with experienced business leaders explored the application of these themes to corporate governance and responsibility in matters such as corporate reputation, inclusive development, shareholder wealth creation, stakeholder concern, and other contemporary concerns.
In the Inaugural session, Professor Pankaj Chandra Director, IIMB provided an introduction to the Colloquium. "Neither Gandhian principles nor corporate governance practices are new subjects by themselves, but what is unique about this colloquium is its objective of revisiting some of these principles and reiterating their relevance and imperatives to corporate behavior and contribution. It is imperative for aspiring managers, as well, to understand this vital link between the success of corporations and the well-being of the societies in which they are located; it is only appropriate that such thinking is emerging out of IIM Bangalore, the first time such an initiative is taking place from a management school anywhere in the world. Given the enormous economic power and strength of corporations around the world, and the pressing need for all-round and inclusive development of the peoples in different geographies, it would be a great achievement if such power could be harnessed towards such equitable and sustainable development," Dr. Chandra said.
The first keynote address was delivered by Professor Dwijendra Tripathi, who spoke on "Gandhism and Corporate Behaviour - A Journey Through time". Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta gave the second keynote address on the topic "The Political Ecnomy of Gandhism and Corporate Business". Prof N Balasubramanian the spoke on "Corporate Governance in a Gandhian Framework."
Ambassador Alan Nazareth, Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust presented a set of books on the Mahatma to IIMB, which were received by Prof Pankaj Chandra.
Prof Peter deSouza, Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla then gave his perspectives on "Taking the Gandhi-in-Business Agenda Forward." Prof deSouza stressed the continuing importance of key Gandhian tenets of personal and organizational behavior. He said: "It is not unusual for Gandhi and his philosophy to be positioned at a high moral and political plane with an image of almost impossible attainment by ordinary mortals. This colloquium seeks to bring these principles down to a level of appreciation and application to day-to-day corporate behavior. I hope this is the first of a series of events and publications that would disseminate research and counsel for the benefit of the world business community."
Speakers at this colloquium included Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Adviser to the Union Finance Minister; Tridip Suhrud, DAIICT, Ahmedabad; Narendra Pani, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; Sudarshan Iyengar, Vice Chancellor Gujarat Vidyapeeth; Errol D'Souza of IIM Ahmedabad and Prof Chiranjib Sen of IIMB. Industry was represented by M V Subbaiah, former Chairman, Murugappa Group, and R Gopalakrishnan, Tata Sons, Mumbai.
Commenting on the event, Professor Balasubramanian, Chairman of the IIMB Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship said, "It comes at a time when there is a need for a shift in focus and strategy for corporate governance, with the world economy facing a setback in the recent times. This colloquium revisits Gandhian principles in the chosen areas and explores and commends their widespread application to corporations both in India and elsewhere. Some of the principles Gandhiji espoused were of such cardinal relevance to corporations in their interactions with societal constituents, including shareholders, they stand out among the best practice prescriptions internationally. It is time that we rediscover these principles and use them not only in Indian corporations to achieve global reputation and leadership - as some of our companies have already done - but also to serve as beacon lights for adoption by corporations elsewhere in the world. This colloquium is a timely reminder of our own heritage and values in a world desperately looking for leads towards improved models for better governance of corporations."
As follow-ups, a CD compilation of the presentations has been prepared, and the papers are being published in book form. In case you are interested in obtaining the CD or getting a copy of the publication, do get in touch with:
Mr Manoj Chakravarti
Chief Operations Officer
Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore - 560 076
Phone: 91-80-26993274
Email: manoj.chakravarti@iimb.ernet.in
About Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship - IIMB:
The IIMB Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship was formed in 2003 to bring under a single umbrella all the research, teaching and policy support work the Institute faculty was engaged in for the past several years in the area of Corporate Governance and Citizenship.
Besides teaching courses in Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility at MBA level, the Centre offers exclusive training programmes for Company Directors including banks and provides policy support in the field of corporate legislation and regulation. The faculty is drawn from different disciplines like finance and control, marketing, strategy, economics and organization behavior.
The Centre has been provisionally accredited as a Centre of excellence by the National Foundation for Corporate Governance, a Trust sponsored by the Government of India, Ministry of Company Affairs, for promotion of improved Corporate Governance in India.
About Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla:
The Indian Institute of Advanced Study was set up by the Ministry of Education, Government of India as a Society under the Societies Registration act XXI of 1860, with effect from 6th October 1964. The Institute started functioning at Shimla on 20th October, 1965 when it was formally inaugurated by the then President of India, Professor S.Radhakrishnan.
The Institute aims at free and creative enquiry into the fundamental themes and problems of life and thought. It is a residential centre for research and encourages promotion of creative thought in areas which have deep human significance, and provides an environment suitable for academic research.