Corporate social responsibility in the globalised business environment - Community relations at NALCO

The notion held by many corporate executives in the earlier decades of the twentieth century that 'the business of business is business' has changed substantially. They have realised that earning more and more profit alone is not sufficient for business survival - they have some responsibility towards society and the communities in which they operate. As such, corporate social responsibility is viewed not as an expense but as an investment that results in long-term profit. For an organisation, the community it operates in is very important as it supplies a major part of the organisation's work force, raw materials, and provides an environment to prosper or perish. Community relations programmes are an outcome of the realisation that organisations cannot survive in an island of affluence surrounded by a community, deprived of the minimum facilities of civilised life. There are a variety of ways in which an organisation can involve itself in community relations and in bettering community life. This article explores the different dimensions of community relations practice by taking NALCO as a case study.