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Dont watch videos or think about the lives of the poor. Everything is OK. These subjects do not concern you. Just go back to shopping and

being a productive individual. Your purpose in life is to consume.- Youtube User Comment

I would like to live in a country where people greet me when I am at a traffic signal rather than compel me to scream at them for begging

and annoying me. I would like to live in a country which is not used as an example of an under developed and deprived population. Mylifetime should see squalor and poverty eradication in India

- Facebook Status Update

Corporate Social Responsibility in 2012 ....

Conferences, Seminars,Workshops, Reporting,Discussions and Dialogue

There has been a huge rise in people and

organizations understanding CorporateResponsibility and its benefits, to theirorganization and the society at large. This is

the result of increased Government,international multilateral organization and civilsociety interest and advocacy of the concept.

A large number of business houses haveinitiated CSR programs, organizations with a

long history of community involvement have

progressed to the next level of reporting andevaluating the impact of their interventions.

All conversations pertaining to social,human and economic development of thecountry entail a great degree of chat on CSR.

This is all the good news.Most companies initiating CSR programs,

stick to old models of service delivery andconduct charity programs. Some old fashionedcapitalists still believe they have absolutely no

business to ensure better lives for the people

of this country. Isn't that for the Government to

do ? Some companies just do not understandthat they are capable of driving substantial

change in society.The Corporate Affairs Ministry is

constantly toying with the idea of making CSRcompulsory. It is futile to ask an organizationto spend money on the less fortunate without

increasing awareness on models ofcollaboration and undertake intensestrategizing, planning and evaluation

methods.The understanding of CSR in the country

is torn between different ideologies.There are various aspects to social

development and CSR. There should be ageneric understanding among people on whatthose terms mean. Everyone would like to

believe they know exactly how India can excelin all dimensions, maybe they do.

This is exactly why conferences, seminars,

workshops, reporting and sharing bestpractice behavior and partaking regularly indiscussion and dialogue for Indias

development is important and essential.It is often difficult to understand how to

shuttle ones own hectic urban life and

volunteering or contributing to social causes.It is relatively simple, all one needs to do is be

informed, think, form opinions, participate onblogs and internet portals or maybe attend

workshops and seminars, which will translateto a better understanding on the role you andyour organization can play, because,

EVERYONE CAN and SHOULD.

This issue contains details on -

- The Plan and Participate

Project - CSR Information Sessions- Survey results for

Employee Engagement- Books and other interesting

things

CREATIVEPHILANTHROPY

A portal toignite energyandenthusiasmtowards CSR

January, 2012 - Issue 4

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Plan and Participate ProjectThe project is a one of its kind membership based employee engagement program

which brings together employees from varied companies through theme based activities,regular dialogue, networking and training events, which in turn will bring the subject ofsocial development to the forefront, initiate dialogue, facilitate action and create sociallysensitive and active citizens.

The membership entails- Weekly mailers on ways of engagement, activities, competitions and prizes for the

week- Annual Report on Employee Engagement successes and contributions- Monthly theme based activities- Regular dialogue, networking and training events related to CSR- Access to various support organizations of the year

Themes of Engagement(Program to be launched in April 2012)

1. Waste Management and Environment

2. Good Governance and Corruption3. Your city (Heritage, Transport and Responsible Consumers)4. Sports and Children

5. Slums and housing6. Employment and skill Training

The worlds top performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force thatdrives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human

resources initiative - it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business- Gallup Consulting

A recent sustainability study by Green Research found that 80% of major

corporations are planning to invest significantly in employee engagement in

2012. ARE YOU ?

Registration opens on 1st March, 2012. For more details please email

payal@the4thwheel.com.

Editors note4th Wheel has begun this year,

with added dedication andenthusiasm. This year, we plan to

focus on three services - CSRTrainings, The plan and participateproject, reporting and documentation

of CSR programs.However, services like needs

assessment research, socialdevelopment research on variedthematic areas, advocacy events and

workshops, consultancy and businessplan formulations related to CSR arebeing undertaken simultaneously.

This issue discusses the trainingmodule devised by 4th Wheel with

the help of 17 experts across thecountry (and are still looking forsupport and expertise in the subject).

It also explains the Plan and

Participate project, its execution andbenefits. We have been engaged in

content writing for a number oforganizations and are certified for

GRI Reporting which explains why wefocus seriously on documentation.

A survey on employee

engagement in companies wasfloated by 4th Wheel from January toFebruary, 2012 in order to

understand what people with 9-5 jobsthink and feel about social conditions

in India. The results are out and are

exceedingly positive andenlightening. It made us confident of

our value addition to society as 4thWheel.

We have received immensesupport and motivation from ourexisting partners and experts who

have given us constant feedback andlearning during this process ofdevising our services. They cannot be

thanked enough.Our Website should be new and

shiny in a few days with details andplans for CSR initiatives. Hope to hear

from you soon.------------------ Sharon Weir

Partners

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The Aims- To bring the subject of social responsibility to

the forefront- Generate thoughts and ideas on social service

delivery

- Highlight and share views, examples and bestcase practices

- Initiate dialogue- Facilitate Action

- Provide options for employee engagement

- Document employee engagement and itsbenefits in the short span of a year

- Create socially sensitive and active citizens- Bridge the rich poor divide- Undertake trainings at MBA schools and

bachelor degree colleges- Create a model which involves no cash

contributions to executing agencies.

Educating and

Engaging Corporate

employees on human

and socialdevelopment in India.

Concepts ofDevelopment

HumanDevelopment in

India

An Ethical

Organization

CSR and your

Organization

Pledge Cards,

Employee

EngagementPPP and

Interactions

Development is not about helping a few people get rich.... it is not about bringing in Prada and Benetton, Ralph Lauren or Louis Vuitton, for the

urban rich and leaving the rural poor in their misery.... Development is about transforming societies, improving the lives of the poor, enabling

everyone to have a chance at success and access to health care and education

India is one of the developing countries where globalization, economic growth, investment and business activity is likely to have the most dramatic

social and environmental impacts (both positive and negative)

- World Bank, 2006

The model is a one hour session on five dif ferent themes pertaining tosocial development and CSR. It is a free service offering by 4th Wheel,

conducted at your company premise. The target group is companies of

various sectors and size and mid and senior level management of the

participating company. Over 15 experts from various parts of India in

the field of sustainability, CSR, social auditing and social development

have helped in devising and formulating the model. The module is

different since it involves your employees interacting with us through

worksheets.

The Information Sessions on CSR action plans are designed to connect

all the employees of an organization to the sustainability agenda which

in todays globalized world, stands very important for organizations

small and big. The session is designed to determine the sustainability

action plan by explaining various concepts related to CSR and social

development. It will lead to developing a sustained effort towards

inclusive growth ideated by your employees. People have great ideas

and want to share them. Some of the greatest CSR models have come

from ideas within the company.

At the end of the session, all the employees will be given a pledge card

which allows them to prioritize their action plan for the coming year

which will strengthen their organizations road towards sustainability.

The model will educate delegates on sustainable, inclusive and

participatory development, explain tangible and measurable benefits of

CSR and suggest ways of interventions and engagements. It will enable

an understanding and translate into the exhibition of ethical and change

inducing CSR.

An organization should advocate best practice behavior among its

employees. In order to align the organizations business goals with CSR

strategy it is necessary to advance its values, culture, capabilities and

communications through its employees. Business leaders need to ensure that

employees, the group which most influences business results, and which is

most directly influenced by the employment practices of the business,

understands, engages with and proactively advances the CSR agenda. This

will require that company employees at all levels are made aware of CSR

and the role they need to play to make it a success.

As mentioned above the aims are many for this exercise and there is

tremendous potential in raising awareness of citizens in relation to how they

can contribute to making a difference in society.

For more information contact sharon@the4thwheel.com.

Partners

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The Module

1. CSR Planning and StrategyAn explanation into how an

organization should work through onesvalue chain to work out negative andpositive effects. Engaging key

stakeholders of the organization,understanding their views, considering

them, being accountable and using theinformation to drive innovation.

2. Energy use, waste management andthe environment

Reduce energy by investing in energyefficient /sustainable products to the

product line, conservation of water andrecord and monitor efficiencyimprovements. Recycling, industrial

material waste disposal and reducing

E-waste along with conserving naturalhabitats and resources in the

environment.

3. Corporate Governance, supply chainsand community involvement

Ensuring transparency andaccountability, evaluating andmonitoring of ethics in the company.

Responsible market place behavior andethical marketing in addition to strong

involvement with players in the supply

chain. Key considerations andresponsibilities of the organization while

engaging in community investments willbe explained.

4. Employee Engagement and HR

policiesEmployees should be encouraged tocontribute time, energy and ideas to

social causes. Social responsivenessshould be built into job responsibilities

and performance evaluations.Employees and suppliers should receive

the context and background on theorganizations approach to CSR,motivation for engaging, how it fitscurrent approaches and other

implications.

5. Strategic PartnershipsExploring the much talked about modelsof partnerships. The benefits of

specialized and focussed efforts throughcore competencies is discussed. Themove from mere crisis management

towards socially responsible

commitments assisting the company tomanage itself more effectively andefficiently. Enabling the organization tofind skills and expertise in areas which

they are not accustomed to applyingfrom NGOs, entrepreneurs and publicenterprises.

DETAILS ON CONTENT OFTHE MODEL

The concepts of development sectiondiscusses how development should be

perceived in an inclusive, participatory andsustainable manner. It explains why the

business sector has such an important role toplay in the age of globalization and freemarkets. The paradigm shift from charity to

ethical business is explained with examplesand a clear rationale. The section on India

educates the delegates on persisting issues inthe country by giving concrete reasons forpolicy and action failures. It also enables the

participant to formulate ideas and views onhow those issues could be tackled at anorganizational and individual level.

It goes on to explain how collaborationis the requirement in the field of social

development today. It puts the MillenniumGoals into perspective with CSR. The thirdpart explains various aspects of an ethical

organization in five themes which arehighlighted in the box on this page. Thefourth and most interesting part of the model

puts your organization and sector into focusand explains its functioning and impact on

society. The trainer will provide the companyoptions for engagement keeping in mind theprinciple of incorporating CSR into business

strategy and using core competency to driveand derive change. It will briefly explain CSRprocesses which should be followed

according to various guidelines and bestpractice data around the world. The fourth

part will also analyze the challenges of theCSR initiatives, the approach that should betaken and the quantifiable benefits which will

emerge.The final part will include distribution of

pledge cards for 2012 and introduce the

Employee Engagement PPP to participants.

The idea of the pledge card is simple.

We give you a list of things you can do tocontribute to the ethical functioning of your

organization. After the training session, eachdelegate is provided with two pledge cards.One is kept by 4th Wheel to track the

various pledges and the other by thedelegate. The pledge would include aspects

described under the training module. Eachpledge would have an impact assessing

format which will be regularly monitored andthoroughly analyzed after a year.

Further TrainingsWe have garnered support from various

experts and organizations pertaining todifferent aspects of ethical functioning of an

organization. This would include strategyand planning CSR initiatives, research likeneeds assessments and stakeholder mapping,

certifications and assessments of activities,fair trade and supply chains, developmentcommunications, rural marketing, energy

conservation, among others. We offercustom made trainings according to sectors,

cluster development models, to independentprofessionals and under different aspects ofCSR engagements.

Our panel of experts include Mrs. LataIyer, founder of Sustrack and an establishedsustainability professional, Mr. Suresh

Parmar, Executive Director for Centre fortraining and research in responsible business,

Mr. Nirmallya Mandal, a senior consultant atthe prestigious institution- MART, Mrs.Poonam Madan, a consultant at the India

Practice Chair for Corporate Responsibility,Ms. Nirmala Selvam, a consultant on CSRstrategic planning and management services,

among others.

WE NEED MORE ACTION BASED TRAININGS IN THECOUNTRY

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EmployeeEngagementSurvey- India2012

120 Respondentsfrom IT&ITES,

Manufacturing, Retail,

Real Estate, Automobiles,

FMCG, Renewable

Energy, Media and

Entertainment,

Development, Education,

Consulting, Exports,

Telecom, Health and

Pharmaceutical sectors,among others.

This is a synopsis. For a

detailed report, write to

us :)

37%

63%

Male Female

0

17.5

35

52.5

70

18-25 25-35 35-45 45-55 55 and above

Age Group

5%

16%

15%

13%6%4%

9%

31%

Directors ManagementHuman Resources Marketing and SalesFinance Corporate CommunicationBusiness Development Others

24%

76%

YesNo

Do you contribute to solving social

problems in India? Time

SkillsIdeas

Workshops and Seminars

Money

Volunteering

Expertise and Advice

On a personal level

Others

0 15 30 45 60

% of respondents

Designation and

Departments

13%

87%

Yes

No

oes it make a difference if you

rganization is ethical?

YesNo

70%

30%Would you be interested in

e Plan and Participate

roject (PPP)?

63%

37%

Yes No

Does your

organization have

any employee

engagement

programs?

0

25

50

75

100

YesNo

Would you be willing to

spend 5 hours in a month

towards social

development?

Yes

No

0 22.5 45 67.5 90

Would you be interested in

meeting people facing these issues,

people working towards these

issues and understand why these

persist in India?

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16 Pahelgaon bungalows, near judges

bungalow road, Ahmedabad, 380015

www.the4thwheel.com

http://the4thwheel.wordpress.com/

newsletter@the4thwheel.com

Discussions on PoorEconomics , an excellentread by Esther Duflo andAbhijeet Banerjee (2011)

Being social developmentpractitioners and students, we have read

a number of books and articles. This oneis particularly interesting since it analysesboth extremes of models of development

and explains how one should actually goabout facilitating development. Thewriters elaborate on how aid is

perceived to be very important inhelping people get out of poverty and

on the other they discuss how manycritiques of aid argue it createsdependence in society and makes the

rich, richer and the poor poorer. It givesa very good understanding about whypoverty persists at an individual and

societal level. The case studies and issuesbroached in the book makes for a very

interesting read.The authors are propagators of

Randomized custom trials which works

on the rationale of undertakingexperiments in intervention areas in

order to understand what will work andwhat will not before initiating any work.It ends on a super note about what is the

task at hand and what we can do aboutit.

Documentation of CSRInterventions

Companies have been asked to

report on their CSR initiatives by theGovernment. While large companies are

expected to report as per the Global

Reporting Initiative (GRI) format which isan internationally recognized format on

sustainability reporting, smallercompanies could simply declare their in-principle acceptance of these norms.

We think it is very important for

CSR documentation, not to tom tomabout the good work but for a number of

reasons. The exercise provides a betterunderstanding of your interventions andhelps you justify it to the management. It

also helps for people to get off thefence. It creates exemplary and best

case practice databases which will helpother individuals learn from andreplicate.

At 4th Wheel, we have a set formatfor companies to fill and contribute toour database. This information is

published on our website for everyone toview and comment on. We are keen on

making visits and undertaking photo andwritten documentation of processes andresults of CSR programs and would look

forward to invitations to visit your siteand interact with your beneficiaries.

We are hiring !Looking for interns, part time, full

time or work from home employees.Full time positions would receive stipends

between Rs.10,000- 12,000. Workinvolves secondary and primary

research on CSR and social developmentinterventions, content and creativewriting, social media management,

attending, strategizing and organizingevents, managing and executing the CSRTraining modules, designing and

developing social development strategiesand business plans.

Would love to hear from you !!payal@the4thwheel.com

We have a new office !

Fifth Floor, Shivalik Building,Next to Central Mall, Ambawadi,Ahmedabad

The Office - (079) 40092492

Other things happening @

4th Wheel

If you would be interested in beingnotified about fun and interestingsurveys, events or networking

platforms on social development andCSR, please do get in touch withsomeone from the 4th Wheel.

If you come across any articles, newsupdates, theories or intellectuals on

the topic, just go to our facebookpage and write on our wall. We needinputs, literature, views and ideas,

ALWAYS !!

Editor

Sharon Weir

ContentPayal Mulchandani

Marketing and Circulation

Salomi Gupte

Art and Logos

Sameer Singh & Praveen Mishra

WRITE TO USInviting views, suggestions and feedback from

corporates, NGOs, Government employees,

professionals, media, entrepreneurs,

businessmen, academicians, social institutions

4TH WHEEL

A Corporate Social Responsibility

consultancy, advocacy and research firm.The name signifies the business sector in

addition to the other three integral wheels-

the state, NGOs and international

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