Soulful Corporations, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014
A Values-Based Perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility
India Studies in Business and Economics Series

In the light of multiple corporate debacles, financial crises and environmental disasters across the globe, the need for corporate goals to transition from simply maximising shareholder wealth to optimising stakeholder welfare is being echoed in various quarters. This book makes a distinct contribution by looking at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from a values-based perspective with a focus on providinga balance between corporate success and social well-being. The book emphasizes that corporations need to redefine their purposes to co-create long-term, sustainable and win?win solutions for multiple stakeholders through mutually-fulfilling and value-adding collaborative efforts. Through the ideal of ?A Soulful Corporation?, the book proposes a new story where corporations, as associations of individuals, can identify their ?collective spirits? in terms of environmentally-aware, socially-inclusive and financially-rewarding missions.

Some of the unique features of the book include:

·         A detailed study of the evolution of CSR from the ancient to contemporary times

·         Insights gained through empirical research and personal interviews with over 100 industry captains, CEOs, MDs and heads of the CSR function across companies and industries

·         Case studies on CSR practices and processes in leading Indian companies including the Tata Group, TVS Motor, HUL, Wipro, L&T, Bharat Petroleum, HDFC Bank, Birla Group, Reliance Industries and others.

·         Cases on unique social welfare projects in the areas of education, healthcare and drinking water supply

·         A ?Society and Local Community Welfare Framework?and a ?12-point Agenda for Affirmative Action? that propose policy recommendations and provide corporations with a roadmap for their CSR journey in the light of the mandatory CSR spending introduced by the Government of India.

The book has relevance to multiple stakeholders: students, academics, CSR researchers, policy-makers, industry captains, business managers and entrepreneurs.

The World Today: Paradoxes Galore.- Corporate Misdemeanour: The Business of Business is Business?.- Redefining Globalisation: Is a Better World Possible?.- Coping with Globalisation: A Quarter Century of Efforts.- Business Responsibility through the Ages: A Journey from Scriptural Insights, with Noble Philanthropists, to Committed Institutions and Leaders.- Corporate Social Responsibility: Can Companies Make a Difference?.- Corporate Social Responsibility: The Indian Story comes a Full Circle.- Corporate Citizenship: How can Companies be Good Citizens?.- Socially Responsible Investing: Investors’ Role in promoting Corporate Citizenship.- Corporate Citizens at Work: An Introduction.- Case Study 1: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd..- Case Study 2:HDFC Bank Ltd..-Case Study 3:Hindustan Unilever Ltd..-Case Study 4:Larsen & Toubro Ltd..-Case Study 5:Reliance Industries Ltd..-Case Study 6:Tata Group.-Case Study 7:TVS Motor Company Ltd..-Case Study 8: Wipro Ltd..- Society and Local Community Welfare Framework.- Integrating Individual Social Responsibility in a Corporate Framework: The SAI Way.- Uncovering the Corporate Soul: A Roadmap for Affirmative Action.

Shashank Shah is currently serving as Director-Specialist Higher Education, NITI Aayog, India. He is a stakeholder management strategist, public policy specialist, and international researcher. His research focuses on the pivotal role of corporations in economic and social value creation through visionary leadership, stakeholder-centric decision making, and inclusive business strategies. He has worked with 250+ C-suite level leaders from top Indian corporations, Fortune 500 multinationals, and globally renowned academicians to build an exhaustive knowledge base of best-in-class stakeholder-centric corporate strategies. Dr. Shah has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School and Copenhagen Business School; Fellow and Project Director at Harvard University South Asia Institute; Postdoctoral Fellow at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India; Consulting Editor with Business India Group; and Board Research Chair at the Institute of Risk Management,Mumbai, India. He sits on the Advisory Board of institutions in India and USA. 

Dr. Shah has authored nearly 250 research papers, articles, case studies, book chapters, and technical notes on diverse topics connected with stakeholder management strategy, corporate responsibility and sustainability, governance, leadership, integral education, and humanised healthcare. He has also co-authored over 15 books, monographs, mimeos, and technical reports in these areas. Between 2013 and 2018, he authored: 'Soulful Corporations', 'Win-Win Corporations', and 'The Tata Group'. He has been research/teaching faculty for Management Development Programmes by Harvard Business School, World Bank and Govt. of India; and has been invited to present his research by institutions in USA, France, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Malaysia, Japan, Nepal, and Mauritius. He has been Fellow, European SPES Institute; Editor-in-Chief, Harvard University Postdoctoral Editors Association; Editorial Board Member