CaseStudy.co.in» Corporate Social Responsibility

Distributed Power Generation in Rural India

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:16:12 +0000

This paper presents an analysis of a rural distribution network to examine what the benefits of decentralized generation would be for meeting rural loads. We use load flow analysis to simulate the line conditions for actual rural feeders in India, and quantify the loss reduction and system improvement by having decentralized generation available. We also present a framework for valuing ancillary services from the generator, viz., reactive power. This provides a starting point for utilities in developing countries to better plan their systems to meet dispersed loads, while optimizing for renewables and other decentralized generation sources.
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Corporate Social Responsibility : TESCO

newuser — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:57:14 +0000

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its publication “Making Good Business Sense” by Lord Holme and Richard Watts, used the following definition. “Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large”The same report gave some evidence of the different perceptions of what this should mean from a number of different societies across the world. Definitions as different as “CSR is about capacity building for sustainable livelihoods. It respects cultural differences and finds the business opportunities in building the skills of employees, the community and the government” from Ghana, through to “CSR is about business giving back to society” from the Phillipines.

Traditionally in the United States, CSR has been defined much more in terms of a philanthropic model. Companies make profits, unhindered except by fulfilling their duty to pay taxes. Then they donate a certain share of the profits to charitable causes. It is seen as tainting the act for the company to receive any benefit from the giving.

The European model is much more focused on operating the core business in a socially responsible way, complemented by investment in communities for solid business case reasons. Personally, I believe this model is more sustainable because:

1. Social responsibility becomes an integral part of the wealth creation process – which if managed properly should enhance the competitiveness of business and maximize the value of wealth creation to society.
2. When times get hard, there is the incentive to practice CSR more and better – if it is a philanthropic exercise which is peripheral to the main business, it will always be the first thing to go when push comes to shove.

Corporate scandals at Enron, WorldCom and others made people distrust big businesses and this increased government regulations. This apart, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) started criticizing and battling with MNCs. The trend of rankings and ratings also pressurized companies to report their non-financial performance along with financial results. And, of late, media is observing companies closely. Embarrassing news anywhere in the world – say, a child sewing a cloth with a company’s brand on it – can be broadcasted across the world instantly. Relatively, customers are increasingly concerned about the companies’ impact on society including that on the physical environment, impact of products on the consumers, etc., as customers have become more aware of these issues through mass media.

Click here to read the Corporate Social Responsibility at TESCO

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Will Wall Street Redefine The MBA Curriculum?

maddy — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:31:06 +0000

Management courses at business schools have always been the subject of much debate and discussion. Schools have had to modify and adapt to constantly changing economic demands, but 2010 might just be the most game changing yet.
Today, we are well on our way to making core classes on ethics and sustainable business practices a real and relevant part of MBA curricula. While the approach has differed by school—some have made these courses compulsory, others have preferred the electives route—the central concern remains the need for responsible leadership in the marketplace.
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Tips for energy saving

maddy — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:16:21 +0000

Here is a good article which is targeted towards identifying the opportunities for power saving in a typical industrial setup.
A real nice read for all who believe in the statement that “Energy is future”

SWOT and sustainable business planning: IKEA Model

maddy — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:45:54 +0000

IKEA is an internationally known home furnishing retailer. It has grown rapidly since it was founded in 1943. Today it is the world’s largest furniture retailer, recognised for its Scandinavian style. The majority of IKEA’s furniture is flat-pack, ready to be assembled by the consumer. This allows a reduction in costs and packaging. IKEA carries a range of 9,500 products, including home furniture and accessories. This wide range is available in all IKEA stores and customers can order much of the range online through IKEA’s website. There are 18 stores in the UK to date, the first of which opened in Warrington in 1987. In July 2009 IKEA opened a store in Dublin too – its first in Ireland.
Since it was founded IKEA has always had concern for people and the environment. The IKEA vision ‘to create a better everyday life for the many people’ puts this concern at the heart of the business. IKEA has responded to the public’s rising concern for sustainability in its choice of product range, suppliers, stores and communication. It has also spotted business potential in providing sustainable solutions. IKEA’s concern for people and the environment encourages it to make better use of both raw materials and energy. This keeps costs down and helps the company to reach its green targets and have an overall positive impact on the environment.
This case study will show why IKEA believes a strong environmental stance is good business practice.
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CSR:IKEA and its suppliers in Thailand

maddy — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:55:20 +0000

Following the increasing international business focus on developing economies, global sourcing and procurement are gaining importance in MNC operations. Simultaneously, due to the increasing stakehold… more
ers pressures mainly the customers, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a major business performance indicator over the last decades. Consequently an essential dimension of CSR today is the business responsibility of foreign suppliers from whom MNCs‟ procure goods and services to meet global demand. The literature on CSR covers a large spectrum of areas, mainly supply chain sustainability; stakeholder theories; agency theories all of which model various CSR and supplier codes of conduct (SCC) implementation processes from different angles.
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The Current State and Future Trends in The Use of Pallets in Distribution Systems

maddy — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:19:58 +0000

Pallets play a very important role in whole distribution systems through the supply chain. Such a fact alone shows the importance of pallets in today’s fast growing global logistics. Due to the increasing number of regulations and policies regarding natural resource conservations and also sustainable development, the issue of pallet utilization, reuse and recycling matters became the core concern in most of the researches performed in this field.As a consequence, the presented report discusses the current problems, requirements and debates around pallets utilization in distribution systems in depth along with the other affecting factors such as Cost, Environment, Materials, Sustainability, Information Technology and so forth.
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Ecolabels as Regulatory Measures – A comparative study of the Eco Flower and the Nordic Swan

maddy — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:51:53 +0000

Eco-labels show consumers which products’ impact (multi-criteria basis) on the environment is the smallest compared to competitively and functionally similar ones and is intended to change consumption patterns. Generally most voluntary eco-labelling schemes have similar distinctive features, the main goal being that of promoting environmentally ’superior’ products in providing consumers information and raising environmental standards.
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Bhopal Gas tragedy a Case Study

newuser — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:04:08 +0000

The investigation of large-magnitude incidents is fraught with difficulties and the process of establishing the primary cause of an incident often requires an understanding of human nature in addition to the necessary technical and engineering skills. The salient non-technical features that are common to the investigation of large-magnitude events are discussed in general. The investigation of the Bhopal disaster is discussed as a specific case study in light of these salient features. The results of the overall investigation are discussed and it is demonstrated that the commonly-held view that water-washing of a certain header caused the disaster is physically impossible. Evidence is presented which indicates that direct water entry into the methyl isocyanate storage tank was the likely initiating cause of the Bhopal disaster. click here to read more

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Chernobyl Nuclear Accident : A Case Study

Kavi — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:57:32 +0000

26th of April 1986 witnessed one of the world’s worst Nuclear Disaster ever in Chernobyl.The accident took lives of30 people immediately and vast evacuation of 135000 people wtihin 20 mile radius of the power plant was carried out after the accident. The Case deals with all the aspects related to the accident, including Where,How,Causes,Events and Consequences of the Accident. click here for entire case