CORPORATE SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT
Corporate Training & Development Remediation ProgramsResearch & Studies Consultations on Core Labour standards Supply Chain DocumentationSocial AuditingFacilitates Community Based Development Projects
Our Mission:
“Driving solutions oriented partnerships for sustainable socially responsible and accountable business practices to enable the primary producer community to live a healthy and respectful life”
ASK initiated work in field of CSR with interventions in the brass and the garment sector in 1998.
Moradabad was our learning ground where we were exposed to the business dynamics and the complex multilayered supply chain of the booming brass industry. The developmental agenda of rehabilitation of “working children” from this hazardous brass industry was the driving force for us. Today, we have developed a good rapport with the various players in the supply chain and are working towards addressing the complex supply chain issues.
In the same year, we were introduced to the concept of “social auditing” in the garment sector. From one factory to another, it opened our eyes to whole arena of labor issues and concerns affecting the lives of the worker and their communities. With this exposure, we began to interact with different stakeholders in trying to understand the dynamics of business and gamut of associated social, environmental, human and labor rights issues. The role of Governments, the importance of Legal system & norms, crucial part of the investment community and the global business community were some of the questions which we raised to ourselves. We traveled across the country and the globe and studied different kinds of sectors, cultures and communities and their issues and challenges in undertaking global business. This helped us in developing our perspective on CSR and our conviction to work with the corporate sector and other key stakeholders to promote ethical business practices and improve the lives of the “workers”.
Our perspective on CSR
"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" (Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its publication "Making Good Business Sense" by Lord Holme and Richard Watts)
This definition simply explains the meaning of CSR comprehensively.
The Journey from CSR to CSA: An evolving perspective
We believe that the private sector has made a tremendous contribution to the booming economy of India. Over the years, ASK has been working with the partnership approach with private sector players for sensitizing them towards their social responsibility. We have been able to enhance knowledge to some extent and facilitate the development of specific skills needed for effective implementation of local and global social responsibility standards.
In the practice of responsible business practices, stakeholder engagement has a significant role in gaining credibility and legitimacy of interventions. With our experience almost near a decade, we would like to continue our facilitation efforts and at the same time start the dialogue regarding “accountability of the results” towards stakeholders. Access to information, transparency and reporting of the CSR practices are three important pre requisites for being accountable. For business to sustain in the global economy, it’s time for business to think strategically and develop ways and means which can help them to be more accountable. ASK would like to play the role of a facilitator by creating capacity building avenues for enhancing “accountability of results”.
Our core beliefs
Approach and Strategy
Industrial Sectors we have worked with
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