tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57810702852127054262024-03-14T00:21:09.685-07:00Corporate Social Responsibility Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-88900906552416294722014-09-20T00:13:00.001-07:002014-09-20T00:13:38.113-07:00Whistle Podu!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Beginning<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">With T20 gaining popularity, the loud cheering and whistling too
is now mainstream - so mainstream that there is actually requirement for
Whistling officers, Whistling executives and Chief Whistle Officers. The demand
is so much that Chennai Super Kings with the slogan "whistle podu' alone
requires more than 100 whistling officers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Whistle Curriculum<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Govt of Tamil Nadu has taken note of this surge in whistling
interest that it decided to introduce "Whistling" as a Subject in the
University Curriculum. A think tank was formed at the very top level to frame a
curriculum with CSK as their advisers. The whistle curriculum committee came up
with the following core topics to teach whistling as a subject in colleges:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1. Defintion of Whistle / whistling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2. Who invented Whistle /whistling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">3. In which year whistle was invented<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">4. Main types of whistles <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The committee also recommended the following as the answers that
need to be further elaborated through power point presentations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1. Whistle is the sound made by humans and animals especially
birds when they are happy and extremely excited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2. Whistle was invented by Capt. Vizlosky of Serbia during the
cold war<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">3. It was invented in the year 1642<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">4. There are more than 100 types of whistles, but the main 5 types
are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">a. Silent Whistle b. Violent Whistle c. Screaming Whistle d.
Soft Whistle and e. Melody Whistle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Students Feedback<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The brand new curriculum has been approved in record time and now
there are full time students specializing in Whistling. According to reliable
sources, the students found the subject interesting and the practical’s which
involves measuring and recording the dimensions of different types of whistles
and drawing a picture of the whistle -very stimulating. In the 1st semester,
students have scored 100% in whistle subject. Recently, a student Vizilmani has
submitted a thesis for his P.hd on the topic "<i>Comparative study of whistling behaviour of CSK & RCB fans"<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Interview<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On the insistence of CSK, a campus recruitment was organized for
the sole purpose of recruiting various levels of whistling trainees, officers
and executives. On D day or shall we say W day, the students in their interview
attire lined up. Vizilmani was the first to be interviewed. He entered the room
with confidence, shook hands and sat down with great expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Interviewer:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Thanks for coming for the
interview. Please can you whistle for me?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Vizilmani: <i>Sir? What sir?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Interviewer: <i>Whistle?
thambi, whistle podu! Please whistle loudly!!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Vizilmani: (wiping sweat from his brow) <i>Sorry sir..OUT OF SYLLABUS!!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">....................<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Bottomline: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I narrated this "Whistle" Story at a recent seminar for
College students. I gave them a short “lecture’ on Whistle and also asked them
to write down answers to the 3 questions. 90% of the students had written
verbatim what I just spoke to them. Then I called a boy and a girl who had scored
“100%” in the exam on stage. Everyone applauded on their ‘achievement”. I gave
the mike to them and said, “Please whistle for me” They remained silent. The
dean and vice principal sitting in the front rows, nodded knowingly. Some
students applauded and even whistled (from the back benches of course) to show
their understanding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I was shocked and surprised when at the end of the seminar, one
student walked up to me to ask. <i>Sir, you
told about the CSK job offer. Can you tell me when is the interview? <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-58167415755970006332014-07-09T02:03:00.000-07:002014-07-09T02:03:05.264-07:00Mr. MBA, Data Entry operator. Mr. B.Tech Office Assistant <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;">Last week, we had advertised for "Data Entry Operator" the minimum qualification required was +2 or fresh graduates. Salary range starting from Rs. 6000/- p.m.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br />Not surprisingly we received over 40 responses. Surprisingly, over 35 of the candidates are B.E /B.Tech / MBA / M.Com / M.Phil. We did not get any PhD (saving grace !) More than the degree, the applying candidates should be well versed in English typing and should be able to enter data within a given time without error.<br /><br />I will not be writing about it if it were an isolated incident, this is now become a regular feature. When we had earlier advertised for student counselors, we were flooded with B.E /B.Tech applicants. A recent article shared by my friend in Economic Times: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/qep8geb" style="color: #993322; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">MBA Degree losing its sheen?</a> highlights this scenario - which we are witnessing almost on a daily basis. We also get hundreds of CVs applying with the subject line "I want Job" and invariably all of them are either Engineering graduates or MBA graduates.<br /><br />This brings us back to the original question, Why are these graduates not able to get employment? The <i>writing</i> quite literally is on the wall. All you have to do is ask any of these 'so called' MBA or B.Tech graduates to write 4 lines of complete sentences in English. You will be surprised at the errors that creep in almost each word, each sentence and each line.<br /><br />One can go on and on about the various reasons, but the bottom line is, young people blindly follow what their peers or parents ask them to do. After they enroll they struggle and study various theoretical subjects which has no relevance to the job market. Pathetically, students who score 90% and above fail miserably when they were asked to solve simple mathematical problems or write a meaningful sentence. I had seen MCA graduates not able to create a separate folder and save email attachments!<br /><br />Unless, the colleges give impetus to developing skills in basic communication, IT skills, analytic skills and English -spoken and written, the students face a grim future. Without any employable skills, their degree is not even worth the paper it is printed on.<br /><br />With these kind of fancy qualifications, they live in a fantasy world till reality strikes them.<br />Then they start applying for "data entry job'. </span></div>
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Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-1387414765387022062014-04-01T04:49:00.000-07:002014-04-01T04:49:02.795-07:00Skill Development of youth - a viable CSR option<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In recent times, I made a whirlwind tour of Colleges - both Arts& Science and Professional Colleges in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.<br />
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The idea is to interact with the final year students and gauge how prepared they are for the life ahead in the Corporate sector. After a short presentation on "Employability and Job Skills" I introduced them to sample aptitude test - basic questions covering English, Logical Reasoning and Numerical Ability.<br />
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The results are startling and very disturbing. Sample this: A student of final year B.Sc Maths could not find the "average" for a simple sum. A final year B.A. English student could not write 100 words in English without making a mistake. Across the board, the situation was the same. The students in the city or so called Elite pvt. colleges also did not score more than 14 out of 20 in the test.<br />
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The saddest part is, the students do not even realize this. They have a false sense of entitlement and refuse to accept their weakness. They believe that they are entitled to a high paying job - simply because they had completed a B.E, or MBA or just a degree. These kids live in a fools paradise and wait for the elusive pot of gold!<br />
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On one hand, I have employers - leading Banks /Insurance companies asking for 100 - 200 candidates per month! on the other hand, I could hardly screen and present 5 - 10 students in say 3 months.<br />
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We have a gigantic task ahead in training these kids and bringing them up to the level where they could be even considered for an entry level job. We in our small way are doing our bit to help them understand their areas of improvement and suggest ways to improve through our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ezenglishpro" target="_blank">EZ Spark Program</a><br />
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I know many progressive companies, especially in the IT sector in India have launched Campus To Corporate events and many training institutes like <a href="http://learnnshine.com/" target="_blank">Learn N Shine</a> have initiated "Finishing Schools" but still we have a long way to go in improving the attitude, skills and knowledge of our young people.<br />
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In the new Financial year, when Corporates are planning their CSR projects, a Skill Development Initiative should receive top priority.<br />
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Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India13.0524139 80.25082459999998712.5573929 79.605377599999983 13.547434899999999 80.896271599999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-3562690926212991482013-08-14T04:39:00.000-07:002013-08-14T04:39:42.447-07:00Soft Skill or Soft Kill?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h_JBy2RZNTY/UgtrObU7yeI/AAAAAAAAAxY/TXqKQpcXI2c/s1600/soft+skills.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h_JBy2RZNTY/UgtrObU7yeI/AAAAAAAAAxY/TXqKQpcXI2c/s1600/soft+skills.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image from the internet for illustration purposes only</span></div>
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Reams of research
findings are put out every day that emphasize and overemphasize the
need for Soft Skills. Morphed into Life Skills these days, these set
of intangible skills apparently provides the passport to a better job and
brighter future.</div>
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Professional Colleges
are urged to integrate soft skills training to all their students.
Recently, when I visited a professional (technical) college in
Tamil Nadu to talk about the Life Skills training that we offer, I was
stumped when the College Training and Placement officer reached
inside his desk and pulled out hard bound tomes: Soft skills Vol. I,
Soft skills Vol. II and Soft skills Vol III.</div>
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A quick glimpse into
the manuals had these classic gems of questions that we have all
grown up with right from our school days :</div>
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What is Soft Skills?</div>
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How many Soft skills are
there?</div>
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What are the top ten soft skills?</div>
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When was Soft skills
introduced in India?????</div>
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As I silently mourned
the death of soft skills at the altar of rote learning, the beaming
Placement</div>
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Officer said, All our
students have cleared all the volumes and have scored 100%. We are
now going to print Vol IV !?</div>
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If this is the kind of
response by some Professional Colleges to “Teach” soft skills to
their students,</div>
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when will they ever
learn that soft skills is a “Skill” and need to be applied in real
world settings. Soon these colleges will be proudly declaring: 100%
placement and 100% pass in Soft skills. </div>
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I walked away
wondering, after all the massive efforts to bring out bulky Volumes
and reducing Soft skills to just another subject, whatever I wanted to
passionately convey to the students is “<i>Out of Syllabus”</i></div>
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Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-15315134115402942442013-07-25T06:52:00.001-07:002013-07-25T06:52:38.690-07:00Social Workers in the Corporate World - Clash of Cultures? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jye_AmumL-g/UfErrC09lkI/AAAAAAAAAtI/ZHqCCtdvp6k/s1600/social-work-wordie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jye_AmumL-g/UfErrC09lkI/AAAAAAAAAtI/ZHqCCtdvp6k/s320/social-work-wordie.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Image courtesy:<a href="http://cas.umkc.edu/socialwork/">http://cas.umkc.edu/socialwork</a></div>
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A recent article in
<a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/compulsory-csr-can-open-up-a-host-of-new-jobs/article4945737.ece" target="_blank">Business Line</a> stated that if the Companies Bill is to be passed in
the winter session of Parliament, nearly 8500 Companies in India will
come under the compulsory CSR spend category. This translates into
roughly 60,000 jobs for CSR Professionals. It is also anticipated
that this will be a bonanza for Social Work professionals and
professionals from the NGO sector.
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The article also
speculated that Companies in their eagerness to comply with the many
CSR related provisions, may poach jobs from leading NGOs. While
rejoicing at the prospect of new opportunities for many of my Social
Work colleagues, I also wonder what challenges that this opportunity
may throw up. The first thing that comes to my mind is the perceived
clash of cultures and the transition that the Professional Social
Workers have to make to the so called Corporate Culture.
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Till recently and even
now in some Companies, CSR functions are handled by Corporate
Communications team. Therefore these “<i>CSR professionals</i>”
mostly have a Communications, Marketing, PR background - and not Social Work background. Recently, some MNCs started recruiting “Specialists” or
“Subject Matter Experts” - in the field of education, environment
and community development. Indian companies too followed suit and
this created a trend and a wave of migration already started from
many large NGOs to the Corporate Sector. Going by the Business Line
report, this “migration” will increase or even be forced when
Corporates and Head Hunting firms spread their nets to NGO
/non-profit sector.
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Interestingly, during
the late '90s, few young professionals from corporate world made a
dramatic shift to the NGO sector. It was indeed dramatic because:
those days you either worked with a NGO or with a Corporate. Nobody
will even think of crossing each other's domains. It was also logical
as you could very well argue: Corporates Make Profits and
Non-profits -do not make any..(silly)– so it's a no brainer
actually – the twain shall never meet ..scenario. Many hailed this
move from the Corproate to the Non-Profit sector, rightly so. However
some went overboard and also said that with this shift, NGOs will
function “more professional” and actually prescribed this as a
panacea to all ailing NGOs!
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So, when professionals
from Corporate world made a successful transition into the NGO sector
– why can't the Social Work Professionals do the same? Will eye
brows be raised when a qualified Social Worker walks in with
confidence in the hallow corridors of Corporate power? I think, the
answer lies in the initial perception of Corporates being more
professional and NGOs as not being professional and lacking in
management systems etc.
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I am sure the debates
will continue on this perceived shift /transition and resultant clash
of cultures.
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Eventually, clarity
will emerge. The nay sayers or those who decried NGOs for their lack
of professionalism and systems, will have nowhere to hide when you
point out to them that the Companies Act itself came about because of
some rather shocking or shall we say “unprofessional behaviour”
of some highly acclaimed Corporates.
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The irony is now NGOs
pilloried for not having any Governance are going to contribute in a
large scale to the growth and development of Governance and
Professionalism in Corporates!</div>
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Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-55220040199197615222013-07-17T06:12:00.000-07:002013-07-17T06:12:57.328-07:00Rediscover the Joys of Reading<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJRLKkM6yYI/UeaXzQGKz1I/AAAAAAAAAs0/x9K0DZTv3m8/s1600/book_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJRLKkM6yYI/UeaXzQGKz1I/AAAAAAAAAs0/x9K0DZTv3m8/s320/book_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In this fast paced, wired world, is there still space for good old reading? Reading for the sheer joy of it. Do children love to read as much as they love to chat and post on facebook? To answer these questions, we have to move out of our comfort zone and take a peep into rural India. In places where children are deprived of their basic right to read.<br />
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In India, even in the remotest corner you can find a school, but that's the end of the story. There may be students, but no teachers. There may be classrooms, but no benches. Children in these schools have never come across good books that they can read and cherish. Even text books are not available to these kids.<br />
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In my earlier days when I worked in a non-formal education project, I have seen the thirst for knowledge among the kids of very poor families. They may not know how to read, but still they adore the pictures, they could relate to them and when the teacher narrates the stories from the book, she is a heaven sent blessing to the children. Whenever I used to visit the NFE centres in the fishing hamlets, I used to take Tamil books, comics, translated stories of Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens and leave it with the learners. The books became very popular that the adult learners in our centres started to fight with their kids to get hold of them!<br />
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I often marvelled at this thirst for knowlege, and wondered how we could ever quench this thirst.Recently, I came across an initiative with a very challenging title: <b>"A Book in Every Child's Hand"</b> now that is a gigantic vision, given the staggering size of India. However, when I heard Rohini Nilekani speak at the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BHqFGA78sEU" target="_blank">TEDx Gateway Mumbai 2012</a> partnered by <a href="http://www.franklintempletonindia.com/" target="_blank">Franklin Templeton Investments</a>, I was inspired to note that in this day and age there are still few souls who want Every Child to enjoy the joys and experience the thrill of the winged words.<br />
<br />
<b>"A Book in Every Child's Hand" </b>has succeeded to a great extent in putting several million books in the hands of children who otherwise would never have the opportunity. The books are translated into most of the Indian languages. By putting the books on the open platform of Creative Commons, the organizers have literally opened up the flood gates of "Creative Collaboration" so much so that many of the Indian language books were translated into French, Spanish, German and other foreign languages! This highlights the universal appeal of this project.<br />
<b><br /></b>
You can listen to the inspiring story of putting books in the tender hands of every child and opening up a new world of hope and joy at this link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BHqFGA78sEU" target="_blank">Rohini Nilekani</a>. I am going to start digging out my books, fill up my backpack and visit the schools that I work with. I am sure you'd like to join as well. Believe me, the joy and satisfaction you get when a child comes in contact with her first book is unparalleled.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
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Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-29758146335748139072013-05-23T23:06:00.000-07:002013-05-23T23:06:27.452-07:00Essential Skills for CSR Manager<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As in any Managerial
position, interpersonal skills or people skills are very important in
the professional life of CSR Managers. However there are certain
skill-sets unique to the CSR Profession itself. As a CSR Manager, you
are expected to work with two categories of people:</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Managing People who
have Passion and Managing People who have Power.</b>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Managing People who
have Passion:</b>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As a CSR manager you
will often interact with people who have passion, people who are not
just doing a job, but doing something that they are passionate about.
Volunteers, NGOs and other groups of people who are dedicated to a
cause will come under this category. Their motivation is not money or
power, but satisfaction and self-actualization and a deep sense of
contributing to sustainable development.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I have come across,
volunteers who with their sheer passion and dedication have really
made my work all the more satisfying and fulfilling. These volunteers
have night shifts (mostly in IT sector) sometimes stretching into the
wee hours of next morning 3 or 4am. Still at 8 am sharp they will
promptly turn up at a village 50 kms from the city! Their energy and
passion is so powerful that to manage such energy levels you as a CSR
Manager should share the same enthusiasm and motivation. In my
experience, volunteers are mostly young people and unless you share
the same vibes and passion as they do, you will not be able to
'connect'. Therefore, do equip yourself with the same vibes that
moves generation Y in order to be their effective manager.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Secondly, you need to
manage their enormous surge of enthusiasm, energy and motivation.
Some of them could get emotionally charged up or some of them could
just be frustrated because they are not getting the results as fast
as they expected. The key here is to provide some sense of
organization and streamline their enthusiasm so that their energies
are channeled meaningully. I usually encourage them to take up small
projects or break down major themes into “week sized” projects
that they can tackle and contribute as per their skills.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Another important
“Passion” sub-category are the NGO Partners. In your work as CSR
Manager you have to explore, identify, nurture and develop
Partnerships. NGOs with their work in the communities become a
natural choice. Many of the NGOs have great passion for their work
and take pride in what they do. You should respect that and tactfully
work on that premise. For me working with NGOs gives me as much or
even more satisfaction as working with volunteers. While volunteers
with their raw passion just blow me away with their energy, I find
the NGOs temper their passion with a deeper understanding of the
communities they work with. It helps me to constantly update on the
trends in community development and make me put the work I do in the
proper perspective.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Naturally, a CSR
manager who needs to earn their support must have the same knowledge
(if not the experience) as the NGOs. This will make your interactions
meaningful. In most cases, NGOs with their years of experience in the
'Field' try to look down on Corporates that undertake CSR activities.
They sometimes feel that Corporates are trying to enter their domain
without much understanding. Therefore, you as a CSR manager should
equip yourself with the domain knowledge as the NGOs are working in.
NGOs will then listen to you and lend their support. Otherwise, they
tend to “hijack' the programs and run away with their agenda with
the corporates not having any say in their choice of interventions.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Managing People who
have Power</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The other category of
people are People who weild tremendous Power and Influence. They
could be Government Officials, CEOs, Senior Executives in your own
officee, Commissioners, Department Heads, Bureaucrats and even senior
NGO Leaders.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
While working with
these “Influencers” a CSR Manager has to be constantly on their
feet. First thing to understand is: these people in power are
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Resource rich and Time poor.</span>
While you may get a whole day to spend with your volunteers and NGO
partners, you may hardly get 10 minutes or maximum 30 minutes with
them. Even in this extremely short time, they will have other phone
calls, VIP visitors and other interupptions. The key here is short
precise communication. You won't have time for elaborate
presentations or case studies. Another trait is the Power category
people are more concerned about results, outcomes and deliverables.
While your NGO partners may be interested in the process, your bosses
and bureaucrats would like you to jump directly to what results your
CSR project has achieved or what it is expected to achieve.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You have to also learn
to be calm, patient at the same time firm otherwise you risk
intimidation by their powerful presence, body language and sheer
speed in their thought process. I want to recall here an incident to
emphasize my point. In one of my early assignments when I represented
a German Small Business Association , I was to meet the Board Members
– President, Vice President and Chairmen of various committies of a
prominent Business Association in Tamil Nadu. After duly fixing up an
appointment I waited my turn in the imposing Board Room, mentally
rehearsing my presentation and what I need to say etc. I had done a
bit of homework as preparation and knew that the President and other
Board members are mostly Engineers and are leaders in their
respective fields and also politically well connected. However, still
as it was my first meeting with them, I was very anxious.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Exactly on time, the
Secretary walked in and announced that the President and his team
will be joing soon. After few minutes they walked in and the
President took his position at the head of the table. I introduced
myself and requested that I make a presentation of the German
Organization that I represent and how we could work together. Even
before I could start the presentation, I was faced with a barrage of
questions. Sample this: “Do you speak German? ( apparently many of
them could) Have you visited Germany? (at that time I had not visited
Germany) Are you an Engineer (I am not)
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
These questions at once
put me on the back foot, as I had to answer in the negative to all of
them. But I was honest, If I had tried to bluff my way through, I
would have been sorted out by the experienced men there and none of
my presentation that followed would have mattered.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
After this initial
hiccup, I composed myself and gave a short,crisp presentation. I
could immediately feel that I had made a good impression. They were
very appreciative of the work I (my organization) was doing and
wanted to know how we could work together. Thus started one of my
first induction into the world of Small Business Associations. Over
the years the same President and other Office bearers became my
friends for life.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The lesson learnt here
is, be truthful, be straight forward. It took only few minutes for me
to prove that I don't need to speak German or be an Engineer to work
with Germans or Engineers. You must learn to organize your thoughts
calmly and present them firmly. You have to radiate confidence –
not over confidence though - and your actions and communication
should express it. You really get only one opportunity to make an
impression with these influencers and you have to make it count. Once
they are convinced and agree upon your line of thought and action,
the rest of your work is a walk in the park.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
</div>
Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-27259376471676131922013-05-19T22:07:00.001-07:002013-05-19T22:07:38.433-07:00Amber Forever – A Precious Lesson on Business Ethics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In the summer of 2003,
I led a business delegation from Chambers of Commerce to Copenhagen
Denmark. The entrepreneurs and small business owners enjoyed the
interactions with their counterparts in Copenhagen. We also had
regular orientation workshops, industry visits and other
opportunities to understand doing business in Denmark.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
During the weekends,
the delegation also had an opportunity to explore Copenhagen and soak
in the local culture, do a bit of sight seeing and shopping. During
one of these explorations, our business people came across stores
selling “Amber” stones. Amber is actually fossilized resin from
ancient forests. During this process, it traps debris like seeds,
leaves and insects. Amber stones with insects are considered very
valuable. Amber sold in Denmark is considered highest quality and is
approximately 30 – 90 million years old (source: internet)
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
All of them were
naturally fascinated by its honey and bright orange (amber) colour
and also curious about the insects trapped inside (see inset picture: Source: Wikipedia)
Some of them wanted to buy and even enquired the price. Strangely,
even after visiting several stores selling Amber, nobody actually
purchased any thing. I thought to myself, maybe the price put them
off. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MykmKOTEfEM/UZmuyGOz5MI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/CvxH5y4V1b0/s1600/220px-Amber2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MykmKOTEfEM/UZmuyGOz5MI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/CvxH5y4V1b0/s320/220px-Amber2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On monday morning, when
our host for the day wanted to know the experience of shopping in
Copenhagen, few of the 'shoppers' were excited about the Amber shops.
Our host acknowledged their excitement and wanted to know if any of
the curious shoppers brought any Amber. The response came as a chorus
from our delegation: <i>“We did not buy, as we are not sure if the
Amber sold in these shops are genuine” </i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
host seemed to be taken aback by this 'genuine' question. He took his
time to gain his composure then asked them another question: Where
did you see the amber stones? The response was in “Amber Stores”
Then the host shot back: “</span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
the shop says it is selling Amber, it is selling Amber” </span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">From
his Danish perspective, he could not even understand the reason
behind such a question from our Indian guests. For us fakeness,
corruption and mediocrity being the order of the day, it seemed a
reasonable question. Whereas in the Nordic Countries that enjoy high
level of integrity and transparency in all aspects of life, the
question itself struck a jarring note. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Let's
pause here a bit while I want to take you back to an incident that
occured in “namma' Chennai during the famous Mango Season. Few of
my German colleagues were visiting Chennai on a business trip and on
their way to airport, asked me if I could get them some mangoes to
take with them. I jumped at the opportunity to showcase our King of
fruits and went to a fruit seller who had neatly packed “Export
Only” cartons of Alphonso Mangoes. After usual haggling on the
price, I chose a carton which had </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">“Genuine
Alphonso Mangoes”</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Export quality etc colourfully marked on the sides. I could not
resist the temptation to take one more box of this export quality for
my own consumption – after all why should only foreigners eat
export quality mangoes? </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">After
dropping them at the airport with the neatly packed mangoes duly
delivered, I smiled all the way back impressed with my alacrity. My
happiness was short lived. When I went home and unpacked the “Genuine
Alphonso” cartons, there were only few rotten mangoes and the rest
of the package was only paper stuffed in the shape of mangoes. Even
the rotten mangoes looked like the local variety and not the
colourful Alphonso mangoes advertised on the sides of the carton. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
felt terrible not just for the fact that I had been cheated by
“genuine” mangoes but felt sorry for our German guests and what
impression they would have when they discover the truth. Later I
wrote an email apologizing for the incident. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">To
get back to the Amber story. It taught all of us a lesson that day of
what it means to be truthful and genuine in business and in other
walks of life. Of course, the delegates went back to the Amber stores
and purchased them – a precious acquisiton - not just because it
was 90 million years old, but because it taught them the importance
of being genuine in transacting business.</span></span></div>
</div>
Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-4320639811587152752013-01-14T21:13:00.002-08:002013-01-14T21:38:39.807-08:00Testing Time for Teachers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Teachers in Tamil Nadu and across India are waking up to a new reality. In a role-reversal of sorts, it is the turn of the teachers now to face "exam tensions". I am talking about Teacher Eligibility Test which has landed many a teacher ironically in a situation that they used to face with their wards. Major Newspapers had a field day in presenting the same news with different twists: "Less than one Per cent teachers pass the TET"...read one. Another headline dramatised it by announcing "99% teachers failed in TET"<br />
<br />
What is clear is however, the Indian exam system that is the bane of analytical thinking and creative expression has come to haunt the teachers themselves. The poor results in the TET also points out to the malady in our Teacher Training System itself. As a recent article in the Hindu noted, "there are 600 teacher training institutes in Tamil Nadu alone" These institutions apparently produce 'Teachers' who could not clear a Teacher Eligibility Test. <br />
<br />
I was involved in training teachers in Govt. schools for more than 5 years and to me the poor results are not surprising. First of all, what is the "Eligibility' that they are being evaluated for? is it subject knowledge, ability to produce charts and PPTs? the whole system of teacher education itself is a mirror of our education system. Driven by blind focus on numbers and percentages, these tests do not really evaluate a teacher's eligibility to teach but their ability to memorize and reproduce. Same medicine, which the teachers have been prescribing to their students all along.<br />
<br />
Most disturbing aspect of these low scores is the excuses that the teachers are ready to give. There seems to be a negative attitue towards learning and to teaching itself. Many teachers that I had interacted with have a low self esteem and expressed very little motivation to excel in their profession. They would rather give excuses than use the opportunity for personal and professional development. TET is an opportunity that should enable teachers take a hard look at what they have been practising and re-assess it.<br />
<br />
A complete overhaul of the Teacher Training system is called for. Inservice training that focusses on teaching skills, leadership and facilitation skills must be conducted. Peer learning, opportunity to collaborate with other teachers, should be provided for them to expand their horizons. Continuous professional development and assessment instead of one time evaluation is the need of the hour to make teachers realize their potential. Only attitude change will lead to behavioural change and the Teacher Eligibility Test has exposed only the proverbial tip of the ice berg. It is time for Teachers and educationists to ponder. </div>
Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-41307475989695043142012-11-02T05:46:00.000-07:002012-11-02T05:46:18.911-07:00CSR - Old School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western">
The year was 1991, that was the time when
Corporate Social Responsibility was unheard of. Life was simple,
Corporates did just their business and made profits and Charity
Organizations did not do any business but doling out welfare and
feeding the poor and did not make any profit. The two entities
functioned in their own spheres and nobody bothered or even thought
that Business should engage with Community Organizations or vice
versa. </div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In that period, I was working in an International
Aid Agency's Non Formal Adult Education for Fishing Communities in
Coastal Tamil Nadu. Total Literacy was the all encompassing Mantra
and every district in Tamil Nadu was busy declaring themselves "100%
Literate". In this backdrop, we got zero support from the Govt.
when we said we wanted to educate the fisherfolk</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
I was joined in this mission impossible by a
Catholic Priest, and a fiery character who had strong communist
idealogies. We soldiered on against all odds and went about setting
up non-formal education centres in fishing hamlets - where we <i>also
taught them to read and write</i>. Predominantly, though the NFE
centres were more a platform to discuss the aspirations, the joys and
sorrows of the younger generation of the fishing community. We also
were privy to the ocean like wisdom of the village heads who extended
their full support and wanted their wards to be <i>'educated'</i> not
just literate. </div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
It was no coincidence that the fishermen /women
were as broad minded as the ocean itself. They had their priorities
right and their approach to life was to face it with all its
struggles and never back down or complain. They believed that the
Ocean with its abundant treasures will take care of them – come
what may. They also understood, that education is not just knowing to
write down your name. They did not go to any classroom, but even a 5
year old in that village will tell the time by just looking at the
position of the sun. They know when to venture out into the sea and
when not to. They knew how to calculate the “profit -loss' for the
day, and the women could make accurate guess on the weight of the
fish caught even while it is being offloaded onto the shore. </div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Enthused by their active participation, the NFE
centres became a centre of intense discussion on issues of community
development like creating jobs, income generation, mainstream or
formal education etc. Government meanwhile got wind of the happenings
in these centres that they finally decided to close down all centres.
The foreign Nation which was generously funding this activity was
told rather bluntly that they cannot continue with a "literacy'
program in a 100% literate State. The Development Counsellor fought
valiantly, but had to succumb to bureucratic pressure and finally the
project was abruptly shut down.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Back then there was no Govt. backing, no corporate
funding, no fancy Public Private Partnership or fancier Citizenship
Initiatives - but it was purely, unadulterated People's Participation
that kept the project going. The fishing community supported the
project not because it will help them write their names on a piece of
paper, they understood that it will help build their community
stronger. </div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The project also me a new perspective to life,
They helped define my approach to life. Till this date, this
conviction has helped me to work towards bringing out the true
meaning of education and unearth the treasures of knowledge buried
deep under the recess of rote learning and discover the joy of
learning – something that the humble fisherfolk realized from day
one.
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-4634444903147226382012-06-18T06:57:00.000-07:002012-09-21T23:31:54.562-07:00Technology in classrooms - old wine in new bottles?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Technology penetration in educational institutes is rapidly gaining ground. In India, many private schools now proudly display their "smart classroom' status. In remote villages, Government Schools have computer labs. There is now talk about using Tablets, iPads and smart phones to make education interactive and meaningful.<br /><br />However, in this race to embrace technology, are we forgetting the good old pedagogy - the foundation for any education program to succeed . Noted ICT in Education expert Shelley Pasnik cautions educators about this gap -<i>"is Pedagogy keeping up with technology"</i> he asks. Let us examine this question in Indian context.<br /><br />I was addressing a group of faculty members in a leading Arts and Science College in Chennai as part of a faculty development program. Since the session was on e Learning and ICT usage in classrooms, I asked them how many of them are on Facebook, about 10 - 12 hands went up. Then I asked them how many of them have a blog of their own. There was complete silence, until one young lecturer rose up and asked "<i>Sir what is a blog?</i>" <br /><br />Another day, another place, this time it was a Government School. In my interaction with school teachers on use of computers and ICT in education, many teachers proudly declared that they have attended Computer Training during summer holidays. Some teachers even displayed their certificates to me. At the end, I wrote my email ID on the blackboard and asked them to send me emails if they needed any information or wanted to share any information. The teachers exchanged quick glances and finally one teacher confessed, sir we do not have email ID and another teacher said, I have email ID, but internet connection in this school does not work. This particular Government school has a well equipped Computer Lab - computers with LCD monitors and names of prominent IT companies listed as 'sponsors'.<br /><br />The point is on one hand our schools have computers and they also have 'computer classes' and training, but the teachers are still not oriented to make the best use of it or they are hindered by infrastructure barriers like lack of internet connection. You may think this is common in Government schools, but it is similar in so called elite 'Smart Schools'. Once, when I asked my daughter how is her 'smart classroom' functioning as I see that board everytime I drop her to school. She said, oh, that my teacher switches it on shows some slides, then fumbles with the controls and then switches it off. It is back to the good old blackboard and lecture.<br /><br />When the college lecturer asked me about blogs and the school teacher asked me about creating email ID, I really felt that our teachers, administrators and educators simply do not understand the real power of technology. Mere placing of computers, gadgets, interactive white boards without training the teachers in their proper usage will not change anything. Teachers will brush aside the technology as simple waste of time if they are not properly trained. <br /><br />Administrators and educators should realize that just buying all sorts of new technology does not make learning meaningful, it is about how you use them. Even with latest technology teachers still struggle to retain students interest. New technology to be effective must be backed up by innovative pedagogy. Pedagogy should dictate how the devices, tools should be used. As Shelley Pasnik says, <i>"it is what you do with (technology & devices) and how teachers and students use those tools"</i><br /><br />While developed countries are leapfrogging to digital devices of all shapes and sizes, our education system is caught in a time warp.Teachers and students are mere onlookers as other Countries, even countries like Bangaladesh and Sri Lanka are overtaking us in terms of technology usage in education.<br /><br />Traditonal pedagogy practices must evolve to match the growing technology, if the investment in Computers and other technology has to start bringing in rich dividends. Teachers must be sensitized and oriented to new technology and its usage. Otherwise it will be the classic case of old wine in new bottles, or its digital equivalent : PDF and powerpoint slides of traditional textbooks on computers and iPads.<br /><br /><br /> </div>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-21856736061318605952012-03-22T22:04:00.000-07:002012-09-21T23:31:54.552-07:00Initiatives in Classroom Transformation – ICT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">17<sup>th</sup> March was a red letter day for many people involved in education reforms. For on that day, a middle school teacher from the Chennai (corporation) School, made history when she stepped up to the podium at the NGO 2012 seminar – a prestigious gathering of NGOs from across the Country - and declared to the world that she is a Champion Teacher. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The people, who had gathered to <i>hear </i>a teacher speak, ended up <i>listening to</i> the inner voice of a life changing experience. The teacher’s voice trembled with emotion and she could barely string together meaningful words in English, but she communicated in the universal language of love –straight from the heart and with passion.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, Sridevi is a not just a Champion Teacher, but a real champion in life who surmounted many challenges and today she could face the world with enormous confidence. “Sridevi Miss” as she is affectionately called by her children (she always refers to her students as ‘my children”) is part of the Reinventing Education Program – an education partnership program conceived by IBM and driven by Govt. school teachers in two southern states of India – Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As I watched Sridevi articulate the transformation that she helped shape in her classroom through the Reinventing Education program, my mind raced back to 2007 when it all started. The setting was the Andhra Pradesh Residential School.<span> </span>There were a group of noticeably bored set of teachers, head masters (HMs)<span> </span><span> </span>and education officials.<span> </span>Apparently, they did not relish the idea of spending a Saturday afternoon listening to someone who wanted to for some reason –to build a smarter planet </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Anticipating a ‘techie’ to walk into the classroom with a laptop in tow, they were a tad disappointed to see me with no such gadgets. They had set up an LCD projector, again anticipating the inevitable powerpoint presentation and had closed all the windows rendering it dark and gloomy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I walked in, and asked them to open the windows so that I could see their faces. I told them to switch off the LCD projector too. Now I could clearly see and sense that I had certainly created some curiosity and wee bit of attention. I introduced myself and my company IBM. I explained to them that I wanted to discuss with them about an education reform initiative proposed by IBM and asked them to list out their expectations. Now the audience’s curiosity turned into déjà vu. With practiced ease, much like a student reciting memorized lessons, the teachers and HMs started to narrate a ‘shopping list’. They said, computers are very good and their school needed more computers. Some of them wanted CDs for all lessons from 1- 10<sup>th</sup> grade. The more adventurous demanded that all teachers be given laptops! I only wondered if it were that simple, IBM could have just completed a one day laptop mela and sent me home without a job! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I realized that the teachers are so conditioned by the onslaught of technology companies on their sensibilities that they equated technology with gadgets and stuff. Wanting to shake them up from their techno – gadget fantasy, I gave them a simple exercise. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Requested all of them to forget about computers, technology and gadgets for a moment close their eyes briefly and reflect on their school days – when there were no such ‘distractions’.<span> </span>They obediently closed their eyes and soon they were travelling back in time. After few minutes when they ‘got down’ from their time capsules, I asked them to narrate a few things they remembered about their school days. <span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now the narration was different, they are no longer producing a shopping list but articulating their experiences. Many said corporal punishment, strict teachers, lots of homework, exams all the time, too many books (heavy), memorizing tables and formulae etc. Some of the ‘enlightened’ teachers also said only boring lectures and no computers (sigh!) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I grabbed half a chalk that had been thrown on the floor by an exasperated teacher and made a list of things they told about their school days in a column on the not so black board. Quickly I had run down the length of the board and also had difficulty holding on to the remnant of the half chalk, I barely managed to scribble on the top of the column “Education in 1970s” – I could have as well named it ‘education woes’ – then I stopped. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Turned around facing the audience again, I asked them to close their eyes one more time and this time I wanted them to ruminate on education today, in the present, in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. They closed their eyes but quickly opened them with an understanding smirk and smiling eyes when they discerned the irony. Nodding in agreement to their dignified silence, I rubbed out 1970 from top of the list and replaced it with 2007. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The silence was broken when one teacher said ‘nothing has changed sir’ same boring lectures, more homework, more books and more memorizing. Then I asked them can IBM bring in the change? Can supplying 100 computers and 1000 CDs change the situation? Almost the entire classroom joined in unison and said No - <i>We</i> will have to bring in the change. I then said, IBM will join hands with them and we will make the change.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thus began the long journey of Reinventing Education that had transcended the narrow understanding of technology, broke the barriers of attitude and years of conditioned behavior and transformed ‘boring’ teachers into bold Champion Teachers and insipid classrooms into thinking Transformed Classrooms. Presently there are more than 400 teachers who are touched by the Reinventing Education Program. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The significant change was, the teachers never again asked for computers, laptops and CDs. Instead they had asked me – teach us how to use them in my classroom, teach us how to open an email account. Show us how to download pictures and information from the internet and how to convert them into interesting lesson plans. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We listened, started training the teachers in pedagogical tools, ICT and together we created a Reinventing Education portal for the teachers to collaborate, share and learn. Today teachers like Sridevi for whom computers were once associated with computer labs and boring administrative work, are using it as a powerful learning tool. <span> </span>For her presentation at the NGO 2012, she had downloaded education quotations from the internet, created a PPT, loaded it on a pen drive and made a wonderful presentation. <span> </span>Today she proudly says: “<i> because of Reinventing Education, I have become a leader in my school, the commissioner and education officers invite me and ask my views on bringing in any changes in curriculum. I take pride in sharing my experiences with other teachers. My students find that I am a completely different person now and they say I smile more often. In my classroom even the quietest child will boldly answer any questions or even better ask me more questions</i>”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">The rousing applause that marked the end of Sridevi Miss’s presentation woke me up from my reverie. As people gathered around congratulating her, IBM’s tag line of let’s build a Smarter Planet – suddenly rang very true.</span></div></div>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-599312988101042932012-02-06T05:21:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.567-07:00Corporate Philanthropy: Where We StandIn one of my previous blogs on "Partnerships" I have highlighted how Indian companies have forged successful partnerships with community organizations to leverage their respective core strengths. In this recent article, Ann Cramer talks about public-private partnership as an innovative approach. You can go through the full article and see many good examples. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=3891">Corporate Philanthropy: Where We Stand</a>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-50931034252281131472012-01-18T02:36:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.563-07:00CSR and Social Impact<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">At the beginning of the year, it is customary to make a list of top 5s or top 10s of several global events. I thought of delving into the top 5 reasons for companies to invest in CSR as well as key success factors. <a href="http://webershandwick.com/resources/ws/flash/SI_CSR_FiveFastFacts.pdf" target="_blank">Weber Shandwick and KRC Research</a> did in fact conduct a research in October 2010 and surveyed 200 CSR executives and have come up with the following 5 reasons/ success factors: <br />1. Having an Impact on critical issues in society and seeing an organization's value in action <br />2. Non-profits as partners are vital to the success of CSR<br />3. Almost 90% of the executives said that Senior Leadership Support drives CSR success<br />4. Companies prefer to tackle multiple issues as part of their CSR (environment, education, global development etc)<br />5. Employee engagement and Community Engagement are equally important factors for the success of CSR efforts.<br /><br />The implications of the study is immense as it reiterates several beliefs that drives CSR initiatives as well as underline the importance of stakeholder engagement - both internal and external. The fact that companies are looking beyond <i>checkbook philanthropy</i> to actually making a social impact and actively engaging in societal issues is very heartening. It is also great news for Non-profit organizations as the large corporations view them as "valuable partners' who bring in the necessary expertise. It is also good to hear that companies are concerned about a variety of critical issues spanning education, environment and many other issues aligned to their core competencies and business objectives.<br /><br />Overall, the outlook for CSR and corporates engagement with society looks positive and CSR investments are all set to increase in 2012 and beyond. <br /><br />The know more about the study and its findings do visit: impact.webershandwick.com<br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com1Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India13.060422 80.24958312.936679000000002 80.0916545 13.184165 80.4075115tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-86002632613048912342012-01-17T03:55:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.576-07:00Corporate Volunteering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Corporate Volunteering is the buzz word in CSR. Many companies already have an employee volunteer program in place and many other companies are contemplating. As part of my research for this article I found that NASSCOM foundation has come up with a booklet on corporate volunteerism titled: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1110934933" target="_blank">"Volunteer in Action</a>". This booklet provides the 'do's and don'ts of volunteering as well as testimonials from many volunteers. The booklet only skims the surface of what is a very popular but underutilized medium of employee motivation. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In fact, world wide there is a shift from traditional volunteering (e.g cleaning up the neighborhood, painting school walls, tree planting etc) to more technical form of volunteering aligned to Company's business vision and objectives. This is called <b>"High Impact Volunteering</b>". This trend to move up the corporate volunteering value chain to High Impact Volunteering include: International Employee Volunteering as well as Skill Based Volunteering. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>International employee volunteering</b> is when companies send employees from one country to work in another. This corporate citizenship strategy may be an aspect of a company’s global volunteering program in that employees from one region or market travel internationally to volunteer alongside employees in another region or market. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Currently, only a few companies have employee volunteer programs that include opportunities to go abroad. The recent report “Global Companies Volunteering Globally” noted five large multinational firms that have publicly committed to expanding their international employee volunteer programs; BD, Dow, GSK, IBM and Pfizer. Besides the five noted in the report, a number of other companies are currently investigating or enlarging their international employee volunteering programs.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Skill based volunteering </b>aligns employee volunteering to the strategic business motivations and leverage the corporate assets and expertise to raise the bar and result in high impact. Employee volunteering that is aligned to corporate strategy like stakeholder relations, customer focus, competitive context and leadership development have more chances of drawing on the workplace skills of employees and the company’s distinct corporate resources.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://citizenibm.com/author/stanley-s-litow" target="_blank">IBM’s Corporate Social Corps</a> is another classic example of skill based volunteering. According to Stanley Litow, the VP of IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs as of February 2011, in just three years IBM sent a total of 100 teams to 20 countries around the world. These teams were made up of 1000 employees from 50 countries in which IBM works. Stanley Litow, views these ‘citizen-diplomats’ as something more than a means to making IBM more productive and profitable. These programs work towards a more civil society on a global scale, to the benefit of all. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To summarize, Corporate Volunteering is seen as a great tool to motivate employees as well as align the Company's goals and employee skills to the needs in the community. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><br /></div>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-42803534172659202762011-11-15T23:50:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.560-07:00Techno Pedagogy -what it means<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Information Communication Technology (ICT) programs in development field including Education has been around for many years now. Primarily these were driven by Technology companies or 'IT Vendors' with educationists and as a result education itself taking a back seat.<br />However, the encouraging news is finally teachers (other than computer teachers) are getting involved in ICT programs in schools. While the technology driven programs of earlier days was mainly confined to computer literacy, recent programs have evolved making subject teachers as the centre in designing the curriculum and integrating technology.<br />This approach known as Techno Pedagogy which implies the blending of technology with solid pedagogical principles is the way forward for new generation of education reforms. In this approach, ICT will not bypass the regular teaching staff in schools. Techno Pedagogy approach will continue to focus on technology but will have deeper and wider pedagogical relevance.<br />The University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education prescribe 3 components to develop techno pedagogy skills among teachers. They are: 1. meta-teaching, 2. technology exposure and 3. critical reflection. In Indian context, I find that teachers get to stage 2 without going through stage 1 and get struck there! Also their technology exposure is limited to "operating systems' or "office suite' that does not have any pedagogical relevance. Critical reflection is what is missing.<br />Thankfully, many organizations in India have realized this gap and are advocating for a more rigorous action, reflection process in the ICT initiatives in schools. This trend should be encouraged and teachers and educationists should come forward to evaluate, reflect and start teaching with technology rather than making technology an end by itself<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-61343610866919291852011-09-20T22:57:00.000-07:002012-09-21T23:31:54.568-07:00Business and Professional Ethics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last week I was in Madurai as a panelist in a Seminar on Business and Professional Ethics. It was organized by the Dept of Management Studies, Fatima College. This timely theme highlighted many facets of business and ethics. Inevitably, it gravitated towards a discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility . What intrigued me was the speakers invariably gave examples from Western countries. While there are many large and even smaller companies in India which has done work at the grassroots level, none of it was presented. It somehow gave the impression that CSR is the exclusive purview of MNCs working in India.<br /><br />Finally, one speaker stood up and said what is lacking in India is Self Esteem. We tend to be very negative when it comes to our own people and over enthusiastic when it comes to foreigners. Though India needs to catch up on lot of fronts compared to the advanced countries, if we continue to run down our own people, we will not reach anywhere.<br /><br />My only prayer at the end of the seminar was: "Where the mind is without fear and the head held high...into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my Country Awake! <br /><br /><br /></div>Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-68194005801730403792011-01-13T00:04:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.569-07:00CSR Practitioners -some insightsAs more and more Companies embrace CSR there is a corresponding demand for competent professionals in the field. On the supply side, many young management and development professionals are keen to take up a career in corporate affairs. However, after joining they find the tasks ahead daunting and more so when their peers and managers do not recognize the work they do in the communities.The young CSR professionals in large MNCs /corporates do not have anyone to turn to. Sometimes even their reporting managers with a Communications or Marketing background may not understand what exactly they do.This makes them wonder what went wrong. They think they may be a complete misfit.<br /><br />I find many development professionals who have built up a good career in NGOs coming to me and asking about switching to a career in CSR. Without trying to sound like I am putting them off, I often urge them to study the company that they plan to join and understand the CSR traditions within the company. Another suggestion is to network with CSR professionals, read CSR articles and develop their understanding of the challenges and constraints before venturing into CSR as a profession. If you are attracted only by the 'corporate tag' then you will not be ready to face the challenges ahead. <br /><br />A recent article in CSR Asia - confessions of a CSR Practitioner brought out this very succintly. The author - a CSR manager - says: <i>"I think one of the most challenging parts of my job is internal misunderstanding of what I do</i>". My thoughts are resonated exactly in the above quote. It is a fact that CSR practitioners do not do enough internal stakeholder engagement.<br /><br />Aspiring CSR professionals must be prepared to engage with internal stakeholders, top management in the long haul for their own good. If they are not prepared to take the initiative in educating their peers and managers within their respective companies - they may have to re-assess their decision.Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-30402397060331015882011-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.555-07:00NEN -1st Dot showcase for Student StartupsThe other day I was at the National Entrepreneurship Network's first dot showcase for student start ups. Sponsored by IBM and The Wadhwani foundation, the showcase provided a forum for student start ups to well, showcase their business model and interact with mentors and experts.<br /><br />I had the daunting task of mentoring 2 student start ups. Mentoring techno-savvy youngsters of the digital generation should be challenging and I geared up by brushing up my 'techno-skills' by interacting with my son and daughter - who are way ahead and up to date on matters technical. Brimming with giga-bits of information disdainfully fed by my "i kids' I felt confident of not getting stumped by my prospective 'mentees' (whoever invented this word needs mentoring!) <br /><br />After few minutes into the mentoring session, I realized I need not have gone through the troubles of 'updating' my technical knowledge. The <i>'studentrepreneurs' </i>are very clear that technology is important, but they are not going to 'depend' on it. They were more concerned with how their technology will actually benefit the people.<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the teams expressed genuine concern for the country, its youth and how their venture could play a part in improving lives of people through technology.<br /><br />These young start ups are not chasing dollars blindly or just geeks fanatic about their gadgets. These are real social entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in society. I liked their motive and conceptual clarity. I returned from the mentoring session with the reassurance that the future of India has its mind and heart in the right place!Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-9889782703930460332010-07-28T21:20:00.000-07:002012-09-21T23:31:54.580-07:00CSR -The Game Changer - Workshop by NASSCOM FoundationWith more and more IT companies operating in India taking the CSR route, it is imperative to strengthen these efforts and provide a forum for sharing practices. NASSCOM foundation did just this on July 21st when they organized a workshop "CSR - The Game Changer" in Bangalore for its member companies.<br /><br />The participants were given useful inputs on CSR strategy development and alignment with business goals. Participants also involved in 'developing CSR strategies' as part of a case study to get a hands on feel for coming up with sustainable CSR strategies.Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-73484943875883203592010-07-08T21:34:00.000-07:002012-09-21T23:31:54.572-07:00Indian Companies lead by Example in CSRA recent article in Harvard Business Review by Dr Cappelli commends Indian companies for their social mission. The research covered 100 business leaders of top Indian companies and comes out with the finding that every executive interviewed described the main objective of their company in terms of a social mission.<br /><br />The article draws on the examples of Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Dr. Reddy's Pharma and INFOSYS among many other Indian companies. Of course the TATA's who 'also make steel' finds special mention for spending 65% of their profits for charity purposes.<br /><br />The study concludes by saying that: "There is every reason to believe that these companies have done well precisely because they are doing good"<br /><br />Another feather for Indian efforts in CSR, way to go...hope many more companies emulate the examples set by these top Indian companiesPrince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-2544149376564117992010-07-08T21:00:00.000-07:002012-09-21T23:31:54.553-07:00It is Official now, CSR keeps your employees happy!In the ongoing discussions on CSR, it is often said that Companies use CSR to motivate and retain employees. Now a recent study by the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) confirms that Corporate Social Responsibility is a great way to engage employees and linked to how committed an employee is to the company.<br /><br />Spanning over 2000 workers around the world, the CCL study sampled their opinions on their company's CSR. The main findings are:<br /><br />1. Corporate Social Responsibility programs are linked to how committed an employee is to an employer<br />2. Employee perceptions about CSR remained constant during the depth of the economic decline<br />3. CSR programs are not a panacea for retention issues - CSR is related to organizational commitment but not to turnover, so companies can't consider CSR as a magic cure for all retention issues<br /><br />The study has come at the right time when Indian IT companies are again struggling with attrition as recruitment efforts are picking up. It gives a fillip to CSR efforts as keeping employees committed and happy will sure impact the bottomline of any Corporate.Prince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-7650312163891592682010-02-18T04:45:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.573-07:00Guidelines for Corporate Governance and Corporate Social ResponsibilityMinistry of Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India released the Voluntary Guidelines for Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility. The documents could be downloaded from the MCA website www.mca.gov.in<br /><br />The comprehensive guidelines cover the core elements of Corporate Governance and CSR. Aimed at ushering in transparency in operations of small and big companies, the guidelines offer many suggestions. The CSR guidelines also specifies that every company should have a comprehensive CSR policy. The CSR policy should cover the following core elements:<br /><ol><li>Care for all Stakeholders</li><li>Ethical Functioning</li><li>Respect for Workers Rights & Welfare</li><li>Respect for Human Rights</li><li>Respect for Environment</li><li>Activities for Social and Inclusive Development</li></ol>This is a progressive step and shows the intentions of the Government to bring in the much needed transparency and guidance for companies to discharge their social obligations. Hope Companies follow the guidelines in its true spirit and engage in inclusive and sustainable developmentPrince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-15365318711573011762010-01-05T04:23:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.549-07:00Business NGO partnership gets a boost in 2010At the dawn of a New Year, we have some great news on CSR front. In a recent survey by Industry body ASSOCHAM, 70 % of companies prefer to work with NGOs to implement CSR projects. This is a trend that has been growing in the last few years and hopefully will usher in the much needed professionalism and transparency in the discharge of public and community service.<br /><br />The survey also noted that 58% of companies preferred to work directly with Govt. departments. This is a revelation as many companies shy away from directly partnering with Government for development projects. It is highly likely that even in this scenario, companies still rely on NGO skills and knowledge in project implementation.<br /><br />Overall, it is a win-win situation and many NGOs are happy to partner with companies as their more traditional sources of funding through donor agencies had dried up. NGOs need to gear up to make the maximum use of this growing trendPrince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781070285212705426.post-35017072595631940712009-11-19T22:20:00.000-08:002012-09-21T23:31:54.556-07:00Top 10 CSR IssuesCSR Asia released the Top 10 CSR Issues Report that highlights the top 10 CSR issues for the next 10 years in the Asia Pacific Region. The 2009 report ranks the following as the top 10 priorities:<br />1. Climate Change<br />2. Corporate Governance<br />3. Labour and Human Resources<br />4.Environmental Issues<br />5. Partnerships with Stake holders<br />6. Regulation and leadership from Government<br />7. Community investment and pro-poor development<br />8. Product responsibility<br />9. Professionalisation of CSR<br />10.Bribery and corruption<br />In this context of growing importance of CSR and sustainable development, the professionalisation of CSR is imminent. A new breed of young professionals with solid grounding in development principles and management techniques is the need of the hour. Current CSR practitioners and professionals should share best practices and develop a comprehensive curriculum for the education and development of CSR professionals.<br /><br />The full report is available at the CSR Asia websitePrince Nehemiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03846535613883143928noreply@blogger.com0