BY – Samir kumar

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a topic that is increasingly
capturing the interest and imagination of people in the business world.
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Responsibility for what and to whom and who is calling for firms to be
socially responsible?
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Cannon (1992) discusses the development of corporate social responsibility
via the historical development of business involvement leading to a postwar re-examination of the nature of the relationship between business,
society and government.

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CSR is not all about philanthropy or doing charity services for the
community.
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Restricting CSR to philanthropy can even have a negative impact on the
organizational climate.
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For example, employees may become cynical if it becomes aparent that
while the organization is generous in terms of charities, it does not express
adequate sensitivity to working conditions or employees' safety; the public
might become critical if it turns out that the organization does not show
responsibility to environmental issues.

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Most importantly, findings from scientific research are becoming
increasingly clear with regard to how CSR is essential for the long-term
sustainability of a firm.

Firms that blindly and narrowly pursue the profit motive, without concern
for the broad spectrum of Stakeholders that are relevant to the long run, are
increasingly shown to lack sustainability.

 For
example, the strategic management of
human resources is related to customer
satisfaction, and it is essential for firms to
attempt to understand and deal with this
connection.

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Managers should have a genuine or authentic desire to pursue CSR
in order to truly realize its benefits for themselves, their firms, and
stakeholder groups.
Stakeholders will eventually catch on and will perceive that the firm
is not being authentic or “real” in its approach to CSR. In other
words, if managers do not recognize the full ramifications of CSR in
terms of what it is and its complexities, they might be better advised
to not even concern themselves with it.

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‘the ethical behavior of a company towards society. ….management acting
responsibly in its relationships with other stakeholders who have a
legitimate interest in the business.’

‘CSR 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.’


Business Impact (2000) Winning with integrity: A guide to social
responsibility. London: Business in the Community.

Cannon, T. (1992) Corporate Responsibility, First edn. London:
Pitman Publishing.

CCPA (2000) Corporate Community Involvement: Establishing a
Business Case. Melbourne: Centre for Corporate Public Affairs .

CSR Europe (2000) Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility
Brussels: CSR Europe.

Donaldson, T. and Preston, L.E. (1995) The Stakeholder Theory of
the Corporation: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications. Academy of
Management Review 20, 65-91.

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Reliance Industries Ltd: Chairman : Mukesh D Ambani
Reliance industries Limited
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is an Indian conglomerate holding company which is in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
The company operates in five major segments: exploration and production, refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail
and telecommunications. RIL is the second-largest publicly traded company in India by market capitalisation and is the
second largest company in India by revenue after Indian Oil Corporation.
The company was co-founded by Rakesh Ranjan and his cousin Champaklal Damani in 1960s as Reliance Commercial
Corporation. In 1965, the partnership was ended and Dhirubhai continued the polyester business of the firm .In 1966,
Reliance Textiles Industries Pvt Ltd was incorporated in Maharashtra. In 1985, the name of the company was changed from
Reliance Textiles Industries Ltd. to Reliance Industries Ltd. During the years 1985 to 1992, the company expanded its
installed capacity for producing polyster yarn by over 145,000 tonnes per annum.
The Hazira petrochemical plant was commissioned in 1991-92. In 1993, Reliance turned to the overseas capital markets for
funds through a global depositary issue of Reliance Petroleum. In 1996, it became the first private sector company in India to
be rated by international credit rating agencies. In 2001, Reliance Industries Ltd. and Reliance Petroleum Ltd. became India's
two largest companies in terms of all major financial parameters.
( www.ethics.org.au/ethics-articles/ethical-dilemma-accountants)
RIL nurtures stakeholder relationships to understand pertinent material issues, develop businesses, enhance shareholder value
and manage risks better. It is the relationship, trust and commitment to stakeholder interest, and the warm reciprocal of the
same by the stakeholders, that make RIL robust, resilient and sustainable.


Health

RIL focuses on achieving excellence in occupational and personal health of
employees at all manufacturing sites as well as at its offices. With this objective, it
has undertaken 'Mission Wellness' to improve and maintain employee health.

Reliance has set up state-of-the-art Occupational Health Centres (OHC) at all
manufacturing, E&P locations and major office complexes. Besides emergency
medical services, the OHCs also offer preventive, promotive and curative health
services to its employees.
All Reliance employees undergo regular periodic medical examinations. The
medical check-up facility is also extended to Contractor's employees at the
manufacturing sites. The results are computerised and analysed to provide targeted
interventions at the individual and group levels. An automated 'High Alert' system
has been implemented to prevent any medical complications.


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RIL is committed to provide a safe workplace to its employees and contractors; and safety to
the communities where it operates. In pursuit of the same, RIL continues to work towards its
aim of zero injuries and zero incidents.

As Reliance forays into newer segments of businesses, institutionalising HSE Management
systems across all business segments is vital. During the year, RIL worked towards "One
Reliance" standardization of systems and processes under its Business Transformation
initiative. IT enablement of processes is underway, which is a big leap towards strengthening
of HSE governance and compliance systems across all businesses and functions.

While establishing HSE standards in steady state operations, RIL targeted its major focus areas
to include process safety and construction safety for its large scale upcoming projects. Efforts
are being made to embed the RIL HSE standards and processes from project conceptualisation
stage onwards.

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RIL believes that continuous learning and upgrading of systems and processes are
indispensable as we move ahead with our vision of achieving best-in-industry status with
respect to safety systems and culture. Benchmarking of Process Safety Management was
undertaken during the year across six petrochemical manufacturing sites vis-a-vis the global
best-practices to identify potential improvement areas in capacities and systems.

RIL recognizes that personnel competency is a key area to ensure safe and efficient operations.
While taking a step in this direction, a learning academy dedicated to HSE was established.
HSE assurance systems and processes were reviewed to ensure their robustness and alignment
to the designed intent

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RIL engaged world renowned third party resource for assessing the Crisis Management
and Emergency Response system and provide guidance for improvement
.

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RIL is committed to ensure environmentally sustainable and responsible operations to
achieve highest standards of environmental excellence. The manufacturing divisions
have not only instituted internationally accepted Environmental Management System
based on ISO-14001, but the major sites are also integrated with Quality Management
and Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems. At Hazira, the Energy
Management System has been certified with ISO 50001:2011

RIL follows a comprehensive method for the preparation of Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) studies, for new and expanding projects. The focus is on an
integrated approach for conservation of natural resources while protecting the
environment. EIA studies consist of terrestrial EIA, Marine EIA, Satellite imagery
based land use, land cover and morphological assessment including the dynamic
modelling methods.

With the conduct of environment five-star audit by BSC-UK for RIL's onshore and
offshore Exploration and Production operations at Gadimoga, all manufacturing
divisions/locations have been covered for this audit.


With the conduct of environment five-star audit by BSC-UK for RIL's onshore and
offshore Exploration and Production operations at Gadimoga, all manufacturing
divisions/locations have been covered for this audit.

Maintenance and performance improvements of the assets are given a priority at RIL.
In this context, all pollution abatement facilities e.g. effluent treatment plants and
inside battery limit air emission control and waste disposal facilities are maintained
and operated in line with the industrial best practices.

RIL efforts such as mangrove plantation and its maintenance in the coastal areas,
maintenance of green belts and gardens in and around manufacturing units, vermicompost of waste and its use as manure etc. are imbibed in the culture of sustaining
the earth's environment.
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During FY 2012-13, RIL developed a group standard for Corporate GHG accounting
and reporting and trained GHG champions across the manufacturing sites. This
concerted effort has provided tremendous opportunities to continuously improve for
better environmental management.

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To build a rich pool of human resources for India, RIL has developed its own network of 12 schools in and
around the manufacturing units of the company at Jamnagar Surat, Vadodara, Patalganga, Nagothane and
Nagpur benefitting more than 15,000 students. These schools promote the education among the children of
the underprivileged communities. The J .H. Ambani School at Patalganga provided education to many
underprivileged children from nearby villages in Lodhivali during the current year.

To attract children to attend school and foster a love for knowledge among them, several initiatives were
taken during the year. These included construction of a school building at Meghpar village in Jamnagar;
construction of exclusive girls' school at Motikhavdi ; distribution of school benches at Nagothane ;
providing school kits at Jamnagar; distributing school bags to children at Nagpur and Silvassa and providing
notebooks and uniforms to schoolchildren of Gadimoga and Bhaira vapalem Panchayat. Also, financial
support was extended to ‘ Bruhad Gujarat Sanskrit Parishad' for imparting knowledge on Sanskrit,
Karmakand and Astrology.
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A school for the differently abled being run at Surat sought to address the issues relating to learning
disability and dyslexia in children.

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Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani Protsahan Scheme :
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The Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani Protsahan Scheme encourages the meritorious poor students to
pursue higher studies. The students securing high marks in SSC examination are helped to get
free education at the leading residential colleges. The scheme, so far, has helped 1,134 students
to continue higher education.

"Mumbai Indians Education for All" Initiative
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Mumbai Indians has supported projects that have impacted more than 10,000 children in 3 years.
Mumbai Indians supported projects ranging from providing access to quality education to the
underprivileged children, supporting girl child education, imparting life skills to the differently abled
and creating a level field by providing support classes to the vulnerable children. Mumbai Indians
also raises goodwill and awareness for the partnering NGOs through its website, player meets and
media bytes. The IPL matches provide children with an opportunity of seeing a live cricket match
amidst 30,000 cheering fans. Over 2500 kids from 5 NGOs have attended the home IPL matches
of Mumbai Indians since 2010. The children express themselves freely while cheering for the
players, learn team work, exercise discipline while travelling and entering the stadium and above
all get an opportunity to enjoy their right to entertainment. Some children are selected by the TV
crew to relay their experience to millions of viewers across the world- something that thrills them
and builds their confidence. Mumbai Indians has raised over Rs. 17 million for 5 partner NGOs
since 2010. An iconic blue band was launched with Sachin Tendulkar's signature to raise
awareness and funds. Till date, over 50,000 blue bands have been sold.

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Dhirubhai Ambani International School

Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS), Mumbai, established in 2003 as a worldclass centre of learning, has just crossed another milestone of completing 10 years. In
furtherance of its mission, in a short span of a decade, this young institution has carved a
niche for itself by emerging as a school of the future, a school of choice, with its focus on
all-round development of children as well as their academic excellence.

The Hindustan Times Top Schools Survey 2012 has ranked Dhirubhai Ambani International
School the No. 1 School in Mumbai.

In 2012, the Education World in its Survey of India's Most Respected Schools, has ranked
DAIS as No. 2 International School in India. DAIS has been ranked No. 1 on Academic
Reputation, No. 1 on Individual Attention to Students, No.1 on Co-curricular Education, No.1
on Competence of Faculty and No.1 on Leadership / Management Quality. Building on the
schools excellent academic record and its three streams - the ICSE, the IGCSE and the IB
Diploma, its students performed impressively in the 2012 examinations. The IB Diploma
2012 batch earned higher average scores as against the world average, placing DAIS
among the top ten schools of the world. Moreover, the school continued its excellent
performance on university placements, with its students getting admission at renowned
universities and colleges of the UK, USA and so on.

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Community Healthcare

Mobile medical vans are used to provide curative healthcare across RIL's manufacturing sites. RIL
provides a 24X7 emergency ambulance services from the Himachal borders to Hoshiarpur.

RIL focuses on raising awareness and providing treatment for HIV/AIDS patients. A clinic 'Hamrahi„
, in Allahabad, provides voluntary testing and counselling for HIV/ AIDS, primarily for truckers
and nearby residents. The
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Reliance HIV & TB Control Centre (NACO Designated
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ART centre) at Hazira has served over 78,000 patients. Among them, over 2,900 HIV-positive
patients have been enrolled for clinical monitoring. Over 525 patients, including 52 in FY 2012-13,
have received DOT therapy for tuberculosis. The 32-bedded Community Care Centre and
Reliance AIDS Care Hospital at Hazira has served more than 3,150 patients.

Blood donation camps were also organised in various manufacturing divisions and locations. Over
1,400 blood units were collected in the Reliance Corporate Park's blood donation camps.


Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

During the year, the Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital at Lodhivali engaged significantly to improve the
quality of life in surrounding communities. It provided free medical care to trauma victims of Road
Traffic Accident (RTA), till the patient Is stabilised . The hospital also offered subsidised medical
facilities to economically weaker persons of society in surrounding areas. It also conducted
medical diagnostic camps for local people. The hospital also engaged in offering free consultation,
counselling, investigation and treatment to HIV/AIDS patients.
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During the year, the Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital organised 18 camps for free medical consultation
and diagnosis. Around 1,900 patients attended these camps and were provided with free
medicines. Besides, free medical care was also provided to 56 RTA patients during the year. In
February 2013, cataract surgery camp was conducted with the help of Lions Club Mumbai and
Khopoli , where 114 patients were operated for cataract. Free or highly subsidised medical care
and treatment was provided to over 1,600 residents of surrounding villages.

In its ART Clinic, the Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital offered free consultation, counselling,
investigation and treatment to more than 3800 HIV/AIDS patients.

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Heritage Conservation
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During the year, RIL was engaged in development work on heritage conservation at Dwarka and
Nathdwara. During Navaratri Festival 2012, various organisations conducting Navaratri Garba and
dances were financially supported to strengthen Gujarat's cultural heritage. Durga Puja was also
enthusiastically celebrated at various manufacturing sites.

Promoting Sports and Sportsmen

With the aim of promoting Sports in India, RIL has instituted the IMG Reliance 'Scholarship for India
Programme'. These scholarships were awarded to 29 aspiring Indian Sportspersons for full time training
and coaching at one of the best sports training facilities in the world - The IMG Academies, Florida. These
talented young sportspersons are from the fields of Tennis, Basketball, and Football. These young
sportspersons underwent rigorous physical and mental training, were given the best-in-class sport
education and were exposed to high quality competition.

Recipient of these scholarships brought several laurels to the community. 14 of these scholars have
become part of under-17 Indian National football team and represented India in AFC Cup in the FY 201213.

Additionally, IMG Reliance signed a 15-year agreement with the AIFF, to improve, popularize and promote
the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level.

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Reliance Rural Development Trust (RRDT)
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RRDT during the year worked in 266 villages, constructing 173 Anganawadi buildings, 88 concrete roads
and other rural facilities.
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Community Development Initiatives
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Environment Initiatives for Community
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Safety Initiatives for Community
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Disaster Relief
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Livelihood Support
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Reliance Foundation
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Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation :
- Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation (DAF) focuses on education and public healthcare .

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Ethics Policies: Reliance always strives to conduct its business and develop its relationships in a
manner that is dignified, distinctive and responsible. At Reliance, we adhere to ethical standards to
ensure integrity, transparency, independence and accountability in dealings with all stakeholders.
In this direction, we have adopted various codes and policies which act as enablers to carry out
our duties in an ethical way. Some of these codes and policies are:
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1. Code for Board of Directors and Board Committees.
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2. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for Directors/ Management Personnel.
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3. Code of Conduct for Prohibition of Insider Trading.
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4. Code of Ethics and Business Policies.
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5. Policy document on Values and Commitments.
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6. Manual on Corporate Governance.
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7. Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policy.
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8. Code of Financial Reporting, Disclosure & Transparency.
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9. Business Responsibility Policy Manual.

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• The Company has a designated Lead Independent Director with a defined role.
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• All securities related filings with Stock Exchanges and SEBI are reviewed every quarter by the
Shareholders'/ Investors' Grievance Committee of Directors of the Company.
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• The Company has an independent Board Committee for matters related to corporate governance
and stakeholders' interface and nomination of Board members.
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• Internal audit of the Company is conducted by independent auditors.
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• The Company also undergoes secretarial audit conducted by an independent company secretary
who is in whole-time practice. The quarterly audit reports are placed before the Board and the
annual audit report placed before the Board is included in the Annual Report.


Social welfare and community development is at the core of Reliance's CSR philosophy and this
continues to be a top priority. Reliance embraces responsibility for impact of its operations and
actions on all stakeholders including society and community at large. It revolves around our
deeply-held belief in the principle of symbiotic relationship with the local communities, recognising
that business ultimately has a purpose - to serve human needs. Close and continuous interaction
with the people and communities in and around the manufacturing divisions has been the key
focus while striving to bring around qualitative changes and supporting the underprivileged. We
provide community medical centres near most of our manufacturing divisions. The CSR teams at
Reliance's manufacturing divisions interact with the neighbouring community on regular basis.
Reliance's contributions to the community are in the areas of health, safety, education,
infrastructure development (drinking water, improving village infrastructure, heritage conservation,
construction of schools, village roads and drainages, etc.), environment (effluent treatment, tree
plantation, treatment of hazardous waste, etc.), relief and assistance in the event of a natural
disaster, livelihood support, promoting sports and sportsmen and contributions to other social
development organisations. Reliance also supports and partners with several NGOs in
community development and health initiatives. Besides focusing primarily on the welfare of
economically and socially deprived sections of society, Reliance also aims at developing technoeconomically viable and environment-friendly products and services for the benefit of millions of its
consumers, while at the same time ensuring the highest standards of safety and environment
protection in its operations.