Will corporate philanthropy save the world?
Will corporate philanthropy save the world?
Share
By Saad Sultan.
COVID-19 has halted the world. For good or for bad, it seems like everybody is on the same page across the globe.
While there are a myriad of opinions on how the post pandemic world will look, as of now, only one thing is certain: precarious and unreliable public health sectors across the world are crippling in front of Covid-19. Pakistan’s collective fear, panic and hysteria is stemming from one question, “If countries like Italy, Spain, US, UK, France are not able to contain it, what will happen to us?”
This fear is real and it is reverberating across South Asia. And where governments scamper to cope, philanthropists are stepping in to fill the gap.
As I write, “The second batch of the much-needed medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation has arrived in Pakistan today as a part of their drive that would supply essentials in 10 Asian countries”.
One of the top textile industrialists of Pakistan tweeted, “While ensuring the livelihood of its workers, company has earmarked 20 million to combat the COVID-19. We will provide 1,000 protective suits to medics and our team is also in discussion to procure Ventilators, PPE and COVID-19 test kits from China”.
In our neighbourhood country, TATA group has announced, “Daily workers of all Tata group companies will get salary in March and April the dues of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will be paid immediately”. CEO of Mahindra group said, “To help in the response to this unprecedented threat, we at the Mahindra Group will immediately begin work on how our manufacturing facilities can make ventilators. At Mahindra Holidays, we stand ready to offer our resorts as temporary care facilities”.
The trend around the world is similar; Google and other companies (but not Amazon) have pledged hefty amounts to fight the pandemic. Their money is literally a “breath of fresh air” for humanity, considering the value of ventilators in these precarious times.
The capitalist nature of economy in neoliberal order has left us at the mercy of poor governments and rich corporations. While it sounds bitter to put a question mark on any individual’s intention behind such a voluntary act, there is also an urgent need of being interrogative about a system that allows us to survive on whims of a few while governments largely remain incompetent. This situation also raises questions about the theoretical basis and social outputs of complex models like Private-Public partnerships and corporate social responsibility–terms that have enabled big corporations to swiftly merge with traditional philanthropy to soften their image in the collective public mindset.
Let’s examine the public-private partnership model in Pakistan. On one side, imagine the private education landscape, private health care mechanism, private banking system, and now compare these structures with their public counter parts. There is hardly any substantial partnership going on between these parallel universes except in documentations, news and reports.
Even during quarantine, private institutes have all the means and mechanisms to shift online but nobody knows the fate of students from the public sector. It may sound conservative, but corporate social responsibility also has a limited reach if compared with its intended purpose.
How impactful is CSR?
“Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. By practicing corporate social responsibility, also called corporate citizenship, companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they are having on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental”. In this definition by Investopedia, the word “self-regulation” is important to note. That means, dedicated teams of big corporations (closely linked with a marketing team) will decide the nature of moral responsibility and its urgency/priority in social context rather than any central authority like the government.
In an ideal scenario, rather than self-regulating, if every company dedicates and directs stipulated CSR funds through a legislative institution to a central authority, we can envision more workable Public-Private partnership model.
Having a public sector authority is significant in this case for three reasons, a) corporations don’t have technical ability or ethical standing to prioritise a social issue b) governments are naturally responsible for the social well-being of citizens and it’s their job to design social welfare models C) Only government bodies have relevant data and reach to form appropriate social interventions.
In reality, companies have intelligently merged CSR schemes with their marketing strategies. For instance, KFC, a MNC, runs a charity for hungry kids in Pakistan. Interestingly, not through dedicating any margin of their own profits but collecting funds from their customers (Just like Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon has created a fund to pay his workers amid coronavirus crisis and is also being appreciated by media outlets).
Cadbury recently decided that they will provide milk bottles to impoverished families. Pepsi last summer initiated a campaign that targeted rural areas where they provided energy saver lights wrapped in Pepsi plastic bottles. Coke also lured consumers to collect coins in plastic bottles (only in their bottles of course) to help the needy some months ago. Surf Excel is collaborating with organisations that are working for out of school children.
These campaigns are visually attractive, marketing savvy, catchy, and in many instances, become viral as well. The impact of such campaigns is always felt by consumers but there are always questions of validity, reach and sustainability which usually go unanswered. Even during an ongoing pandemic, companies are self-regulating and CEOs are personally deciding the nature of aid.
While we have time to think these days, we must explore more about how the neoliberal economic model has numbed the society as a collective for decades. How advertising has moulded our opinions so intelligently that they almost go unnoticed. We must think that if we come out of this alive, how are we going to prepare for the next humanitarian crisis?
Are we going to leave it in the hands of a few, who become national heroes in the aftermath of such grave emergencies? Are we not going to wonder why we are surrounded with political leaders who have created a fortune for themselves from public resources but we as a nation remain poor and helpless. Right now we are dependant on voluntary work, charitable initiatives, relief packages, and international aid. But once this over, let’s rethink, reset and recalibrate the strange world of super heroes around us. As one social media user rightly said, “The whole world is closed including parliaments, churches, mosques, schools, malls, parks but Waseem Akram is still selling Arial on TV”.
As one social media user rightly said, “The whole world is closed including parliaments, churches, mosques, schools, malls, parks but Waseem Akram is still selling Arial on TV”.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.
hello!,I really like your writing so a lot! percentage we be in contact more approximately your article on AOL? I need a specialist on this area to unravel my problem. May be that’s you! Having a look forward to look you.
I simply want to mention I am just beginner to blogging and site-building and actually enjoyed your website. Most likely I’m likely to bookmark your blog post . You definitely have tremendous articles and reviews. Cheers for sharing with us your website.
I very like this blog. Everything is cleared.
Almost all I can say is, I’m not sure what to express! Except certainly, for the great tips which have been shared within this blog. I’ll think of a million fun approaches to read the articles or blog posts on this site. I’m sure I will finally take a step employing your tips on those things I could not have been able to address alone. You are so innovative to let me be one of those to profit from your valuable information. Please know how much I enjoy the whole thing.
Great article! This something that I always want to see.
I was more than happy to find this web site. I want to to thank you for ones time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely savored every little bit of it and i also have you bookmarked to see new stuff on your blog.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular article! It is the little changes that will make the most significant changes. Thanks for sharing!
It’s hard to come by educated people on this subject, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Do you believe reincarnation? Do you think is reincarnation real?
I really like it whenever people come together and share views. Great blog, stick with it!
After looking into a few of the blog posts on your blog, I seriously appreciate your way of blogging. I book marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Take a look at my web site too and tell me what you think.
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this website needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the info!
Знаете ли вы?
Вместо Плещеева озера Пётр I мог построить потешный флот на озере Неро.
Герои украинского сериала о школьниках с трудом изъясняются по-украински.
Иногда для поддержки экономики деньги «разбрасывают с вертолёта».
Карьера не помешала фарерскому футболисту играть в гандбол, записать три музыкальных альбома, издать пять книг и сняться в восьми фильмах.
Английский крейсер ценой четырёх попаданий защитил конвой от немецкого рейдера.
http://0pb8hx.com
This website was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Thanks a lot.
Your style is so unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this web site.
MetroClick specializes in building completely interactive products like Photo Booth for rental or sale, Touch Screen Kiosks, Large Touch Screen Displays , Monitors, Digital Signages and experiences. With our own hardware production facility and in-house software development teams, we are able to achieve the highest level of customization and versatility for Photo Booths, Touch Screen Kiosks, Touch Screen Monitors and Digital Signage. Visit MetroClick in NYC at http://www.metroclick.com/ or , 121 Varick St, New York, NY 10013, +1 646-843-0888.
Saved as a favorite, I love your site.
Hi, I do think this is a great site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I’m going to come back once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
This is a topic that’s close to my heart… Take care! Exactly where are your contact details though?
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this post and also the rest of the site is very good.
FreeSpinner is designed to assist you with providing all the text that you need.
There is certainly a great deal to learn about this topic. I love all of the points you’ve made.
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Many thanks for supplying these details.
Excellent article! We will be linking to this great post on our website. Keep up the great writing.
I was extremely pleased to find this website. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it and i also have you bookmarked to look at new things on your website.
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular article! It’s the little changes that make the largest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Greetings here, just started to be mindful of your blog through Bing, and found that it is pretty entertaining. I will appreciate in the event you retain this post.
You’re so cool! I do not believe I have read anything like this before. So great to find another person with a few original thoughts on this subject. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up. This site is something that is required on the internet, someone with a bit of originality.
Sapid Agency is a Search Engine Optimization company in New York City that provides SEO Services. Their proprietary SEO strategies help struggling websites and aspiring business owners to rank their websites higher in multiple search engines like Google , Yahoo and Bing. They provide local and gmb map ranking for businesses in NYC and many other local areas. Find more at https://www.sapidagency.com/ @ 145 E 57TH NEW YORK, NY 10022, USA, +1 971 341 5608 USA
I really have to notify you that I am new to wordpress blogging and utterly liked your post. Very possible I am probably to save your blog post . You really have fantastic article blog posts. Truly Appreciate it for share-out with us your favorite website information
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both equally educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that too few people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I stumbled across this in my hunt for something concerning this.
Faytech North America is a touch screen Manufacturer of both monitors and pcs. They specialize in the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of Capacitive touch screen, Resistive touch screen, Industrial touch screen, IP65 touch screen, touchscreen monitors and integrated touchscreen PCs. Contact them at http://www.faytech.us, 121 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013, +1 646 205 3214.
nice https://www.wooricasinokorea.com 우리카지노
I merely want to show you that I am new to blog posting and completely cherished your information. Very possible I am likely to remember your blog post . You certainly have stunning article content. Be Grateful For it for expressing with us your main domain page
Your location is valueble for me. Many thanks !?
Знаете ли вы?
Советский разведчик-нелегал создал в Европе разведгруппу, успешно проработавшую всю войну.
17 бойцов остановили под Старым Осколом более 500 оккупантов.
Американский лейтенант из конвоя PQ-17 был спасён советским танкером и наладил его оборону от авианалётов.
Канадский солдат в одиночку освободил от немцев нидерландский город.
Издательство «Шиповник» было задумано для публикации сатиры, однако вместо неё печатало Лагерлёф, Бунина и Джерома Джерома.
http://www.arbeca.net/
I’d end up being mendacity basically stated i do not like this article, in truth, I like this a great deal I needed to put upward a discuss right here. I would like to say sustain the good work, and that i will likely be arriving once again for good since I already saved the page.