By Vedanta Agarwal |
A customer is the most important visitor in our premises. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.
The quote above might seem extremely nebulous, bordering on being Utopian, to all the contemporary corporate frenzies,but these advocacies by Mahatma Gandhi are fundamental ideals which businesses and corporates live by.
On this pertinent day of Gandhi Jayanti, apart from resorting to mighty slogans and frivolous pomp and show,we at Abhyas take it upon ourselves to comprehend and propagate the nuanced perspective that Gandhi took of lucrative businesses and the profound impact that his principles have on the veritable corporate realm. An evidently undiscovered reading, Gandhian influence on the corporates has been so indelible that work ethics, codes of conduct, a sense of deference between stakeholders and beneficiaries, and most importantly the objectives of welfare and prosperity of the society have been firmly established at the core of every corporate prototype.
India's exceptionally illustrious history of philanthropy emanates directly from the intricate and extremely layered Gandhian philosophy. Having said that, what can be deduced is the premise that the innumerable policies of consumer good (including consumer protection standardisation policies, voluntary consumer benefits) around which the corporate sector is centered, are a direct product of the Gandhian way of organising merchandise.
It's also essential to understand,here,the socio-economic context of the era in which businesses flourished during the very conception of Gandhian principles. At that time,producers found themselves as vulnerable as the consumers, so Gandhi evolved such holistic principles which aimed at bringing all the elements of merchandise from the periphery to the veritable mainstream and developing small businesses which benefited the both the parties involved in the transaction at the very basic level.
Apart from this respect,it was considerate in another way, it not only aimed at monetary development,but was equally oriented towards social and cultural rectitude. Though, these values of 'justice and good for all',egalitarianism and service for self and all aim towards an unachievable utopian business model, but have fundamentally effected the corporate sector and provided ground for it to proliferate in a way that it is detrimental to neither the stakeholders nor the providers of goods and services.
There are countless modern day corporate firms which base their policies of pricing and overall functioning entirely on Gandhian economics.
To understand their ways of operating,it is pivotal to get a sense of the academic concepts and theories of Gandhian economics-
Gandhi’s thoughts on economic systems evolved over time and they incorporated the good of both Capitalism and Socialism.
A conservative may identify his views when he reads that Gandhi was against the confiscation of private property.
Every thought of Gandhi may not be relevant today but Gandhian economics is very comprehensive to deal with many present day issues.
One such issue is “Corporate Social Responsibility”, which can be traced to Gandhi’s concept of “Trusteeship”.
The idea of 'Corporate social responsibility' has been one of the most indispensable teachings of Gandhian Economics. This amalgamates the conflicting aspirations of profitability and welfare.
Corporate Social Responsibility links Corporate Sector to Social Sector. It is becoming more relevant in our society plagued by increasing inequalities between haves and have-nots. Corporate Social Responsibility means that the corporate sector, which earns profit through the sale of its goods and services in the society also has some responsibility towards it. This is essential to promote growth with equity and to achieve an inclusive society.
Hence,it is an undeniable fact that Gandhian principles and corporate organisation,the seemingly diametrically opposite streams of thought have a significant relationship.
The deeper and stronger,the consonance between the two,the nearer is the dream of an elysian society which ensures the coequal progress of each shareholder of the corporate sector alike!
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