CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY
(CSR)
IN EMERGING
MARKETS
(DISSERTATION REPORT SUBMITTED TOWARDS PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT)

COLLEGE LOGO

(Approved by AICTE, Govt. of India)

ACADEMIC SESSION
2008-10

Under the guidance of:

Submitted By:

YOUR SUPERVISOR NAME

Lecturer (COLLEGE NAME)

COLLEGE ADDRESS

YOUR NAME

CERTIFICATE FROM THE FACULTY

GUIDE

This is to certify that the project work entitled CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY IN EMERGING MARKETS, is a bonafide work
carried out by Ms.YOUR NAME, a candidate for the PGDM (2008-2010)
of COLLEGE NAME, approved by AICTE under my guidance and
direction.

Signature of the Guide

YOUR SUPERVISOR NAME

Page 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Behind every study there stands myriad of people whose help and
contribution make it successful.
It has been a remarkable experience of satisfaction and pleasure for me to
work out my project under the guidance of SUPERVISOR NAME. I am
really thankful to her for her valuable guidance and co-operation during
the project work.
I have been benefited from discussions and would also take the
opportunity to thank my friends whose support helped me a lot. A cordial
and encouraging environment made it very easier for me to complete the
dissertation.
So this acknowledgement is a humble attempt to earnestly thank her and
all those who were directly or indirectly involved in preparation of this
dissertation.

Page 3

PREFACE
CSR has become an integral part of corporate strategy. Companies have
CSR teams that devise specific policies, strategies and goals for their CSR
programs and set aside budgets to support them.
CSR has come a long way in India. From responsive activities to
sustainable initiatives, corporate have clearly exhibited their ability to
make a significant difference in the society and improve the overall quality
of life. Everyone sees CSR as part of a continuing process of building
long-term value. Everything a company do, helps improve the reputation
of company and encourage customers and other stakeholders to stay
involved with it.
This dissertation tries to identify the after effects e-Choupal and how this
initiative has helped the company in its progress.CSR initiatives of some
companies have also been discussed.

Page 4

There may be some scope for improvement but serious efforts have been
put into to get the best results.

Table of Contents
CHAPTER: 1 ABOUT THE COMPANY..............................................................................
1.1COMPANY PROFILE......................................................................................................
1.2LIST OF PRODUCTS & BRANDS.................................................................................
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................................
LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................................
CHAPTER 3: ITC E-CHOUPAL.........................................................................................
3.1INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................
3.2E-Choupal........................................................................................................................
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3.3The Traditional Model.....................................................................................................

3.4E-Choupal and the traditional model..............................................................................
3.5The e-Choupal business model.......................................................................................
3.6THE E-CHOUPAL SYSTEM.........................................................................................
3.7BENEFITS OF E-CHOUPAL.........................................................................................
3.8COST AND REVENUE STREAM................................................................................
3.9WEAKNESS OF E-CHOUPAL......................................................................................
3.10

CHALLENGES.........................................................................................................

3.11 THE E-CHOUPAL ADVANTAGE..............................................................................

3.12 THE E-CHOUPAL ROADMAP..................................................................................
CHAPTER 4: OTHER CSR INITIATIVES OF ITC.........................................................
CHAPTER 5: SOME OTHER CSR INITIATIVES BY OTHER
COMPANIES GLOBALLY..................................................................................................
5.1 AARTI DRUGS LTD.....................................................................................................
5.2CADBURY.....................................................................................................................
5.3CAVINKARE..................................................................................................................
5.4 FEDEX:..........................................................................................................................
5.5LG ELECTRONICS.......................................................................................................
5.6 NOKIA...........................................................................................................................
5.7PHILIPS INDIA..............................................................................................................
5.8 SONY.............................................................................................................................
5.10 DABUR........................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 6: ITCs PERFORMANCE SINCE INCEPTION OF eCHOUPAL..............................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 7: REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OR HIGH PROFITS
OF ITC....................................................................................................................................
Page 6

INTERPRETATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS &

LIMITATIONS.......................................................................................................................
REFRENCES..........................................................................................................................

Page 7

CHAPTER: 1
ABOUT THE
COMPANY

1.1 COMPANY PROFILE

ITC Limited which previously stood for Imperial Tobacco Company of
India Limited is an Indian conglomerate with a turnover of US $ 4.75
billion. It ranks third in pre-tax profit among India's private sector
corporations. The company has its registered office in Kolkata.
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The company is currently headed by Yogesh Chander Deveshwar. It

employs over 20,000 people at more than 60 locations across India and is
listed on Forbes 2000. The Training Centre of the company is in Munger,
Bihar. ITC is also known as "Chatkal" (especially in Munger).
ITC is one of India's foremost private sector companies with a market
capitalization of over US $ 22 billion and a turnover of over US $ 5
billion. ITC is rated among the World's Best Big Companies, Asia's 'Fab
50' and the World's Most Reputable Companies by Forbes magazine,
among India's Most Respected Companies by Business World and among
India's Most Valuable Companies by Business Today. ITC ranks among
India's `10 Most Valuable (Company) Brands', in a study conducted by
Brand Finance and published by the Economic Times. ITC also ranks
among Asia's 50 best performing companies compiled by Business Week.
ITC has a diversified presence in Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards &
Specialty

Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business, Packaged

Foods

&

Confectionery, Information Technology, Branded Apparel, Personal Care,

Stationery, Safety Matches and other FMCG products. While ITC is an
outstanding market leader in its traditional businesses of Cigarettes,
Hotels, Paperboards, Packaging and Agri - Exports, it is rapidly gaining
market share even in its nascent businesses of Packaged Foods &
Confectionery, Branded Apparel, Personal Care and Stationery.
As one of India's most valuable and respected corporations, ITC is widely
perceived to be dedicatedly nation-oriented. Chairman Y C Deveshwar
calls this source of inspiration "a commitment beyond the market". In his
own words: "ITC believes that its aspiration to create enduring value for
the nation provides the motive force to sustain growing shareholder value.
ITC practices this philosophy by not only driving each of its businesses
towards international competitiveness but by also consciously contributing
Page 9

to enhancing the competitiveness of larger value chain of which it is a

part.
ITC's Agri-Business is one of India's largest exporters of agricultural
products. ITC is one of the country's biggest foreign exchange earners (US
$ 3.2 billion in the last decade). The Company's 'e-Choupal' initiative is
enabling Indian agriculture significantly enhance its competitiveness by
empowering Indian farmers through the power of the Internet. This
transformational strategy, which has already become the subject matter of
a case study at Harvard Business School, is expected to progressively
create for ITC a huge rural distribution infrastructure, significantly
enhancing the Company's marketing reach.
ITC's wholly owned Information Technology subsidiary, ITC Infotech
India Ltd, provides IT services and solutions to leading global customers.
ITC Infotech has carved a niche for itself by addressing customer
challenges through innovative IT solutions.
ITC's production facilities and hotels have won numerous national and
international awards for quality, productivity, safety and environment
management systems. ITC was the first company in India to voluntarily
seek a corporate governance rating.
ITC employs over 26,000 people at more than 60 locations across India.
The Company continuously endeavors to enhance its wealth generating
capabilities in a globalizing environment to consistently reward more than
3, 39,000 shareholders, fulfill the aspirations of its stakeholders and meet
societal expectations. This over-arching vision of the company is
expressively captured in its corporate positioning statement:
"Enduring Value. For the nation. For the Shareholder."

Page 10

1.2 LIST OF PRODUCTS & BRANDS

ITC has a diversified presence in

Cigarettes: W. D. & H. O. Wills, Gold Flake, Navy Cut, Insignia,

India Kings, Classic Verve , Classic, Silk Cut, Scissors, Capstan,
Berkeley, Bristol and Flake

Hotels: ITC Welcome group Hotels, Palaces and Resorts is India's

second largest hotel chain with over 80 hotels. Based out of Hotels
Division Headquarters at the ITC Green Centre in Gurgaon, ITC
Welcomgroup is also the exclusive franchisee of The Luxury
Collection brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in India

Paperboards

&

Specialty

Papers:

ITC

Bhadrachalam

Paperboards Limited & ITC Tribeni Tissues Division is now under

one roof --> Paper Boards and Specialty Papers Division. There are
4 Units under one umbrella - Bhadrachalam, Tribeni, Bollarum and
Kovai.ITC PSPD

Packaging & Printing Business: India's Largest Packaging

Solution provider with In-house film manufacturing capability.
Multi-location manufacturing facilities to cater to domestic and

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export requirements. Product Range includes Cartons (Folding &

Fluted), Flexibles (Reels & Pouches), Shoulder Box, HL's & CBO,
Printed Cork Tipping, Gay wraps. ITC PPB

Agricultural Industry: Agri-Business, Leaf Tobacco, Gold

Ribbon, Blue Ribbon, Aqua Kings, Aqua Bay, Aqua Feast and
Peninsular

Packaged

Foods

&

Confectionery:

Kitchens

of

India,

Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Mint-O, Candyman, Bingo Snacks

Branded Apparel: Wills Lifestyle, John Players, Miss Players

Toiletries: Essenza Di Wills, Fiama Di Wills, Superia, Vivel Di

Wills, Vivel

Education & Stationery Products: Expressions, Classmate,

Paperkraft

Information Technology: ITC Infotech

Safety Matches: iKno, Mangaldeep, VaxLit, Delite(Discontinued)

and Aim Brands acquired from Wimco (Western India Match
Company): Ship , Homelite (Swedish Matches)

Incense Sticks: Mangaldeep, Spriha,Yantraani

While ITC continues in its traditional businesses of Cigarettes, Hotels,

Paperboards, Packaging and Agri-Exports, it is gaining market share in its
nascent businesses of Packaged Foods & Confectionery, Branded Apparel
and Greeting Cards.
ITC's wholly owned Information Technology subsidiary, ITC Infotech
India Limited, is pursuing emerging opportunities in providing
end-to-end IT solutions, including e-enabled services and business
process outsourcing.
Page 12

Page 13

CHAPTER: 2
RESEARCH
METHODOLO
GY

Page 14

2.1 DATA SOURCES

The data is purely secondary in nature and the knowledge has been
obtained only through various articles available on various websites.
There is no scope to collect primary data in any form as the topic is
theoretical in nature and does not include any kind of questionnaire to be
filled.
2.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The objective of this dissertation is
1. To study the efforts of Indian companies in this field and their impacts
on the company
2. To find out how corporate social responsibility is serving as a
determinant of corporate success
2.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research commences by searching for the articles related to the topic
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).Then having a detailed knowledge
of the same.
Then, studying the steps taken and efforts made in this field by various
Indian companies. Taking some examples of Indian companies and
explaining the efforts made by listing their contributions. After identifying
them, there is study of the results it had on the business and what positive
results came out.

Page 15

Then explaining by examples of various study that how it has lead to

increase in profits and is one the reason of corporate success. Also there is
special emphasis on an Indian company which can explain the topic better
and help to achieve the objectives.

Page 16

LITERATURE REVIEW
1. George Pohle and Jeff Hittner in their study on ATTAINING
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH THROUGH CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY have highlighted that CEOs have been long
accountable to a varied group of stakeholders-employees and
communities as well as investors. The nature of these relationships
is now changing in ways that significantly affect corporate
performance in part due to the emergence of the internet and
continuing globalization companies are becoming accountable for
labor issues and working conditions in their partners as well as
their own.

2. Paul Hohnen in their paper on CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY: An implementation guide for business have
said that there is no one size-fits all method for pursuing a
corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Each firm has
unique characteristics that will affect how it views its operational
context and its defining social responsibilities. Each will vary in its
awareness of CSR issues and how much it has already done
towards implementing a CSR approach.
There are six steps to implement CSR1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Conduct a CSR assessment

Develop a CSR strategy
Develop CSR commitments
Implement CSR commitments
Report and verify progress
Evaluate and improve

3. R. Edward Freeman, S. Ramakrishna Velamuri, Brian Moriarty

in

their

study

on

COMPANY

STAKEHOLDER

RESPONSIBILITY-A new approach to CSR have pointed out

the fact that if a company is enriching the lives of its stakeholders,
then asking the additional question of whether or not it is socially
responsible simply makes no sense-it is meaningless question. If
the company is doing everything to keep stakeholders happy, then
it deserves to be applauded and offered as an example for other
firms to emulate. If it is not doing it satisfactorily as particular
stakeholders think it ought, the n these stakeholders could perhaps
offer to help it do them better, rather than appeal to actions and
responsibilities that lie outside its day to day activities.
Company stakeholder responsibility could be assigning a different
meaning to CSR."Company" signals that all forms of value creation and
trade all businesses-need to be involved. Stakeholder suggests that the
main goal of CSR is to create value for key stakeholders. And
responsibility implies that we cannot separate what we do in the
workplace from ethics.

CHAPTER: 3
ITC ECHOUPAL

3.1 INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy producing 23 percent of
GDP, and employs 66 percent of workforce. Because of the green
revolution, Indias agricultural productivity has improves to the point that
it is both self-sufficient and a net exporter of a variety of food grains, yet
most Indian farmers have remained poor. The causes include remnants of
scarcity-era regulation and an agricultural system based on small,
inefficient land holdings. The other constraints are weak infrastructure,
numerous intermediaries, excessive dependence on the monsoon variation
between different agro-climate zones, and many others. The unfortunate
result is inconsistent quality and uncompetitive prices, making it difficult
for the farmers to sell his produce in the world market. ITCs trail-blazing
answer to these problem is the - e-Choupal initiative; the single largest
information technology-based intervention by a corporate entity in rural
India that is transforming the Indian farmer into progressive knowledgeseeking citizens. Enriching the knowledge of farmers & elevating them to
a new order of empowerment. ITC aims to confer the power of expert
knowledge on even the smallest individual farmer enhancing its
competitiveness in the global market.
3.2 E-Choupal
E-Choupal is a Hindi word which means Village meeting place. EChoupal is a virtual market place where farmers can transact directly with
a processor and can realize better price for their produce. E-Choupal
makes use of the; physical transmission capabilities of current
intermediaries & aggregation, logistics, counter-party risk and bridge
financing. In June 2000, ITC Limited launched e-Choupal in India and
3

now e-Choupal has become the largest Internet based intervention in rural
India. e-Choupal aims to provide farmers ready access to crop specific
real-time information to improve the farmers decision making ability
thereby helping them to better align their farm output to the projected
demand in Indian market.
E-Choupal, the Web-based initiative of ITCs IBD, offers the farmer all
information about products and services they need to enhance farm
productivity improve farm-gate price realization and cut transaction costs.
Farmers can access the latest local and global information on weather,
scientific farming practices and market prices at the village itself through
the web portal in Indian languages Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Telegu.
E-Choupal also facilitates the supply of high quality farm inputs as well as
purchases of produce at the farmers doorstep.
3.3 The Traditional Model
Indian farmers rely on Department of Agriculture, govt. universities,
insurance companies etc. for various inputs such as weather, modern and
scientific farming practices and insurance cover. Farmers approach input
retailers who source them from wholesalers who are in direct contact with
manufacturers. After harvest, farmers bring these produce to mandis; in
small multiple lots throughout the year, where beans are auctioned to the
traders and agents of the processing companies in an open outcry method.
The government facilitate fair price discovery and enable aggregation of
goods, regulate these market yards. Successful bidders then bed the beans,
weigh them, pay part cash to the farmers, and transport the cargo to the
processing units.
But with every intermediary the cost of produce increases to the processor
as intermediary adds his profit margin to the cost although the farmers get
the lowest price and margin in the whole chain.
3.4 E-Choupal and the traditional model

The main attraction of e-Choupal is that it connects large and small

producer and users and eliminates the need of middlemen (who are
essential in traditional market).
e-Choupal is a virtual market that brings together vendors and customers.
Geographical distance no longer restricts participation of farmers. The
main hurdle of traditional market is that information asymmetry is
inherent in the market where as e-Choupal provides for transparent
transaction. The transaction time at the ITC hub is less than at the mandi
i.e. 2 or 3 hours where as 1-2 days in mandi.Some more points are:

Customer centric and not dependent on intermediaries.

Capable of being used for many commodities & multiple

transactions.

Easily scalable once it is verified.

Uses local talent and local people to develop local leaders.

Uses all the existing institutions and legal frameworks.

Scientific way of inspection, testing and weighing.

3.5 The e-Choupal business model

The model is centered on a network of e-Choupal, information centers
equipped with computer connected to the Internet, locating in rural
farming villages. e-Choupal serves as Choupal (gathering place) and an ecommerce hub. A local farmer acting as a Sanchalak (coordinator) runs the
e-Choupal and the computer usually is located in the sanchalaks home.
ITC also incorporated a local commission agent known as the Samyojak
(collaborator), into the system as the provider of logistical support.
The critical element of the e-Choupal system and the key to managing the
geographical and cultural breath of ITCs network by recruiting a local
farmer is the sanchalak. Sanchalak create trust in society and all
infrastructure set up is made in his house. Sanchalak receives commission
5

for every transaction processed through the e-Choupal and also benefited
from increased social status that accompanies the position a significant
advantage in rural Indian life. Sanchalak act as public officer in ITC
project. Sanchalak also aggregates farmers input as well as purchase
orders. Sanchalak undergoes training of basic computer usage, basic
business skills, quality inspection of crop product training etc. The
samyojak or cooperating commission agents also play important role. He
earn income by providing logistical services that substitute for the lack of
rural infrastructure by providing information and market signals on trading
transaction. Samyojak is involved in ongoing operation of e-Choupal
system, allowing them revenue streams through providing services such as
management of cash, bagging & labor at procurement hubs, handling of
mandi paperwork as licensed principals for the retail transaction of the eChoupal.

COMAPARISON OF e-CHOUPAL AND CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM

Conventional system vs. e-Choupal

Cost

Conventional
market

e-Choupal

Trolly freight

100

Nil

Filling and weighing

70

Nil

Labor khadi karai

50

Nil

Handling loss

50

Nil

Sub total

270

Nil

Commission agent

100

50

cost of bag

75

Nil

Labor (stitching and loading)

35

Nil

Labor at factory (unloading)

35

35

Freight to factory

250

100

Transit losses

10

Nil

Sub total

505

185

Grand total

775

185

As percent of produce value

8 percent

2 percent

3.6 THE E-CHOUPAL SYSTEM

The previous days mandi closing price is used to determine the
benchmark Fair Average Quality (FAQ) price at the e-Choupal, which is
static for a given day. The information of mandi price is communicated
through e-Choupal portal. If and when connection fails, sanchalak calls an
ITC field representative. To initiate a sale the farmer brings a sample of his
produce to the e-Choupal. The sanchalak performs the quality test in the
farmers presence & must justify any deduction to the farmer. These
simple checks and balances ensure transparency in a process where quality
testing and pricing happens at multiple levels. If the farmer chooses to sell
7

his produce to ITC, the sanchalak gives him a note capturing his name, his
village, quality test report, approx. quantity and conditional price. The
farmer takes the note from sanchalak and proceeds with his crop to the
nearest ITC procurement hub. Some procurement hubs are simply ITCs
factories that also act as collection points.
ITCs goal is to have a processing centre with a 30 to 40 kms radius of
each farmer. At the ITC hub, a sample of the farmers produce is taken and
set aside for laboratory test. Laboratory testing of the sample for oil
content is performed after the sale & does not alter the price. The reason
for this is that farmers having historically being exploited are not
immediately willing to trust a laboratory test. After such inspection, the
farmers cart is weighed on an electronic weighbridge, first with the
produce and then without produce. The difference is used to determine the
weights of his produce. After weighing, the farmer collects his payment in
full at the payment counter. The farmer is also reimbursed for transporting
his crop to the procurement hub.
Every stage of the process is accompanied by appropriate documentation.
The farmer is given copy of lab reports, agreed rates and receipts for his
record. Sanyojaks, who are adept at handling large amount of cash, are
entrusted with the responsibility of payment except at procurement
centers. Samyojaks also handle much of the hub logistics, including labor
management at hub, bagging, storage mgmt., transportation from hub to
factors and handling mandi paperwork for the crops procured at the hub
and for all this he is paid a 0.5 percent commission.

3.7 BENEFITS OF E-CHOUPAL

A quiet digital revolution is reshaping the lives of farmers in remote
Indian villages.
8

e-Choupal delivers real-time information and customized knowledge to

farmers decision making ability, securing better quality & price. The eChoupal initiative also creates a direct marketing channel, eliminating
wasteful intermediation and multiple handling, thus reducing transaction
cost and making logistics efficient.
1. Digital transformation - ITC began e-Choupal with Soya grower
in the villages of M.P. e-Choupal tried to change the stereotype
image of farmers of bullock cart. Farmers now log on to the site
through internet kiosks to order high quality input, get information
on best farming practices, prevailing market prices for their crops
at home and abroad for the weather forecast all in the local
language. The e-Choupal site is also helping the farmers discover
the best price of their quality at the village itself. The site also
provides farmers with specialized knowledge for customizing their
produce to the right consumer segments. The new storage and
handling system preserves the identity of different varieties right
through the farm gate to dinner plate supply chain. Thus,
encouraging the farmers to raise their quality standards and attract
higher price.
2. Credit and Insurance - Farmers low income and difficulty in
accessing credit limits the capacity to pursue opportunities within
and outside the agriculture sector. ITC e-Choupal proposes the
solution of this problem by making partnership with financial
institutions. e-Choupal provide various types of loans like non-cash
loans for farm inputs, loans to sanchalak (sanchalak can better
manage credit risk & have better access to farmers), direct loans to
farmers based on sanchalak recommendation, Insurance & risk
management services etc.
3. Leadership development - ITC uses involvement of farmers in
content creation helps to easily customize the information as per
the local requirements. Participation of local farmers ensures
provision of adequate and decipherable information to e-Choupal,
9

which can be employed into the farming, or pricing of the produce.

The increased participation in e-Choupal develops local leadership
quality in farmers. The farmers get attracted towards e-Choupal
due to increased profits, added services that he could get, saving in
time and the ability to use e-Choupal for many transactions.
E-Choupal delivers relevant technologies in the hands of the
farmers, which can improve the economic condition of the entire
village. E-Choupal is one of the very few ICT projects in India that
has effectively utilized e-commerce transactions for poverty
alleviation. ICT also reduced the number of middlemen between
producers and consumers. Now, simple technology solutions are
available to create networks in rural areas, which can function as
virtual marketplaces.

e-Choupal at a glance
States covered

9 States [M.P., Haryana, Uttaranchal,

Karnataka, A.P., U.P., Maharashtra,

Villages covered

Rajasthan and Kerala]

36,000

e-Choupal info kiosks

6,400

Empowered e-farmers

3.5 million

4. Other benefits to farmers are reimbursed for transport to the

procurement hub of e-Choupal.
1. The transaction time at the ITC hub is also much faster than mandi.
10

2. ITC has given recognition to integral partner in the supply process

& not mere as agricultural producer and thus elevating the level of
respect of farmers. Similarly providing shaded seating area while
waiting for their paperwork shows ITC really care for farmers.

3.8 COST AND REVENUE STREAM

E-Choupal has been successful. It has reduced the cost of procurement and
the cost of transit and the material handling cost. Procurement transaction
costs are reduced from the industry standard of 8 percent (farmers incurs 3
percent and the processor incurs 5 percent) to 2 percent (with farmer
saving all his 3 percent, and the processor ITC saving 3 percent).
The total cost incurred on the initiatives so far has been Rs.50 million
(Rs.35 million as capital cost towards computers and other hardware at the
kiosks as well as central servers and Rs.15 million revenue expenditure
incurred towards portal development, people overhead etc.). But ITC has
gain benefit Rs. 20 million, which is the equivalent of full investment on
40 percent of the Choupals (Kiosks). In terms of future revenue, the
outflow is 52.1 million in 2001-02 which reduces to 3.90 million in 20052006 and for 2006-07 is estimated as 2.70 million. Where as inflow in
2001-02 is 15.3 million where as 65.0 million in 2005-2006 and estimated
as 85.0 million in 2006-2007. The internal rate of return (IRR) on the
project works out to be 21.55 percent.
In the mandi system, there was a mark up of 7-8 percent on the price of
soybean from the farm gate to the factory gate of this mark-up 2.5 percent
was born by the farmer while 5 percent was borne by ITC with e-Choupal,
ITC cost are down to 2.5 percent. In absolute terms, both the farmers and
ITC save about $ 6 per metric ton.
3.9 WEAKNESS OF E-CHOUPAL

11

Although e-choupal helps eliminate the middleman and therefore allows

farmers to get a better price for what they grow, it does nothing to solve
the more fundamental problem of the inherent inefficiencies created by so
many tiny farms.
In addition, it relies on infrastructure, which is often lacking in rural
communities. Electricity and telecommunication services can sometimes
be less than 100 percent reliable in some of the places where e-Choupal
has been implemented. Finally, although there is no longer a middleman,
e-Choupal can be no more effective than the sanchalak (coordinator) in
each community.

3.10

CHALLENGES

As the power is usually available for only a few hours a day at on a

sporadic schedule, the e-Choupal computer cannot always be accessed
when information is needed. Phase imbalances leads to damage of
equipments. Telecommunication infrastructure in villages is poor.
Telephone exchange also have limited battery backup. In addition, there is
no local support staff to maintain or troubleshoot telephone exchanges.
The support team is also short-staffed.
Other challenges are: 1.

Illiteracy about computer in rural areas as well as rural population

has low trust on electronic system.

2.

Selection of an educated, intelligent, reliable and matured person

as a sanchalak.

3.

Improper knowledge about rural market.

4.

Vicious circle of intermediaries (Adatiya & Brokers).

5.

Improper and complex user interface on e-Choupal.

6.

Lack of rules and regulation related to electronic Choupal.

12

7.

Mistrust about inspection, testing and weighing of produce on

centers.

ITCs example show the key role of IT in providing and maintaining by a

corporation, but used by local farmers to bring transparency, to increase
access to information, and to catalyze rural transformation, while enabling
efficiencies and low cost distribution that make the system profitable and
sustainable . Critical factors in the apparent success of the venture are
ITCs extensive knowledge of agriculture, the effort ITC has made to
retain many aspects to the existing production system, including retaining
the integral importance of local partners. ITC e-Choupal is committed to
transparency and respect and fairness towards farmers as well as local
partners.
There are several issues which the company has addressed. Firstly, it is not
just tweaking around but a greater efficiency in the supply chain. One of
the problems in redesigning supply chains is how to use different tools,
thus making the various players still own the chain. Here, the farmer and
the team are involved in painting the big picture, so there is enthusiasm
and

feeling

of

ownership.

Further, how do you avoid a channel conflict by finding space for the
middle-men? Upton also points out that the 'roll out, fix it, scale up' model
is a new approach to strategic management. The philosophy here is that
the terrain has so many uncertainties that gaps will exist. So, unlike in the
past, where focus was on well-laid strategic plans, here you give
experimentation-based strategies more weightage.

3.11 THE E-CHOUPAL ADVANTAGE

ITC's e-Choupal project is a winnerfor farmers who get better
remuneration and for the company that's assured quality inputs for its
business
1. IT for the Masses

13

The e-Choupal project covers over 35,000 villages in Madhya Pradesh,

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Haryana and Uttaranchal providing millions of farmers with critical
information on farming. The Choupal services are being delivered by over
6,000 Sanchalaks and over 17,000 Upa Sanchalaks to these remotest areas.
2. Multiple Benefits
Farmers can look at weather forecasts, order fertilizer and herbicide, and
consult an agronomist by e-mail when their crops turn yellow. At some eChoupals they can even buy life insurance, apply for loans and also check
their childrens exam results.
While much has been written about the social benefits of ITCs e-Choupal,
the matter of the fact is that the project was conceptualized with a pure
business focus to create farmer communities in villages to facilitate
sourcing of high-quality farm produce for the companys fast growing
agribusiness.
3. Better Payment
In IT parlance, e-Choupal is an intelligent blend of applications like CRM
and supply chain management. For instance, by helping the farmer
identify and control his inputs and farming practices, and by paying more
for better quality, ITC has been able to preserve the source and improve
the quality of produce.
The project was built using .NET. The first implementation of a Soya
Choupal took eight months but later extensions like the Aqua Choupal for
aquamarine farmers took between six and eight weeks.
Today e-Choupal is a flexible, easy to deploy solution. ITC Infotech
provided an in-house team of 25 to 30 people in the initial stage and this
gradually came down to around 20 people, and finally a five-member team
to maintain the project.
14

The portfolio of commodities sourced has been vastly expanded to include

maize, barley, sorghum, and pulses, and the sourcing cycle is extended
almost around the year. In the commodities market, these two factors are
helping ITC create a definite competitive advantage.

3.12 THE E-CHOUPAL ROADMAP

ITC now plans to leverage its e-Choupal infrastructure to sell third-party
products, provide rural market research services, and in the social sector,
to provide services like health advisories and enable e-governance.
ITC e-Choupal has embarked in on providing best of the class retailing
and shopping experiences to the rural consumers by building retail
shopping complexes that provide integrated facilities under one roof.
Under the brand Choupal Sagar, these shopping complexes housea
procurement centre, retail store, food court, farmer facility centre and
healthcare clinic.
In healthcare services, a pilot project has been launched along with leading
corporate healthcare service providers, to extend reliable and quality
healthcare services to the remotest villages. Several health camps
conducted during the pilots are encouraging and the project is in the midst
of scaling up to other locations.
ITC e-Choupal is currently piloting delivery of quality education services
to the rural areas leveraging the physical and digital infrastructure
developed for commodities sourcing and consumer retail services.

15

CHAPTER: 4
OTHER CSR
INITIATIVES
OF ITC

ITC: One of Indias most valuable companies continuously strives to be a

Citizen First entity. ITC has always attached critical importance to its
responsibility to contribute to preserving and enriching the environment.
ITCs

contribution

to

sustainable

development

extends

beyond

Environment, Health and Safety considerations. Through its philosophy of

Transforming Lives and Landscapes, ITC is empowering farmers,
greening wastelands, irrigating dry lands, creating women entrepreneurs
and educating rural children. Through these initiatives ITC has touched the
lives of over 2 million villagers across the country.
16

Ensuring Occupational Health & Safety

In keeping with ITCs commitment to provide a safe and healthy
workplace for its employees, the Companys Occupational Health and
Safety norms go beyond the requirements of the Factories Act, 1948
ITC also strives to go further than merely complying with International
Labor Organization (ILO) requirements on worker safety and health
Conserving Energy
ITC strives to conserve energy in all its operations by reducing specific
energy consumption. It also endeavors to increase the use of waste
material for energy generation.
ITC Units continuously explore the potential for renewable energy.
Different ITC Units have undertaken initiatives to use renewable energy
sources such as biomass, wind and solar power.
Reducing Greenhouse Gases
As part of ITCs concern for global warming, the Company began efforts
to become a carbon-positive corporation.
India is a signatory to the Montreal Protocol of 1987. The Government of
India has consequently formulated a policy to phase out various Ozone
Depleting Substances (ODS) on a priority basis. All ITC Units have
detailed plans in place to conform to this policy.

Restoring the Ecological Balance

ITC has effectively leveraged its need for wood fiber to provide
significant livelihood opportunities to economically backward wasteland
owners.
The Company has undertaken extensive tree plantation, at all its Units, and
major afforestation and watershed development programmes across the
17

country. So far some 35 million saplings have been planted over 16,000
hectares, generating employment for about 160,000 people.
Apart from the obvious benefits of increasing the forest cover this effort
also directly contributes to moisture conservation, groundwater recharge
and a significant reduction in topsoil loss due to wind and water erosion.
Leaf-litter continuously enriches depleted soils. This further reduces the
consumption of fertilizers and pesticides, thus preventing the chemical
pollution of groundwater sources
Conserving Water
ITC has always endeavored to be a water-positive corporation by
returning to the environment more water that it uses. ITCs guidelines on
water management require that all Units minimize the use of water
through conservation and recycling.
Treated effluent is reused or recycled wherever appropriate. ITC strives to
restore to the environment as much as possible of the precious water it
uses. ITC Units have efficient wastewater treatment plants that treat
wastewater to standards of purity that are significantly better than
prescribed standards. ITC business units evaluate the potential for
rainwater harvesting and implement them wherever feasible. Rainwater
harvesting initiatives have been increasing over the years. The total
rainwater harvested across all ITC units was around 250,000 KL in 20022003.

Enhancing Eco-Efficiency

18

The ITC Environment Health and Safety Policy and Codes of Practice
require all Units to take EHS issues into consideration in identifying and
using resources. The Company continually strives to:
1.

Maximize the efficient use of resources

2.

Eliminate unnecessary toxic and hazardous resources

3. Give preference to renewable, recycled, recyclable, reused and

reusable resources
All ITC Units consistently endeavor to reduce generation of waste and
maximize its recycling. Wastes are systematically segregated as hazardous,
bio-medical, nuclear, non-hazardous, and biodegradable and nonbiodegradable, to be appropriately treated, recycled or disposed.
Nearly 44% of solid waste from ITCs paper business is currently recycled
while solid waste production has reduced by 12%.

19

CHAPTER: 5
SOME OTHER
CSR
INITIATIVES
BY OTHER
COMPANIES
GLOBALLY

20

5.1 AARTI DRUGS LTD.

CSR Activities conducted
As Contribution towards community development to fulfill companys
obligations towards the society, company organizes many activities on
regular basis including Blood donation, Eye Checkups, Health Check up
Camps, Career guidance workshops for young students. The company has
also donations to hospitals. As a step towards our objective of up gradation
of primary education in the surrounding areas, infrastructure, development
of school was initiated and supported. Contributions was made to primary
schools of surrounding villages for painting of school buildings , purchase
of benches & furniture , sports equipments , records storage , facilities etc.
The efforts have been appreciated by employees and community at large.
The company has been providing maintenance services to the Palghar
Dhanu Taluka Sport association ground located at Boisar.ADL donated Rs
4.27 Lacs for the construction of Shri Mahavir Jain Charitra
Kalyan Ratnashram.
5.2 CADBURY
Cadbury is a global confectionery and beverage manufacturer having its
presence in more than 200 countries worldwide. The company started its
operations in India in 1948 and is the leading manufacturer with 70%
volume share of the chocolate market. The company is also a key player in
malted food drinks and sugar confectionery. The company after becoming
a founder member of BCF embarked upon social and community
development initiatives and attaches a lot of importance to social
development initiatives.
Close to its factory at Malanpur near Gwalior, the company is working on
a project targeting women's empowerment and female infanticide. The
initiative known as the ' Gurikha Project' was launched in line with
Cadbury India's philosophy to serve communities around its factory
21

locations in partnership with NGOs on a planned and sustainable basis.

The projects key focus is on various aspects of women's inequality, female
infanticide and rights of the girl child.
As per a recent survey, the project has succeeded in giving a sense of
direction and confidence to a large number of women of the area and a
marked improvement has been noticed in the general well being of the girl
child. Apart from this, the company is also working on issues like primary
education, health & veterinary care, women's income generation activities
and strengthening of the village council. Under the income generation
programme, more than 10 self help groups with monthly savings ranging
from 20,000- 50,000 rupees are functional in the area. Besides this,
Cadbury has also helped build a pre-school section to the village school
building for girl children and a set of classrooms in another village under
the same Panchayat.
5.3 CAVINKARE
CavinKare takes an active interest in supporting organizations working on
social issues. C.K Ranganathan is one of the founder-members of
the Ability Foundation an NGO working towards the rehabilitation
of the disabled. His belief took a firm shape when CavinKare
teamed up with Ability Foundation, led by Mrs. Jayashree
Raveendran, an NGO that is primarily working to integrate persons
with disabilities into mainstream society; instituted CavinKare
ABILITY Awards to celebrate the exemplary spirit of rare breed of
individuals who have risen above their physical limitations to
display that attitude is everything. The annual awards which has
been organized for 5 years in succession till date has gained
enormous recognition. Many celebrities, social workers, civil
servants, and people from all walks of life contribute to the cause by
witnessing the awards and also contributing in the manner they
desire towards the just cause.

22

The CavinKare ABILITY Awards, a total of three awards, are given

annually to salute personal triumphs, the extraordinary spirit of
achievement and a looking beyond one's own self and physical
limitations. The awards are
The CavinKare ABILITY Award for Eminence (1Award).
The CavinKare ABILITY Mastery Awards (2 Awards).

5.4 FEDEX:
FedEx, which has set itself the objective of being the express carrier of
choice, believes that to achieve this end it has to be first seen as an
employer and a neighbor of choice. And while it has been voted among the
best workplaces in the country, it is keen to prove that it is a conscientious
corporate as well.
"As an organization, we aim to be the preferred express carrier. For this,
we also have to be preferred neighbors," says Mr. Jacques Creeten,
Managing Director, Indian Subcontinent, and FedEx.
According to him, commitment to corporate social responsibility or CSR,
at FedEx, goes beyond the annual donation to a charitable organization.
Employees meet every six months to decide among themselves in what
way the company can touch the lives of people in their immediate
environment.
A good example of such an engagement is FedEx's tie up with CRY in the
field of education, which not only aims at providing basic education to
underprivileged children, but also at supporting their overall development.

23

It has donated Rs 15 lakh towards four CRY-supported projects that is

expected to impact the lives of 15,000 children.
As part of its involvement in a project called Arambh, the organization has
been addressing issues of women and children in the slums of Navi
Mumbai.

5.5 LG ELECTRONICS
LG Electronics has hiked its budget for community development
activities from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs three crore. Of this, Rs 1.5 crore will be
allocated to LGs 38 branch offices for use in local activities. The
remaining Rs 1.5 crore will be spent by the head office in the Greater
Noida area. As part of its initiatives in corporate social responsibility, LGE
has also launched a new initiative with New-Delhi based NGO Prayas
that works for the upliftment of underpriveleged children. Under LG
Prayas, LG will contribute a sum of Rs 25 lakh to sponsor Prayas social
activities
In keeping with its plan of supporting organizations committed to social
causes, LG will also be tying up with Helpage India, an NGO that looks
after the aged. It already has a tie-up with another NGO Jan Shikhan
Sansthan for generating self-employment opportunities for unemployed in
the form of tailoring, knitting etc.
Its community development initiatives include a focused plan for
providing health services to underprivileged children, animal
healthcare and enhancing professional skills of unemployed youth. It
has also adopted 24 villages in the vicinity of its factory in Noida.
Prayas, which began as an emergency relief and rehabilitation initiative for
destitute children in Delhi in 1988, has expanded its area of operation to
include institutional care, alternative education and vocational training to
neglected street and working children. It caters to the needs of 50,000
slum kids in Delhi, Gujarat and Bihar, through 65 centers under 13
projects and three shelter homes.
24

5.6 NOKIA
Nokia with its mission to 'connect people' is the world leader in mobile
communications. The company is deeply concerned about ethical business
practices and believes that personal and organizational integrity is
essential to long term relationships- whether with customers, employees or
stakeholders. The organization is committed to development initiatives
and is supporting numerous projects in partnership with several
community and charitable organizations worldwide. The focus of its
community initiatives are centered on education, corporate giving and
disaster relief.
Keeping in line with their international programme of employee
volunteering called 'Helping Hands', Nokia India is involved with an
NGO working with children with disabilities in Delhi. Nokia's employees
provide support to the NGO in terms of help and training in accounts,
human resources, IT, working with children and other activities.
Environment is another issue that is high on the agenda of the company.
The packaging of all their phones is made from recycled paper. Clear
instructions are also provided for correct disposal of used batteries with
every handset.

5.7 PHILIPS INDIA

Rural health care
Philips India is committed to the community in which it lives, works and
serves. They firmly believe in making a lasting, positive contribution to
the people around them. Villages in rural India desperately need
preventive health, education and knowledge-based care. To meet these
needs, Philips is stepping out as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility,
to bring healthcare to those in rural India who need it most.
25

In association with the Trust for Reaching the Unreached (TRU), Philips
introduces Arogya Kiran - a project designed to provide quality healthcare
to people in rural India.

5.8 SONY
Environmental Conservation Activities
Established Partnership with NGO to Address the Issue of Climate Change
In July 2006, Sony signed an agreement with the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF) global environmental NGO, to join its "Climate Savers
Programme". Under the program, Sony has agreed to partner with the
WWF to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at Sony's sites around the
world, reduce carbon dioxide emissions from product use by lowering the
annual energy consumption of major Sony products and cooperate with
the WWF to raise consumer awareness of global warming prevention.
Promoting Product Energy Saving
In February 2007, Sony received a Sustainable Energy Europe Award from
the

European

Commission,

the

first

consumer

electronics

and

Entertainment Company to earn this prestigious prize. The award

recognized Sony for its voluntary commitment and efforts to improve the
energy efficiency of its products, as well as its disclosure of information to
consumers. As of February 2007, all Sony televisions sold in Europe had
standby power consumption below 1 watt, with 30 models achieving a
standby power consumption of only 0.3 watts, below the market average.
In Japan, Sony's KDL-40J3000 model BRAVIA LCD television has
achieved an energy-conservation level of 180% relative to Japan's energysaving

laws,

representing

the

industry's

highest

energy-saving

performance.
Environmental Conservation at Sites

26

Sony is engaged in a variety of environmental conservation activities at its

sites as it works towards its "Green Management 2010" mid-term group
environmental targets, to be achieved by 2010. In fiscal 2006, Sony's
emissions of greenhouse gases (calculated in terms of CO2) totaled
approximately 2.03 million tons, down 9% from fiscal 2000 levels.
Furthermore, waste from Sony sites was approximately 193,000 tons,
down 30% from the fiscal 2000 level, while the amount of water used
dropped approximately 16% from fiscal 2000 to 24.18 million cubic
meters.
5.9 TUPPERWARE
Through a programme called Tupperware children's fund, Tupperware
establishes charitable Alliances with non-profit organizations offering
solution based, life-enhancing programmes and resources that have
positive impact on children and families.
In India, money from the proceeds of each sale of Tiwi Munch goes
towards this noble cause.
Another Social Initiative is the Tupperware Charitable Dispensary in
Gurgaon, managed by Quota International, an NGO.
Quota International is an International Service Organization working
towards serving the underprivileged sections of the society. It is more than
80 years old and has more than 8000 members in 14 countries.
In India, Quota International, among various projects, runs a charitable
Dispensary supported by Tupperware India. The dispensary situated in
Gurgaon (Haryana) provides medical services and free medicines to
underprivileged people living in the nearby areas.

27

5.10 DABUR
Daburs CSR initiatives are driven through Sustainable Development
Society or SUNDESH, an outcome of the vision of Dabur India Ltd
founder Dr. S.K Burman.
SUNDESH
Sustainable Development Society (SUNDESH) is sworn to the mission of
ensuring overall socio-economic development of the rural & urban
poor on a sustainable basis, through different participatory and needbased initiatives. It aims to reach out to the weaker and more vulnerable
sections -- such as women and children, illiterate and unemployed of the
society.
Today, SUNDESH operates in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar
district of Uttar Pradesh, and has -- more recently established presence
in Rudrapur district of Uttrakhand. Over the years, it has contributed to
many worthy causes, addressing childrens literacy, improving healthcare
services, skill development, and environment, to name a few.
Medicinal Plant Project An initiative by Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd.
Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd. is a joint venture company established in the year
1989 when probably very few investors had their roots in Ayurveda.
Dabur Nepal has started the project on medicinal plants in Nepal to
provide the modern technology for cultivation of the required
medicinal herbs of Himalayas to the farmers. The only eco-friendly
project of CSR nature in Nepal, this initiative is fully integrated with the
companys

business

vision.

A state-of-the-art Greenhouse facility has been set up at Banepa,

which has the capability to produce 5-6 million saplings of medicinal
plants per annum. All the required climatic parameters for uniform growth
of saplings of the medicinal plants like temperature, humidity etc. are
28

controlled by automatic computer systems. Besides helping preserve

natural resources, this initiative has also gone a long way in generating
employment and income for local people and improving the socioeconomic conditions of local populace in the Himalayan Kingdom.

29

CHAPTER: 6
ITCs
PERFORMANC
E SINCE
INCEPTION OF
e-CHOUPAL
30

31

ITCs PERFORMANCE SINCE INCEPTION OF eCHOUPAL

Year
gross
income

1.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

200

8069.37

8827.11

9982.46

11194.47

12039.92

13585.39

16510.51

19636.53

21966.84

236

GROSS INCOME OF ITC : 2000-09 (Rs in crores)

Interpretation- The above graph of GROSS INCOME OF

ITC 2000-09 clearly depicts that the gross income of company is
rising since 2000 (e-choupal initaition).It fhas risen from 8069.37
in 2000 to 23678.46 in 2009.The figures for gross income has risen
by 193.68% in the span of 10 years.
32

2.PROFIT BEFORE TAX OF ITC: 2000-09 (Rs in crores)

Year
PBT

2000
1228.
95

2001
1600
.3

2002
1780.
26

2003
2056.
19

2004
2319.
06

2005
2673.
07

2006
3269.
19

2007
3926
.7

Interpretation- In the above graph of PROFIT BEFORE

TAX OF ITC it can be clearly seen that the profit before tax of
company is rising continously from 2000 onwards (i.e since the echoupal inititaive) with no deflection from the ordinary trend.It
was 1228.95 in 2000 and 4825.74 in 2009.

33

2008
4571.
77

20
48
74

3.PROFIT AFTER TAX OF ITC: 2000-09(Rs in crores)

Year
PAT

2000
792.
44

2001
1006.
26

2002
1189.
72

2003
1371.
35

2004
1592.
85

2005
2191
.4

2006
2235.
35

2007
2699.
97

Interpretation- The above graph of PROFIT AFTER TAX

OF ITC highlights the fact that profit after tax (PAT) of the
company is rising from 2000-09.The figures are comtinously rising
except in the year 2005-06 where it is somewhat constant because
the difference in figures of the two years is very small comapred to
all the years.The diffrence is is only 43.95 crores.

34

2008
3120
.1

4.DIVIDEND PER SHARE (ACTUAL) OF ITC : 2000-09

(Rs in crores)

YEAR

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

20

DPS (ACTUAL)

0.75

1.35

1.5

3.1

2.65

3.1

3.5

3.

Interpretation- The graph of DIVIDEND PER SHARE

(ACTUAL) OF ITC shows the increasing trend of dividend per
share since 2000,the year in which e-choupal was started.The trend
is noticeble from 2005-07 as in 2005 DPS(3.1) was at its peak from
35

2000 onwards but in 2006 ,it suddenly dropped to 2.65 but soon
the company recoverd in the following year 2007 with the same
figure of 3.1 in 2005.so the graph shows a falling and rising trend
from 2005-07.

5.DIVIDEND PER SHARE (ADJUSTED) OF ITC : 200009 (Rs in crores)

YEAR
DPS
(ADJUSTED)

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

0.75

1.36

1.51

2.02

3.15

4.05

4.75

5.37

5.69

36

Interpretation-In the graph of DIVIDEND PER SHARE

(ADJUDSTED) OF ITC it can be clearly seen that the dividend is
increasing from 2000 but it is to be noticed that till 2003 the rate of
increse in dividend is slow and from 2003 onwards the figures are
sarply rising .The dividend in 2000 is 7.58 times greater than what
it was in the year 2000.

6. SALES OF ITC :2000-09 (Rs in crores)

year

2000

Sales 2475.45

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2516.44

3155.90

3712.00

4109.85

4846.89

6463.15

8207.88

9543.59

10529.60

37

Interpretation- The graph of SALES OF ITC 2000-09 clearly depicts that

the sales trend is also increasing from 2000-09.But in the year 2000-01 the
trend is nearly constant as the rise is very small because of small increase
in sales figure .The increase in sales figure from 2000-01 is only of 40.99
crores.

38

CHAPTER: 7
REASONS FOR
THE SUCCESS
OR HIGH
PROFITS OF
ITC

39

1. COMPETITIVE NATURE
They have been three years into the Indian foods market and ITC Foods
are challenging for heavyweights like PepsiCo, HLL and Britannia in three
different segments simultaneously. The launch of Bingo snacks was ITC
Foods fifth line of foods business after staples, biscuits, ready-to-eat and
confectionery businesses.
They have a good consumer response and this response to the
offerings show a better success ratio. They have a clear connect with
consumers in an otherwise tough market. To get the fundamentals right,
ITC foods segmented consumer needs and identified gaps in the market.
Product development answers the gaps thrown up by consumer research.
2. ROBUST SUPPLY CHAIN
Their food business plan is backed by a robust supply chain and effective
distribution to ensure consistency in supply and quality. And their
communication and brand cut through the advertising clutter and define
clearly the values associated with the product. Celebrity advertising with
Sunfeast biscuits, for instance, helped quick recall in a segment where it
competed with old established brands. Success in foods requires a keen
understanding of the supply chain for farm produce. A robust distribution
network across India is also a big plus.
3. CONSISTENCY IN QUALITY
The challenge in the FOOD market is to offer consistency in quality.
Thats where Aashirvaad scores over competitors who could not offer that
quality consistency.
The biggest certificate for Aashirvaad atta is that sales picked up
substantially purely on word of mouth from satisfied consumers. The
40

consumers are biggest ambassadors and advertisers. The pricing too has
been competitive. Consumers track on conversion levels from traditional
atta market (where consumer purchases wheat and grinds it) shows a 35%
shift to our packaged brand.

4. HIGH MARKET SHARE

ITC holds close to 70 per cent of the domestic market for cigarettes with
the segments contribution to the top line averaging 65 per cent and profits
85 per cent for the four years ended March 2009. With strong pricing
power to pass on excise duty hikes, operating margins have averaged a
healthy 25 per cent, much higher than rivals such as Godfrey Philips.
ITC may remain the market leader in the cigarette business, growing in
high single-digits in terms of volumes. ITCs mindshare among
consumers, is going to be hard to dent by rivals such as Philip Morris and
Godfrey Philips. The business is likely to remain the major cash cow,
continuing to fund efforts to diversify into other businesses.
5. IN HOUSE PRODUCTION
In-house production of cartons filters and paper, coupled with efficient raw
tobacco procurement, have made ITC a highly integrated player. In house
production helps them to save time and cost. There is no delay and
dependability that can hamper the smooth supply of materials.
6. DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO
To diversify its revenues and profits, ITC has charted several forays into
consumer products such as garments, confectionery, consumer staples,
bakery products, snacks and stationery products.

41

In the FMCG business, ITC has over the past couple of years moved from
segments such as matches, snacks and consumer staples ITC does enjoy a
competitive edge in bakery products or consumer staples by virtue of its
well established agri-product supply chain such as atta into the more
highly competed soaps and personal products.

7. CONRIBUTION OF E-CHOUPAL
The agribusiness segment, procures rice, soya, coffee, wheat, tobacco,
potatoes for trading and internal consumption.
ITCs much-admired e-Choupal, which is part of this segment, essentially
provides information to farmers procures directly from them and also
doubles up as a mechanism for distribution of FMCG products and other
services. For now, operating margin in this segment tends to swing quite
sharply with the commodity prices and is likely to remain on the lower
single-digit figures.
Foods business needs a strong, quality-oriented and dedicated supply
chain. Buying wheat from the open market would mean different quality at
different times.
Thats where we had immense support from ITCs e-Choupal that ensured
consistency in wheat quality.
These are some of the reasons of ITCs success or high profits of
which one is corporate social responsibility.

42

INTERPRETATION
AND
RECOMMENDATIO
NS

43

INTERPRETATION
After the completion of dissertation named CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY IN EMERGING MARKETS I would like to
conclude that in todays competitive era CSR has an important role to play.
CSR initiatives practiced by the companies contribute to the profit and
success of the company. As an example in the success of ITC ,CSR
initiative e- Choupal has an important role to play as it is one of the
success factors of ITC.This has been showed with the help of graphs that
depict the companys performance since the e-Choupal has been
initiated(2000).
With time many other companies have started taking interest in this kind
cause.

RECOMMENDATIONS

44

1. The companies practicing CSR should provide information about

the after effects of their CSR initiative. This would help the
stakeholders to understand the initiative better.
2. Companies should focus more on CSR initiatives as it leads to the
growing profits for the company.

LIMITATIONS
45

Limitations
1. CSR initiatives practiced by companies were easily available but
the results of these initiatives are hard to find out.
2. It was difficult to find out the contribution of the CSR practices to
the profit of the company after they were initiated.

46

REFRENCES
1. Sandeep K. Krishnan, Rakesh Balachandran , Corporate Social
Responsibility as a determinant of market success: An exploratory
analysis with special reference to MNCs in emerging markets
2. Kuttayan Annamalai, Sachin Rao, what works ITCs e-Choupal
and profitable rural transformation
3. A guide to corporate social responsibility.
4. www.e-choupal.com
5. www.karmayog.org
6. www.itcportal.com
7. www.businessline.com
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RURAL TRANSFORMATION
8.

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