Social Relevance Project Report on

"A STUDY ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND AMAZON."

Prepared for the Mumbai University in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of the degree in

MASTERS OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

Submitted By:

Name: DIVYA R RAO

Class: MMS - Finance

Roll No. SFMMS1820-0034

Under the guidance of

PROF. DR. MOHAN MATHEW

SFIMAR

St Francis Institute of Management and Research,

Mt. Poinsur, S.V.P Road, Borivali (W), Mumbai.
www.sfimar.org
Batch- 2018-2020
 DECLARATION

I, Divya R Rao, student of St. Francis Institute of Management and Research, hereby declare that
this report is my original and authentic work and to the best of my knowledge and understanding,
there is no plagiarism or dishonest means involved. Any reference made from secondary data
and other resources have been duly acknowledged. I also declare that if found otherwise, my
report will render itself null and void.

Signature of the Student

Name: Divya R Rao

Course & Specialization: MMS - Finance

Roll Number: SFMMS1820-0034

 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that project report titled “A STUDY ON CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY AND AMAZON” is successfully completed by Ms Divya Rao at St. Francis
Institute of Management & Research during the IV semester, in partial fulfillment of the Master
Degree in Management Studies recognized by the University of Mumbai for the academic year
2018-20.

To the best of my knowledge this project work is original and has not submitted earlier for the
award of any degree/diploma of any other University / Institution. I therefore approve the same
and wish him/her all the best for his/her future endeavors.

Signature of Project Guide

Name of Project Guide:

Date:
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my mentor Prof. Dr.
Mohan Mathew for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout
the course of this project. The help and guidance given by him time to time shall carry me a long
way in the journey of life which I am about to embark.

I thank almighty, my family and friends for their constant encouragement without which this
assignment would not have been possible.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sr. No. Title Page Number

1 Executive Summary 1
2 Objective of Study 1
3 Introduction 2
4 Literature Review 6
5 Scope of CSR 7
6 Opposing Point of View for CSR 10
7 Drivers of CSR 12
8 Introduction to Amazon 15
9 CSR by Amazon 16
10 Findings 20
11 Limitation 22
12 Conclusion 22
13 References 23
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CSR in its simplest form is a company’s actions that encourage positive impacts on the
environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and overall human rights.

Companies all over have realized the importance CRS plays on their company’s image, brand,
and profits.

This report has been designed to understand Corporate Social Responsibility strategies adopted
by Amazon.com with a strategic plan for their global operations within the e-retailing
industry.Amazon.com is a leading e-retailer and is a globally recognized brand, but is facing
increasing competition from bricks and mortar companies setting up an online presence and
current e-retailers increasing their geographical and product scope. The internal and external
analysis reveals that Amazon.com has been under-performing in China; thus it has been
recommended that Amazon.com penetrate the Chinese market. This will require implementing a
Social initiative strategy, and by introducing the same, it will result in making the company more
locally responsive and take advantage of the growing online market.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

 To understand the Corporate Social Responsibility

 To study the strategies used by Amazon

 INTRODUCTION

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has come to the forefront of Corporate and economic
concerns; because of the increasingly globalize nature of business and the so-called New
Economy, a knowledge-based, technology-driven environment that has, among other things,
affected an increase in stakeholders access to information.

“The premise of the corporate social responsibility movement is that ‘corporations, because they
are the dominant institution of the planet, must squarely face and address the social and
environmental problems that afflict humankind”. As a mode of implementing human rights,
labor, and environmental standards, CSR has long been discussed as a possible remedy to the
inequalities created and exacerbated by globalization. It considers that a corporation is not just a
self-centered profit-making entity; but that the company and its actions are also integral to the
economy, society, and environment in which they occur.

Directors and officers are becoming ever more aware that CSR may provide human rights, labor,
and environmental protections to the communities in which they live and to the people they
employ. The business case for such social responsibility among corporations is becoming clearer
as the globalization progresses. It includes:

 Managing risks.
 Protecting and enhancing reputation and brand equity.
 Building trust and license to operate.
 Improving resource efficiency and access to capital.
 Responding to or pre-empting regulations.
 Establishing good stakeholder relationships with current and future employees,
customers, business partners, socially responsible investors, regulators, and host
communities.
 Encouraging innovation and new ways of thinking.
 Building future market opportunities.
What CSR comprises will differ from company to company and industry to industry. Company’s
approaches in dealing with their responsibilities and relationships with their stakeholders vary
according to sectorial and cultural difference. Implementing CSR practices into a corporation's
strategy is a holistic process and requires several steps, starting with adopting a mission
statement and code of conduct or credo, both of which describe the company's purpose, values,
and responsibilities to its stakeholders. After that, the company must translate these ideals into
actions within the company's strategy and daily decisions. This requires adding social policy into
every aspect of the company's operation and then evaluating the corporate performance in
accordance with that policy.

Successful implementation of CSR in a company's strategy therefore requires a paradigm shift at

the core of the business. Managers must learn to think in ways other than those they are
accustomed to, and employees and other stakeholders have greater incentive to become
personally involved in the business.

With regard to the external dimension of CSR the Corporate social responsibility extends beyond
the doors of the company into the local community and involves a wide range of stakeholders in
addition to employees and shareholders: business partners and suppliers, customers, public
authorities and NGOs representing local communities, as well as the environment.

The scope of social responsibility is wide & could be considered in terms of different factors.
Some people consider social responsibility in terms of claimants or stakeholders: the insiders &
outsiders. The insiders are the employees & the shareholders, while the outsiders include
customers, suppliers, creditors, the government, unions, competitors & the general public.
Another way in which the scope of social responsibility could be defined is in terms of the social
concern. Thus, the business organizations, depending on their nature, size & breadth of activity,
could extend social responsiveness to the problems of the whole world, the nation, the local
community, the industry & to itself. The business organizations could also classify social
responsibility in terms of relatedness to its own activities.

In this way, the social responsibility discharged to the secure advantages for itself.
For instance:

The promotion of market related activities (a tractor manufacturer educating farmers on

agricultural mechanization) or product – related activities (an electronics company sponsoring a
technical institute for the supply of the technology or the trained personnel) could be termed as
the Business - related social responsibility. However some business organizations take up the
Philanthropic activities in the areas of community welfare, rural development, the arts or sports,
which are in no way related to their own activities. In other words, some companies choose their
areas of interest for social responsibility which are of direct relevance to their own business
activities.

Advantages of CSR:

1. It aids the attraction & retention of staff.

2. It attracts ethically conscious customers.

3. It attracts ethical investment.

4. It can lead to the reduction in the costs through re-cycling.

5. It differentiates the firm from its competitors & can be a source of competitive advantage.

6. It can lead to increased profitability in the long run.

7. The social responsibility becomes an integral part of the wealth creation process which if
manage properly should enhance the competitiveness of the business & maximize the value of
the wealth creation to the society.

Strategic CSR:

A Sub-category of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that incorporates both ethical CSR and
altruistic CSR by performing activities those is advantageous to the community, as well as
providing profit through goodwill.

A well-known example of this is Toyota's development of the hybrid electric/gasoline car Prius.
As environmental concerns have increased, Toyota stole a march on major competitors such as
General Motors and Ford by creating a series of innovative car models that have both produced
competitive advantage and environmental benefits.
Similarly, Mexican construction company, Urbis, builds houses for disadvantaged buyers using
different payment options such as flexible mortgages made through payroll deductions. The
social impact is clearly around helping the disadvantaged afford decent homes whilst, at the
same time, Urbis has business benefits.

Figure 1 : CSR Benefits

 LITERATURE REVIEW

Many other names are used to refer to CSR such as socially responsible business, responsible
business conduct, responsible entrepreneurship, corporate citizenship, corporate accountability or
corporate sustainability.CSR is the continuing commitment by businesses to behave ethically &
contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce & their
families, local communities and the society at large. (World Business Council)

CSR requires companies to acknowledge that they should be publicly accountable not only for
their financial performance but also for their social and environmental record. CSR encompasses
the extent to which companies should promote human rights, democracy, community
improvement and sustainable development objectives throughout the world. (Confederation of
British Industry, 2001)

CSR is the commitment of businesses to contribute to sustainable economic development

working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve
their quality of life in ways that are both for business and good for international development.
(World Bank, 24 March 2004)
 SCOPE FOR CSR

Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship,
responsible business and corporate social opportunity) is a concept whereby organizations
consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on
customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as
the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply
with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of
life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.

In the increasingly conscience-focused marketplaces of the 21st century, the demand for more
ethical business processes and actions (known as ethics) is increasing. Simultaneously, pressure
is applied on industry to improve business ethics through new public initiatives and laws (e.g.
higher UK road tax for higher-emission vehicles).

Business ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline. As a corporate practice and
a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. In academia, descriptive approaches are
also taken. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflects the degree to which business
is perceived to be at odds with non-economic social values. Historically, interest in business
ethics accelerated dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and
within academia. For example, today most major corporate websites lay emphasis on
commitment to promoting non-economic social values under a variety of headings (e.g. ethics
codes, social responsibility charters). In some cases, corporations have re-branded their core
values in the light of business ethical considerations (e.g. BP’s “beyond petroleum”
environmental tilt).

The term CSR itself came in to common use in the early 1970s although it was seldom
abbreviated. The term stakeholder, meaning those impacted by an organization’s activities, was
used to describe corporate owners beyond shareholders from around 1989.
 Figure 2 : CSR Pyramid

Potential Business Benefits From CSR:

The scale and nature of the benefits of CSR for an organization can vary depending on the nature
of the enterprise, and are difficult to quantify, though there is a large body of literature exhorting
business to adopt measures beyond financial ones (e.g., Deming’s Fourteen Points, balanced
scorecards). Orlitzky, Schmidt, and Rynes found a correlation between social/environmental
performance and financial performance. However, businesses may not be looking at short-run
financial returns when developing their CSR strategy.

The business case for CSR within a company will likely rest on one or more of these arguments:

 Human resources
A CSR programme can be seen as an aid to recruitment and retention, particularly within the
competitive graduate student market. Potential recruits often ask about a firm’s CSR policy
during an interview, and having a comprehensive policy can give an advantage. CSR can also
help to improve the perception of a company among its staff, particularly when staff can become
involved through payroll giving, fundraising activities or community volunteering.

 Risk management
Managing risk is a central part of many corporate strategies. Reputations that take decades to
build up can be ruined in hours through incidents such as corruption scandals or environmental
accidents. These events can also draw unwanted attention from regulators, courts, governments
and media. Building a genuine culture of ‘doing the right thing’ within a corporation can offset
these risks.

 Brand differentiation
In crowded marketplaces, companies strive for a unique selling proposition which can separate
them from the competition in the minds of consumers. CSR can play a role in building customer
loyalty based on distinctive ethical values. Several major brands, such as The Co-operative
Group and The Body Shop are built on ethical values. Business service organizations can benefit
too from building a reputation for integrity and best practice.

 License to operate
Corporations are keen to avoid interference in their business through taxation or regulations. By
taking substantive voluntary steps, they can persuade governments and the wider public that they
are taking issues such as health and safety, diversity or the environment seriously, and so avoid
intervention. This also applies to firms seeking to justify eye-catching profits and high levels of
boardroom pay. Those operating away from their home country can make sure they stay
welcome by being good corporate citizens with respect to labor standards and impacts on the
environment.
 OPPOSING POINT OF VIEW FOR CSR

Critics of CSR as well as proponents debate a number of concerns related to it. These include
CSR’s relationship to the fundamental purpose and nature of business and questionable motives
for engaging in CSR, including concerns about insincerity and hypocrisy.

CSR and the nature of business

Corporations exist to provide products and/or services that produce profits for their shareholders.
Milton Friedman and others take this a step further, arguing that a corporation’s purpose is to
maximize returns to its shareholders, and that since (in their view), only people can have social
responsibilities, corporations are only responsible to their shareholders and not to society as a
whole. Although they accept that corporations should obey the laws of the countries within
which they work, they assert that corporations have no other obligation to society. Some people
perceive CSR as incongruent with the very nature and purpose of business, and indeed a
hindrance to free trade. Those who assert that CSR is incongruent with capitalism and are in
favor of neo liberalism argue that improvements in health, longevity and/or infant mortality have
been created by economic growth attributed to free enterprise.

Critics of this argument perceive neoliberalism as opposed to the well-being of society and a
hindrance to human freedom. They claim that the type of capitalism practiced in many
developing countries is a form of economic and cultural imperialism, noting that these countries
usually have fewer labor protections, and thus their citizens are at a higher risk of exploitation by
multinational corporations.

A wide variety of individuals and organizations operate in between these poles. For example, the
REALeadership Alliance asserts that the business of leadership (be it corporate or otherwise) is
to change the world for the better. Many religious and cultural traditions hold that the economy
exists to serve human beings, so all economic entities have an obligation to society (e.g., cf.
Economic Justice for All). Moreover, as discussed above, many CSR proponents point out that
CSR can significantly improve long-term corporate profitability because it reduces risks and
inefficiencies while offering a host of potential benefits such as enhanced brand reputation and
employee engagement.
CSR and questionable motives

Some critics believe that CSR programs are undertaken by companies such as British American
Tobacco (BAT), the petroleum giant BP (well-known for its high-profile advertising campaigns
on environmental aspects of its operations), and McDonald’s (see below) to distract the public
from ethical questions posed by their core operations. They argue that some corporations start
CSR programs for the commercial benefit they enjoy through raising their reputation with the
public or with government. They suggest that corporations which exist solely to maximize profits
are unable to advance the interests of society as a whole.

Another concern is when companies claim to promote CSR and be committed to Sustainable
Development whilst simultaneously engaging in harmful business practices. For example, since
the 1970s, the McDonald’s Corporation’s association with Ronald McDonald House has been
viewed as CSR and relationship marketing. More recently, as CSR has become mainstream, the
company has beefed up its CSR programs related to its labor, environmental and other practices
All the same, in McDonald’s Restaurants v Morris & Steel, Lord Justices Pill, May and Keane
ruled that it was fair comment to say that McDonald’s employees worldwide ‘do badly in terms
of pay and conditions’ and true that ‘if one eats enough McDonald’s food, one’s diet may well
become high in fat etc., with the very real risk of heart disease.’

Critics concerned with corporate hypocrisy and insincerity generally suggest that better
governmental and international regulation and enforcement, rather than voluntary measures, are
necessary to ensure that companies behave in a socially responsible manner.
 DRIVERS OF CSR

Corporations may be influenced to adopt CSR practices by several drivers

Figure 3 : CSR Scope

The rise in popularity of ethical consumerism over the last two decades can be linked to the rise
of CSR. As global population increases, so does the pressure on limited natural resources
required to meet rising consumer demand (Grace and Cohen 2005, 147). Industrialization in
many developing countries is booming as a result of technology and globalization. Consumers
are becoming more aware of the environmental and social implications of their day-to-day
consumer decisions and are beginning to make purchasing decisions related to their
environmental and ethical concerns. However, this practice is far from consistent or universal.
Globalization and market forces

As corporations pursue growth through globalization, they have encountered new challenges that
impose limits to their growth and potential profits. Government regulations, tariffs,
environmental restrictions and varying standards of what constitutes labor exploitation are
problems that can cost organizations millions of dollars. Some view ethical issues as simply a
costly hindrance. Some companies use CSR methodologies as a strategic tactic to gain public
support for their presence in global markets, helping them sustain a competitive advantage by
using their social contributions to provide a subconscious level of advertising. (Fry, Keim,
Mieners 1986, 105) Global competition places particular pressure on multinational corporations
to examine not only their own labor practices, but those of their entire supply chain, from a CSR
perspective.

Social awareness and education

The role among corporate stakeholders to work collectively to pressure corporations is changing.
Shareholders and investors themselves, through socially responsible investing are exerting
pressure on corporations to behave responsibly. Non-governmental organizations are also taking
an increasing role, leveraging the power of the media and the Internet to increase their scrutiny
and collective activism around corporate behavior. Through education and dialogue, the
development of community in holding businesses responsible for their actions is growing (Roux
2007).

Ethics training

The rise of ethics training inside corporations, some of it required by government regulation, is
another driver credited with changing the behavior and culture of corporations. The aim of such
training is to help employees make ethical decisions when the answers are unclear. Kullberg
believes that humans are built with the capacity to cheat and manipulate, a view taken from
(Trivets 1971, 1985), hence the need for learning normative values and rules in human behavior
(Kullberg 1996). The most direct benefit is reducing the likelihood of “dirty hands” (Grace and
Cohen 2005), fines and damaged reputations for breaching laws or moral norms. Organizations
also see secondary benefit in increasing employee loyalty and pride in the organization.
Caterpillar and Best Buy are examples of organizations that have taken such steps (Thiemann
2007).
Laws and regulation

Another driver of CSR is the role of independent mediators, particularly the government, in
ensuring that corporations are prevented from harming the broader social well, including people
and the environment. CSR critics such as Robert Reich argue that governments should set the
agenda for social responsibility by the way of laws and regulation that will allow a business to
conduct them responsibly.

Crises and their consequences

Often it takes a crisis to precipitate attention to CSR. One of the most active stands against
environmental management is the CERES Principles that resulted after the Exxon Valdez
incident in Alaska in 1989 (Grace and Cohen 2006). Other examples include the lead poisoning
paint used by toy giant Mattel, which required a recall of millions of toys globally and caused the
company to initiate new risk management and quality control processes. In another example,
Magellan Metals in the West Australian town of Esperance was responsible for lead
contamination killing thousands of birds in the area. The company had to cease business
immediately and work with independent regulatory bodies to execute a cleanup.

Figure 4 : CSR and its activities

 INTRODUCTION TO AMAZON

Ever since internet has been introduced to the world, it has made a huge impact on people;
business is one of such example where internet has made the difference. In July 1995
Amazon.com started selling books online and the response they received was unexpected as in
short time span books sold online in all 50 states of USA and 45 countries. Amazon presently
offers music, movies, toys; electronics and home equipment, there are seven different
international websites of Amazon with distributed customer service centers in seven countries
and over 17,000 people work in Amazon worldwide. Today there are over 100 popular e-
commerce websites are providing online services worldwide. An e-commerce opens the global
market to the customer, it helps the customer by providing huge options while buying a product
or a service, the online searching and comparing facilities enables customer to select right
product or service, another major advantage of e-commerce is that it is 24x7 available to the
customer the customer can shop almost anything within his/hers comfort zone just by sitting at
home, office, during travel or almost from any place at any time.

Figure 5 : Introduction to Amazon

 CSR BY AMAZON

Known as a leading online retailer and the creator of the e-reader industry, Amazon is the Seattle
area’s most admired company, according to Fortune. But that hasn’t necessarily earned the
Seattle-based company much respect in the eyes of corporate giving advocates. Over the past
few years Amazon has been roundly criticized for a lack of corporate giving. That criticism has
echoed partly because its board of directors includes Patricia Stonesifer, former CEO of the
world’s largest charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Regardless, Amazon has been a
strong supporter of select causes and become more public about disclosing its charity. Over the
past decade, Amazon’s online appeals to its customers have raised more than $35 million in
disaster relief funds. The company offers a suite of tools for nonprofits to use to raise donations,
generate online-based income and appeal for in-kind contributions. Amazon has also made
grants to dozens of writing- and reading-based charities in Washington and around the country.
Company employees have performed a wide variety of volunteer services for charities in seven
states, according to the company’s website.

1. Initiative : American Cancer Organization

As part of the ACCO's "Go Gold" campaign, Amazon delivered 10 million boxes featuring gold
ribbons – the international symbol of childhood cancer – enabling customers to join in the fight
one box at a time. The company also invited children affected by cancer to explore their interests
in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and learn more about the magic of
Amazon innovation in a guided tour of the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Kent, Washington. On
behalf of each child, Amazon made donations to pediatric oncology programs across the country.

2. Initiative : Disaster Relief Support

To support relief efforts, Amazon and Whole Foods announced a $1 million match for donations
made via Amazon to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts. In just a few
days, customers donated $1 million dollars to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief
efforts via Amazon, meeting the match challenge in full.

During disasters, Amazon has dedicated homepage placement and donated use of our payments
technology to the American Red Cross and Mercy Corps. Since 2001, Amazon customers have
contributed more than $38 million to global relief programs. Amazon contributes to the
communities where our employees live and work—from Amazon device donations to activities
throughout our hometown of Seattle. In times of disaster, Amazon has dedicated homepage
placement and donated use of our payments technology to the American Red Cross and Mercy
Corps. Amazon customers have contributed more than $38 million to global relief programs
since 2001. Thank you for your support.

 2001: $6.9 million contributed for 9/11 relief in the U.S.

 2004: $15.7 million contributed for tsunami relief in South and Southeast Asia
 2005: $12.4 million contributed for Hurricane Katrina relief in the U.S.
 2008: $180,000 contributed for Cyclone Nargis relief in Myanmar and earthquake relief
in China
 2010: More than $750,000 contributed for earthquake relief in Haiti
 2011: More than $1.8 million contributed for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan.
 2012: More than $430,000 contributed for Hurricane Sandy relief in the U.S.
 2013: More than $320,000 contributed for Typhoon Haiyan relief in the Philippines
 2015: More than $290,000 contributed to relief efforts for the earthquake in Nepal
 Between 2017-19: Around $7.3 million relief items like bottled drinking water, N95
masks and solar lanterns were donated.
 They have supported more than 37 natural disasters victims in over 10 countries.

Figure 6: Reach of Amazon

 3. Initiative : Education
The Kindle Reading Fund is a program that seeks to make books more easily available to
communities around the world through digital reading. The Fund will donate Kindle e-readers,
Fire tablets and Kindle eBooks to further reading around the world. One program that Amazon is
proud to support is World reader's LEAP 2.0 library partnership in Kenya, which reaches
approximately 500,000 people by bringing digital reading to all 61 Kenyan public libraries.

Amazon Literary Partnership: With the goal of helping writers tell their stories and find their
readers, the Amazon Literary Partnership supports nonprofit literary organizations that share our
obsession with empowering writers to create, publish, learn, teach, experiment, and thrive. We
provide grant funding to innovative groups that support a diversity of voices and strive for a
lasting impact not only on writers' lives, but on the broader literary and publishing communities.
In 2017, the Amazon Literary Partnership funded more than 80 nonprofits, including writing
centers, residencies, fellowships, after-school classes, small publishers, literary magazines,
translation programs, and national organizations that champion storytelling and free speech.

Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code programs work to inspire, educate, and equip girls with the
computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. Girls Who Code aims to provide computer
science education and exposure to 1 million young women by 2020.

A to Z Experience: designed to inspire youth to pursue an education and, some day, careers in
science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM).Amazon’s free summer STEM camp
gives students behind-the-scenes access to Amazon’s urban Seattle headquarters and Kent, WA
robotics fulfillment center.

4. Initiative : Veteran Support

Amazon is one of the sponsors of the Warrior Games, thanks in large part to the efforts of Tim
Bomke, an Army veteran who is a manager on Amazon’s military hiring team. Bomke lost his
right leg after an IED blast in 2005. Bomke's new mission is to remind wounded warriors of
what's possible through his work at Amazon and events like the Warrior Games.
 5. Initiative : Gift a Smile

Amazon India has picked 3 of Vibha’s projects – Vidyarambam, Bhagvatula Charitable Trust
and Sikshana for their CSR initiative “Gift a Smile”.

The Amazon Gift a Smile Foundation has launched an initiative by which 25 NGOs with various
social causes can create “wish list” of items they need. These items range from educational toys,
books, sports equipment, clothes, hygiene products and many more. Amazon Customers can
now gift towards these wish lists and make a direct impact to these Projects.

6. Initiative : Empower Women Entrepreneurs

Tata Power is widening the ambit of women empowerment initiative ‘Dhaaga’ with help of
Amazon India. The company has collaborated with Amazon to leverage Dhaaga’s women
entrepreneurs’ scale and reach by showcasing and selling their products across the country.

Dhaaga’s products will be showcased as a part of the e-commerce major’s ‘Amazon Saheli’
programme – a dedicated storefront on the website to help display and sell products made by
these women listed across different categories on Amazon.
 FINDINGS

Amazon follows a Triple Bottom Line approach

The triple bottom line (TBL) is a framework or theory that recommends that companies commit
to focus on social and environmental concerns just as they do on profits. The TBL posits that
instead of one bottom line, there should be three: profit, people, and the planet. Amazon.com Inc.
maintains corporate social responsibility initiatives to target the interests of its main stakeholder
groups. Amazon.com Inc. integrates stakeholders’ interests in its corporate social responsibility
(CSR) strategy. The company considers these interests as significant influences on the e-
commerce business. Such strategy supports Amazon’s mission and vision, which affect
organizational development. It is appropriate for the company to prioritize customers as the
primary stakeholder group, considering the online retail nature of the business. The inclusion of
employees and communities is one of the strengths of the strategy.

Figure 7: TBL
Big changes to protect the planet

Figure 8: CSR Sustainability

 LIMITATIONS

 Lack of data due to confidential data of company not being open to general audience for
viewing or referring.

 Since data collected is secondary, the reliability of the source of the data needs to be
authentic and unaltered.

CONCLUSION

The practice of CSR is subject to much debate and criticism. Proponents argue that there is a
strong business case for CSR, in that corporations benefit in multiple ways by operating with a
perspective broader and longer than their own immediate, short-term profits. Critics argue that
CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing
more than superficial window-dressing; still others argue that it is an attempt to preempt the role
of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations

As such, a social responsibility policy can provide value as a strategic part of a firm's daily
activities. Under a strategy that integrates socially responsible practices, a company's analysis of
profit, return on investment (ROI), or return on equity (ROE) as the bottom-line should be
replaced by a “Triple-Bottom Line” approach, encompassing economic, social, and
environmental factors. A company that ignores social and environmental concerns in its
activities may have substantial profit or returns in its current state and, therefore, be content to
continue its operations at the status quo, but its actions nonetheless have the potential to
negatively affect society and the environment. Its potential future profit is thereby diminished
when the company does not take a holistic approach to the global business environment.

Thus, CSR involves the integration of companies into their local, national, and global settings. At
the same time, it recognizes the strong human rights dimension of CSR, particularly with regard
to global operations and supply chains.
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 Amazon Annual Report 1999, Seattle, 2000
 http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/97/97664/reports/123199_10k.pdf
 Amazon.com, Inc. (2000b)
 Amazon.com Announces Profitability in U.S.-based Book Sales, Financial Results for
Fourth Quarter 1999, Seattle, 2000
 http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664&p=IROL-
NewsText&t=Regular&id=72603&
 Amazon.com, Inc. (2000c)
 Letter to Shareholders 1999, Seattle, 2000
 http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/97/97664/reports/Shareholderletter99.pdf
 https://indiacsr.in/csr-tata-power-and-amazon-india-join-hands-to-empower-women-
entrepreneurs/
 Amazon.com, Inc. (2001)
 “Corporate Social Responsibility” by Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee.
 https://vibhablog.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/3-vibha-projects-selected-by-amazon-india-
csr-initiative/
 “The Business of Social Responsibility” by Harsh Shrivastava & Shankar Venkateswaran