Refused to throw up a winner for Democrats

There are now basically two schools of thought that revolve around the future prospects of the two candidates. One school of thought says that Obama has a better chance to defeat a Republican candidate. There are two reasons behind this logic. The first is that Obama offers a vision for real change while Hillary practices a middle of the road kind of politics that embraces many Republican themes. Second and more important is the deep resentment and even hatred that the Clintons trigger amongst Neo-cons and the deeply conservative Americans who detest the very thought of another Clinton in the White House. There is a strong chance that Hillary as the Democratic candidate will attract an avalanche of sleazy allegations, a tidal wave of Monica Lewinsky jokes and a lot of mud thrown at the alleged peccadilloes of the former occupants of the White House. Some of the mud might stick and sink the Hillary candidacy. This school of thought thinks that most Democratic voters are smart and seem to realise this fact.

Yet, it would be foolhardy to write off the precision run election campaign of Hillary whose biggest asset would the deal making and negotiating skills of her husband and former President Bill Clinton. According to many analysts, while Obama may be attracting the media attention with highly publicised endorsements and support, Bill is busy furiously talking to and pumping hands with the people and the movers and shakers who really matter in the Democratic Party. And his eight years as President have left him with a huge fund of goodwill generated through his politics of patronage. Without any doubt, Bill now plays a decisive role in deciding the fortunes of Hillary and her candidature. Her top strategist, Mark Penn said, “The race will drag on for weeks longer; this is not going to be decided any time in the near future.”

Either ways, whether Hillary or Obama eventually win the nomination and the Presidency, they will create history. And they will inherit the job of the most powerful man on earth from a man who has decisively transformed America into the most hated nation on earth. That is when the real politics will begin.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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Communities is an inherent part of its business strategy

CSR is actually bundled along with the company business charter that the union cabinet outlined while allowing the incorporation of the company. The charter for the then – proposed gas corporation was: “to create necessary infrastructure for transport, processing and distribution of gas, to set up facilities for segregating natural gas into different components by a process called fractionation. Secondly, to acquire gas assets of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Limited. And lastly to act as coordinator for gas sector to ensure proper utilisation of gas.” Judge the significance of the words ‘proper utilisation’ that mentioned in the last line against the backdrop of the fact that gas flaring was then rampant in both onshore and offshore fields. This burning issue figured regularly in Parliament in the form of written questions. But things have changed today. There are hardly any questions that are asked about flaring. The new questions now primarily relate to supply, shortage and the price of gas that’s being supplied by various producers.

Over the years, GAIL has created awareness about the eco-friendly and energy-efficiency virtues of gas over liquid fuels and coal across the country. Thus, the more gas it transports and markets, the stronger it emerges as a protector of the environment, which has slowly become a vital component of CSR of corporates the world over. One should thus not feel surprised to find the catchline ‘Blueprint for a Greener Tomorrow’ donning the cover page of GAIL’s annual report for 2006-07.

The annual report stated that “as we expand our gas pipeline networks, reaching the green fuel to newer ports of call, we are proud to contribute in our small way towards the preservation of the environment by making the gas available to increasing parts of the country, helping curb hazardous emissions and provide clean fuel for city transportation.” GAIL adds value to its business-embedded CSR activities by amplifying them at the project sites and through a slew of philanthropic, medical, educational, vocational, explicit environment protection and other welfare activities across the country.

The very business of laying and operating pipelines confers additional advantage and challenges on GAIL when it comes to fulfilling CSR. It has to know the people, understand their problems and aspirations, and it has to do with communities located along the length and breadth of its pipelines network. The company has thus to reach to the people cutting across caste, culture and geographical boundaries, unlike other companies that have the easy option of funding a few show-piece CSR projects located in villages around their factories.

Take the case of GAIL’s proposal to lay a parallel pipeline for transporting gas in the existing right of undertaking (ROU) of Vijaipur (MP)-Dadri(UP) pipeline to carry more gas to these two states as well as to Rajasthan and Haryana. In August 2007, it decided to commission a ‘Population Density Index’ survey, 200 metres on either side of entire pipeline route. The survey would identify dwellings and all public places such as schools and dispensaries where more than 20 persons assemble.

Such data would not only enable GAIL to factor in the safety requirements and future expansion prospects, but also help it know about the lack of public facilities along the route. This enables the company to spread and stretch its resources on CSR initiatives over diverse locations ranging from supply of water tankers in Ajmer district of Rajasthan, to funding of a respiratory disease treatment centre at Agartala in Tripura.

And GAIL does innumerable activities across the entire CSR spectrum all over the country in a low-key fashion. It has hardly ever invited the media to report on its CSR operations, unlike other companies that want the world to perceive them as socially-responsible corporate citizens. The company sets aside 1% of its profit after tax for CSR initiatives every year. It has an explicit CSR policy in place for several years.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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