Premji's $2-billion gift to charity: individual act not CSR initiative

It's wonderful to hear that Azim Premji is donating a huge chunk of his personal wealth to a charitable trust that is working in elementary education, among other things. However, it is not so good to read and hear his act being termed as an example of 'Corporate Social Responsibility', or to hear comments on how corporates must do more on CSR. Firstly, what Mr. Premji has done is emphatically not an instance of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is giving away his own personal wealth. CSR, on the other hand, generally involves company managements giving away shareholders' wealth-which is an entirely different thing..

This article was originally published on December 08, 2010.