CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE STUDENT COMMUNITY: AWARENESS, PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS, AND FUTURE EXPECTATION

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to how Companies take responsibility to protect the society and the environment. In simple words CSR is about doing business which is ethical, sustainable, and beneficial for both the society and the environment. India is one of the First Country that has made CSR legally Mandatory for certain companies. If the company (Net Worth ≥ ₹500 Crore or Turnover ≥ ₹1000 crore or Net Profit ≥ ₹5 crore) meets any of these financial limits in a Financial Year the it must Comply with the CSR Regulations. The Company must Spend at least 2% of the Average Net Profits of the Last 3 financial year on CSR Activities.

Purpose: The objective of this research study is to analyze the degree of awareness among students of Pillai College, Navi Mumbai, about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The study aims to investigate the extent to which students are aware of the concept, aims, and practical implementation of CSR activities carried out by organizations. The study also aims to investigate the views of students about the effectiveness and genuineness of CSR activities in dealing with social and environmental concerns. The study also aims to identify the expectations of students about the future role of CSR in society and the extent to which they feel organizations should contribute to society beyond their profit-earning activities.

Design & Purpose: The research was conducted by gathering primary data through a questionnaire survey among students of Pillai College, Navi Mumbai. Secondary data was collected from CSR trend reports, available statistics on CSR, and year-wise growth in CSR, which were used to support the analysis in the report.

Findings: Most students think that CSR should be able to make a difference and that it is only effective if it is genuine, community-focused, and done in the right way. But they also think that a problem is a lack of awareness on the part of the public—that things may be happening, but people may not be aware of it or participating in it. Most students think that CSR is sometimes just a publicity stunt and that is why it lacks credibility. They also think that mismanagement of funds, corruption, poor planning, and poor implementation are some of the reasons why CSR fails.