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Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept with many definitions and practices. The way it is understood and implemented differs greatly for each company and country. Moreover, CSR is a very broad concept that addresses many and various topics such as human rights, corporate governance, health and safety, environmental effects, working conditions and contribution to economic development. Whatever the definition is, the purpose of CSR is to drive change towards sustainability. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is now seen as an integral part of corporate strategy. The main purpose of the study is to analyze the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities carried out by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). An empirical and analytical study has been undertaken whereby the corporate official websites of the companies were analyzed. The most preferred CSR activities were observed to be women empowerment, self-employment, health hygiene and environment. The challenge for the companies is to determine a strong and innovative CSR strategy which should deliver high performance in ethical, environmental and social areas and meet all the stakeholders' objectives.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, HUL, CSR activities
Introduction
Corporate Social Responsibility is also referred to as corporate conscience, corporate citizenship, sustainable responsible business or simply as responsible business. CSR is nothing but a selfregulatory mechanism adopted by corporates to ensure that all its business activities are according to law, follow ethical standards and international norms. CSR is not about environment conservation or about having a recycling policy. It is a procedure where corporates learn to respect legislative laws, moral values, people, communities and the natural environment. It is also to assess and ensure that their day to day operations have a positive impact on communities, cultures, societies and the environments in which they operate. According to CSR Asia, "CSR is a company's commitment to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner whilst balancing the interest of diverse stakeholders" World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines CSR as "The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large" World Bank Group states that "CSR is the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development...