Corporate world should undertake philanthropy work and be socially responsible because it makes good business sense and it allows corporate houses to influence the kind of society in which the business will operate.
This is the view of the representatives from some of the country’s top business houses who attended a seminar titled, “Doing Well by Doing Good: A Discussion on Business and Philanthropy,” at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre, in Bashundhara Saturday.
The event was organized by Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), says a press release.
The seminar discussed about how businesses can contribute more systematically and sustainably to social development in Bangladesh through corporate philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.
Dilshad Dossani, Chairperson of the Aga Khan Foundation (Bangladesh)’s National Committee, outlined the impetus behind the seminar.
“The notion of indigenous philanthropy and the paradigm shift towards self-reliant development, we believe, has never been more relevant than it is today in the Bangladesh context,” she said.
Apoorva Oza, Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Rural Support Program (India) spoke about corporate social responsibility, highlighting lessons from the Indian context.
“There is an initial tendency among many corporates to do a lot of charity work, what we call transactional work, but the real change comes from transformational work, when we attack the roots of the problem, and that is a slow process for corporates to learn, but it is happening.”
A panel discussion was held, moderated by Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman, Power and Participation Research Centre, which featured Ms Nihad Kabir, President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and Syed Nasim Manzur, Managing Director of Apex Footwear Ltd.
They also suggested that corporate firms could choose to take on one social issue and drive forward significant change on that issue.