Monsters' Inc !
Feeling dizzy after driving my way back home for nearly an hour in the midst of those monstrous vehicles that swarm the roads of Chennai, especially the IT corridors. My Zen is really out-dwarfed by those goliath vehicles and at times on the busy roads I just keep budging away till I realize that I am inches away from climbing over the curbs or the pathways. It sure is the survival of the fittest or the fattest rather, on the crowded roads of Chennai! Sometimes when I honk and try to take a peek upwards, I can see few faces giggling at me and my diminutive vehicle. Yes, by monster I refer to the buses – most of them are discards from the various travel companies - that are engaged by the IT service companies these days to help their fellow wards reach their abode safely and of course to bring them back promptly to their den at work the next morning.
With every IT company going for their own sprawling campuses at the outskirts of the city, commuting is a big deal and it is a highly appreciated perk for most of the associates who sans that have to live with the teeming roads and regular traffic snarls. But, do we really need such behemoth vehicles? Does the workforce need spanky sleeper coaches to come to work - I have even seen few dozing off during the commute. The people who drive those monsters with utter disregard for every traffic light or zooming their way around in the traffic maze only to the utter dismay of the fellow commuters. 'Celebrating Work' - at what cost? Anyone can venture on their way only to their own peril and the only match for them might be the notorious water tankers that ply the chennai roads in summer. Thanks to the monsoon, even they are off the roads these days and contributing their portion to the margin of safety to commuters like me. Quite recently one of my fellow coworker was fatally knocked down while riding a two-wheeler. It was a case of hit-and-run and the incident had its own silent demise. There were unconfirmed reports that it was by one of the monsters from a reputed IT house. If it had any reason to be true; there would be very few surprises.
Can these monsters be claimed to undermine the firm's corporate social responsibility values? Why not? A firm's CSR strategy goes beyond paying the regular taxes and contributing to some charities. It should be based on sound ethics and core values which firm deeply believes in. If a NRNM and a Premji are looked upon as icons not just in the corporate world, but across the nation, the next step for them is towards fulfilling their societal obligations. Their stature in the society provides them the opportunity to deliver this. Of course there are numerous limitations and constraints in the system and both of them have gone at lengths to talk about it. NRNM's recent outburst against the nations' politico elite was not taken lightly. But, even in the chaotic traffic, if there is one vehicle that does not skip any Red lights, that employs drivers who seldom indulge in any road rage it should be theirs. They should stand out just like the corporate entities themselves. The business is not totally divorced from the rest of the society and with responsible behavior the corporate's role in building an ethical and social environment is highly appreciated by the society. 'Applying Thoughts' - can it be applied here ?
Why can’t the M&Ms and Leylands and Tatas design vehicles that suit our limited infrastructure? Doesn't this qualify to be in the automobile giant's CSR strategy? Why can’t an Infosys or TCS or Wipro procure such vehicles or train their drivers to be the road samaritans? Why not vehicles that run on LNG, why do we wait for a government legislation to impose such controls, instead show the way. How difficult would this be for the NRNMs and the Premjis? Outside stakeholders are increasingly aware of the activities of any company in terms of its impact to the environment and on local communities. Imagine how the firms can leverage out the traffic friendly vehicles they run within the society. Acting in a socially responsible manner does not necessarily quantify as an ethical duty of the company, but something that has a significant bottom-line pay off!
Feeling dizzy after driving my way back home for nearly an hour in the midst of those monstrous vehicles that swarm the roads of Chennai, especially the IT corridors. My Zen is really out-dwarfed by those goliath vehicles and at times on the busy roads I just keep budging away till I realize that I am inches away from climbing over the curbs or the pathways. It sure is the survival of the fittest or the fattest rather, on the crowded roads of Chennai! Sometimes when I honk and try to take a peek upwards, I can see few faces giggling at me and my diminutive vehicle. Yes, by monster I refer to the buses – most of them are discards from the various travel companies - that are engaged by the IT service companies these days to help their fellow wards reach their abode safely and of course to bring them back promptly to their den at work the next morning.
With every IT company going for their own sprawling campuses at the outskirts of the city, commuting is a big deal and it is a highly appreciated perk for most of the associates who sans that have to live with the teeming roads and regular traffic snarls. But, do we really need such behemoth vehicles? Does the workforce need spanky sleeper coaches to come to work - I have even seen few dozing off during the commute. The people who drive those monsters with utter disregard for every traffic light or zooming their way around in the traffic maze only to the utter dismay of the fellow commuters. 'Celebrating Work' - at what cost? Anyone can venture on their way only to their own peril and the only match for them might be the notorious water tankers that ply the chennai roads in summer. Thanks to the monsoon, even they are off the roads these days and contributing their portion to the margin of safety to commuters like me. Quite recently one of my fellow coworker was fatally knocked down while riding a two-wheeler. It was a case of hit-and-run and the incident had its own silent demise. There were unconfirmed reports that it was by one of the monsters from a reputed IT house. If it had any reason to be true; there would be very few surprises.
Can these monsters be claimed to undermine the firm's corporate social responsibility values? Why not? A firm's CSR strategy goes beyond paying the regular taxes and contributing to some charities. It should be based on sound ethics and core values which firm deeply believes in. If a NRNM and a Premji are looked upon as icons not just in the corporate world, but across the nation, the next step for them is towards fulfilling their societal obligations. Their stature in the society provides them the opportunity to deliver this. Of course there are numerous limitations and constraints in the system and both of them have gone at lengths to talk about it. NRNM's recent outburst against the nations' politico elite was not taken lightly. But, even in the chaotic traffic, if there is one vehicle that does not skip any Red lights, that employs drivers who seldom indulge in any road rage it should be theirs. They should stand out just like the corporate entities themselves. The business is not totally divorced from the rest of the society and with responsible behavior the corporate's role in building an ethical and social environment is highly appreciated by the society. 'Applying Thoughts' - can it be applied here ?
Why can’t the M&Ms and Leylands and Tatas design vehicles that suit our limited infrastructure? Doesn't this qualify to be in the automobile giant's CSR strategy? Why can’t an Infosys or TCS or Wipro procure such vehicles or train their drivers to be the road samaritans? Why not vehicles that run on LNG, why do we wait for a government legislation to impose such controls, instead show the way. How difficult would this be for the NRNMs and the Premjis? Outside stakeholders are increasingly aware of the activities of any company in terms of its impact to the environment and on local communities. Imagine how the firms can leverage out the traffic friendly vehicles they run within the society. Acting in a socially responsible manner does not necessarily quantify as an ethical duty of the company, but something that has a significant bottom-line pay off!
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