Sustainability and Global Ethics in Business

This assignment explores the integration of sustainability and global ethics within Indian businesses. It presents an analysis based on interviews and surveys conducted with company representatives. The research delves into topics such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), employee welfare, human rights, regulatory compliance, crisis management, and the role of a governing body in monitoring sustainable practices. The findings shed light on current trends, challenges, and potential solutions for fostering ethical and sustainable business models in India.

Running Head: RESEARCH PROJECT
Research Project: Role of Global ethics and Sustainability model in India
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

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Contents
Project Title.....................................................................................................................................2
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Problem Statement...........................................................................................................................5
Purpose of study..............................................................................................................................6
Research question:...........................................................................................................................7
Literature review..............................................................................................................................7
Sustainability...............................................................................................................................7
Global ethics..............................................................................................................................11
Conceptual framework...................................................................................................................16
Hypothesis.....................................................................................................................................18
Research Design and Evaluation methods.....................................................................................19
Primary research............................................................................................................................20
Analysis.........................................................................................................................................21
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................27
Reference list:................................................................................................................................28
Appendix........................................................................................................................................32

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Project Title
Role of Global ethics and Sustainability model in India
Abstract
In the 21st century the world is running on the basis of advanced technology and
globalization. Today the world is no more a large unknown place. Industrial revolution in the
history is known to be the pioneering period of the development and civilization of humanity and
then with globalization the world has shrunk to small place. The economies of the countries
worldwide have grown leading to more business opportunities and expansions of business etc.
this convergence of global forces have lead to the development of guidelines and rule that are
accepted globally in order to run a fair trade. Ethics is more than what is right and what is wrong
it is the conscious decisions taken by an individual to work and lead a life of respect and
integrity. Values, respect, integrity are terms that are hardly associated with a business
organization; this is a concept that was followed in the past. Business institutions old or new are
imbibing new and contemporary business models in order to not only focus of personal profit but
also contributing to the society as a part of the duty. When the society and the nature is providing
a business entity with the resources and services it requires to run the business it also becomes
the duty of the organization to also focus on the needs of this society and the environment (Allan
2012).

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Environment is a crucial and a very significant challenge that the world is facing. Global
warming, pollution problems as well as the depletion of some of the non-renewable are serious
issues that the business organizations and government is should concentrate the focus on. Not
only that individually also people are being made conscious to use the facilities that we get form
the nature wisely and in a sustainable manner. Industrialization and urbanization in the recent
past has caused a lot of deforestation and depletion of natural resources for example: industries
like oil and natural gas is the prime contributor to a lot of issues that humanity is facing in terms
of environment destruction. Therefore it is it evident that the contemporary business world and
the governments around the globe will adopt options which are sustainable to reduce or to
eliminate the depletion of resources. Triple bottom line business model, corporate social
responsibility are some of the contemporary concepts that are coined around business
organizations in order to install the idea of sustainability and global ethics while doing business.
A business has several stakeholders who run the operations on a daily basis and to protect the
interest of these resources. The decisions and the policies that government and the business
enterprises take should be at par with the various concepts and models of global ethics and
sustainability. There are various third party bodies who monitor weather these guideline and
rules are being followed, but this is not something that can be enforced it is rather a realization
that has to take place within an individual to act responsibility towards the betterment of the
society and environment (Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility in India, 2017).

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Introduction
India is country that is known for its vast resources and rich culture. Colonization has
lead to a lot of internal, political and society dispute within the country which had taken a toll on
the economic development of the country. The economy of India is still in a developing stage
and is growing towards being a developed. The topic that is being discussed does not have to
follow a country as it is a globally accepted knowledge that any business organization in any part
of the world should follow. The international economic consequences and increasing concern
with sustainable growth along with the change in the climatic conditions that is taking place has
generated concerns regarding the ethical stand points and sustainability issue of the organization.
The business organizations that operate within the geographical boundaries of India are being
asked to report on the environmental and social costs of their operations and improve corporate
governance. Ethics is more than just the concept of doing what is right it deals with the behavior
and mannerisms that a person should follow in order to live an operate in a civilized society. It
also deals with the moral values and choice that the individuals or entities the concepts of equity
and justice are inherent in ethics. Fair and equitable treatment to all is its primary aim in the
concept of global ethics (Jain & Winner, 2016).
In business, ethics is defined as the guideline to maintain conduct which business entities
are expected to follow when they are exchanging interest or trading within the industry or with
the consumers. It sets guidelines and principles to conduct a business exchange. A business can
only prosper and grow when the society is stable in terms of money as well as the other external
business environment aspects. A large portion of a business organization has its assets as

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goodwill and in order to build and maintain goodwill with the industry, stakeholders and the
customers of the business ethics play a key and important role.
Problem Statement
The concept of sustainability and global ethics have a long term impact on any business
entity, the acceptance of the sustainability model by business originations is a big leap towards a
new and improved though process. In this report the issue of the low rate of implementation of
the new business model in India has been analyzed and reviewed.

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Purpose of study
There are several global ethics and sustainability theories that are going to be involved in
this study. The purpose of the study is to identify and understand the trends and the acceptance of
global ethical guidelines as well as sustainability model in the operation of the business in India.
India is regarded as land of opportunities in the business world, many new and business ideas
and plans have been developed in India in the past two decades. Hence this report concentrating
the focus on India is also relevant. The study aims to find out the ways and means companies are
coming up with in order to execute the sustainability model and ethics model. What are the
challenges the companies are facing while adopting this business model as well as what are the
advantages India have to offer to the organizations that have sustainability as a prime focus.
In order to understand and review a comprehensive idea about the understanding of the
contemporary business model which is being adopted by the business organizations in India.
The objectives of the study are:
 To identify the growth and acceptance of global ethics and sustainability in the business
organization
 To understand the issues and the pitfalls that companies might face in order to implement
the changes
 To develop an idea about how acceptance of sustainability and global ethics have
positively or negatively impacted the company’s operations
 To identify the prospect of business organization after implementing the sustainability
model.

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Research question:
What is the acceptance rate of global ethics and sustainable business model in Indian business
culture?
Literature review
Sustainability
Ferrell et al. (2016), states that a sustainable business can be defined as the procedure
which is adopted by a business entity in order to take responsibility and care as well as protect
the natural resources that are available in the environment for the use of the society and
businesses. Sustainability also means the process of developing and initiating societal equity,
improving of the well-being of the human resources who are considered as the backbone of any
organization. Sustainability also guides the organization to work towards fair trade policy. It is
the strategic planning and coordination of social and environmental requirements keeping in
mind and the concerns to ensure responsible, ethical and ongoing success. It is important for
companies to identify the fact that traditional business model concepts are not viable in today’s
business world and they have to give up on the venture and take up the mantel of sustainability
because in the long run it is going to affect the company.
According to the traditional theory of business model the price and cost of the company
were the two main players so of the model. Sale maximization and profit increment were the

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prime focus and aim of the company along with growth and expansion. The contemporary
concept of business model is a contradictory one as it has the focus of the company divided
equally among the 3ps: people, planet and price. This is the concept of triple bottom line which
has economic, environment and society based as the three pillars of any business institution
which is a direct contradiction to the traditional model which just focuses on economies. Much
like an individual a business organization has an identity of itself and hence the activities of the
organization have a significant impact in not only the economies in which the organization
operates but also the society it is related to as well as the environment. The concept is new as the
recognition of the importance of the factors associated with the sustainable business model is
also contemporary. This model is a contradiction to the traditional business model because
society and nature are deemed to be liabilities instead of asset to the company. Hence the
companies focused on the financial and economic growth of the company (Glac, 2015). For
example: oil spills are a direct consequence of the operation and the negligence of responsibility
on the behalf of the oil and gas industries. Oil spills are a hazardous to the environment and the
marine ecosystem the after effect of the accidents are observed by the nature and the localities
for years.
According to Milne & Gray (2013), explains the skeptic view from the companies’ behalf
in adapting to any sustainable measures. First of all the cost of installation in order to observe a
sustainable model is added cost for the company and the return of investment remain the same.
In the case of Small and medium enterprises the gathering capital and initiating cash flow in the
organization is a matter of great concern n this case it becomes very difficult for such
organization to think about environment and society before the financial proceedings of the
organization.

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Savitz, (2013), also has the same take on the subject but form a different point of view,
According to the author the projects which are aimed at a sustainable model have a non-profit
seeking motive it is an add on to the existing production and manufacturing of the products or
services of the organization. These events, policies and decisions made by the enterprise do not
generate any additional or positive cash flow to the operations of the business rather maintenance
of these policies require more effort form the behalf of the organization. Basically most of the
times the sustainable policies have a tendency to rule out chunk of the profit that he company
make. This is where the sense of responsibility comes in on the behalf of the entrepreneur and
the management of the organization. Hence it is a policy that can only be applied by
organizations that have a large margin of profit (Crane & Matten 2016).
On the contrary, for example: a small restaurant can opt to give away the leftover food of
the day to charity and this does not even have to do anything with the profit of the company. The
type of service and policies that a company undertakes in order to follow a sustainable model is
dependent on the nature and scale of business (De Neve, 2014).
The price part of the triple bottom line concept plays a significant role in serving the
policies that are taken in relation to sustainability. One of the main challenges that the concept t
of sustainability suffers is the negligence of responsibility and the refusal to accept the part the
business has to play in impacting the society and nature. There are third party organizations that
keep a check and periodically monitor the sustainability steps that are taken by the organization
but those are mostly for companies which have reached a certain height of success, but mostly
for SMEs it is a matter of morality and values that are intrinsic to the entrepreneur of the
organization. Sustainability is a model that works on relevance if a company is unable to act and
take decisions at the correct time and place then the effectiveness of that policy decreases,

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similarly with the policies related to sustainability is also circumstance based (Developing Code
of Ethics for Indian Industry 2017).
There are tools like Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) that well-known evaluation instruments that can be used to understand and
identify the effectiveness of Sustainability development. Strategic Environmental Assessment is
the procedure that is adopted by business organization to safeguard the interest of the
environment. It directs the company to completely adopt plan and process the sustainability
policies before it has been implemented. The aim of the assessment is to offer for a high level of
security of the environment and to encouraging sustainable development. This is the assessment
directives that are issue in the Europe in order to protect the environment and safeguard the non-
renewable resources. In India, Environmental Impact Assessment is taken into consideration the
objective of EIA is to recognize and assess the probable impacts be it positive or negative in the
development of the projects based on the environment (de Melo-Martín et al., 2014). The
assessment helps business organizations in the process of decision making based on the
understanding of the environmental requirements this constitutes of the social, cultural and
aesthetic values as well which could be integrated with the review of the project price and
returns. The EIA that is prepared by the company must have some of the basic following factors
such as: the quality of the air that is being impacted due to the activities of the company. The set
levels of the pollutants must not cross and steps should be initiated. The water quality should be
in check and the operations of the business must not interfere with the marine ecosystem. The
activities of the organization must not cause site and landscape depletion. The company also
should take care of the resources and the employees so that there are fewer chances of
occupational hazards, the safety and security of the employees are one of the main

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responsibilities of the organization. The company should provide with the details of the disposal
system and the treatment of waste material. It also guides the company to control the emission
from the tools and instruments used in the production and manufacturing procedure. The
assessment also guides the company in planning the transportation and safeguard of hazardous or
flammable raw material and details of material handling in a safe and secure manner
(Environmental Impact Assessment, 2017).
The government Acts as a check in India and follows certain guidelines as well but for
example: For example child labor is an issue which is still prevalent technically, child labor is a
criminal offence especially when the job includes occupational hazards, as directed by the
constitution of India. Nevertheless, child labor is popular in the country; this is a reason which is
directly related to the socio-economic challenges that the country has to face. Local governments
are often incapable and reluctant to implement national rules and regulations as the families of
the children as well as the children willfully opt to work in such situations because they have to
earn livelihood for the family (Dhanesh, 2014).
Global ethics
According to Widdows (2014), the idea of global ethics is a culmination of the various
arguments regarding the existence code of conduct or universal principles and guidelines along
with the claims about the responsibilities or obligations that are bestowed upon the individual
and organizational entities for surviving in the societal world. The author argues the value of
ethics in today’s business community. The day to day activities of any organization takes shape
and is formulated on the basis of principles, moral values and ethics as they act as a guideline for
the company. Ethics are deemed to be important and relevant for any business organization as
the future of the business depends on it, as it assists the organization build and maintain goodwill

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not only with the consumers but also in terms of the industry in which the organization is
operating (Viradiya & Thakkar 2014). This helps the company gather reputation and create a
brand identity and image that reciprocates the values and morals the company follows. In order
to shape the image of the organization ethics play an important role as the image of the
organization is very important in the way of its success. Ethical ways of proceeding with the
operations of the business is not dependent on the scale of the business o eth nature of the
industry the business is operating in. It is fundamentally related to the values that the company
follows from the time of establishment of the organization. But overall ethics is just not doing
what is right but is also doing it in a smart way. For example: if an employee of the company has
a medical situation at home related to the parents or spouse the company can come up for help in
terms of finance and moral support. This helps the company gather a reputation of care and
understanding. This support from the company’s behalf will motivate other employees as well
and it can also ensure lower rate of employee turnover in the long run (Schlosberg & Coles,
2016).
Motivation is an important concept in the organizational behavior study, in order to
maintain job satisfaction and to reduce the employee turnover ration of the company. Motivation
and encouragement of the employees are directly related to the value and ethics the management
follows. Ethical behavior from the company’s end helps develop and build loyalty among the
customers as well as the employees as well as other stakeholders of the organization there have
been instances in organizations that people leave a job because the behavior of the manager is
bad and rude. Firstly, in the professional field a person cannot behave in a bad way with any
employees whether it is a subordinate or a senior. This is the minimum ethics that should be
followed by the management (Dhanesh, 2014).

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On the contrary Stables & Keirl (2015), talks about ethics in the decision making process of the
organization. In any organization policy and decision is taken to bring about some changes or
improvements in the proceedings. This process should be backed up by the principles and the
values followed by the management. It is always backed up with what is right and what is
necessary to operate on a smart basis. An organization also has a reputation as an employer and it
is the duty and responsibility of the company to offer the employees with a work culture that is
encouraging and supportive. This ensures high performance level form the employees. While
making the policies of operation the management must take into consideration the factors which
promote job satisfaction, gender equality. The company should also consider appreciative and
engaging work culture along with the support from the management in terms of compliance and
grievances are regarded as some of the important aspect in marinating the work force of a
company (Gold et al. 2013).
Corruption is one of the main issues that are faced by an organization weather it is profit
making or government as well as individual which comes in the way of working ethically.
Taking bribe, falsification of reports and forging of any kind etc are some of the examples of the
type of corruption that an organization can face. Corruption is defined as the advantage taken or
provided in a manner which is dishonest or illegal (James & Santra, 2017).
Utilitarianism
According to Alon & Lehrer (2017), Utilitarianism, an action can be stated as moral or
good when the repercussion of the activity offers to the greater good of the people or cause that
or related to the action. This concept deals with the question or good or bad. It is a subjective

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concept because what is right to one person may be wrong to another and the understanding of
good or bad varies from person to person.
Sustainability and global ethics in India
According to the report published by the Institute for Corporate Sustainability Management
Trust, India, the term business ethics was initially used in the academic sector, it was in the US
that the term was used in the behalf of a business enterprise and with globalization the movement
had spread all over the world. Companies all over the world have taken action to mange and
direct the policies towards sustainability and global ethics in the ways that will suite the
proceedings of the company (Turnheim et al., 2015). The idea of social responsibility has over
the years have received greater response explicitly even among in the Indian companies. Both
starting form company’s guideline and principles stated by the government to the self-monitoring
notion developing among individuals. There are also companies who have willingly embraced
the monitoring of their decisions, policies and plans by independent auditors (Ferrell, 2016). The
triple bottom line models of sustainability have been adopted by many Indian companies in the
recent past mostly companies that have come up with new business ideas. Some of the
instruments used in the measurement of sustainability are: corporate environmental sustainability
reports and social audits, the two are different in the ways the content and the process of
reporting are applied to the instruments (Berkowitz et al., 2017). The report suggest that India is
an important development hub in the international market scenario but there are still some gaps
in the process of imposition and self realization and monitoring of the code of ethics in the
Indian business community. Hence, to facilitate the adoption of the code of ethics within the
Indian business community a concrete structure is required to be developed. The idea of
sustainability includes four correlated but distinct conceptual aspects that have to target at the

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same time. They are: economic sustainability, social sustainability; ecological sustainability and
ethical and human rights aspects (Developing Code of Ethics for Indian Industry, 2017).
This endeavor will enhance the attempt to create a set of guidelines and rules stating the
Code of Ethics for the Indian Industry. The principles will be laid down will be derived from
both national and international practices related to sustainability. This principles laid down as the
code of ethics is one of the revolutionary actions for the Indian business sector as there is nothing
concrete in the government in order to impose or monitor the sustainability efforts of the
companies. The Indian industry has grown with leaps and bounces since Liberalization,
Privatization and Globalization (LPG), the achievement and the scope of the Indian industry has
also lead to expansion and opportunities in the county. On the other hand, the industry has no
principles and guideline or rules set to direct the companies operating within the market in terms
of responsibility and duty realization an entity has towards the society or environment. There are
several issues and challenges that the Indian industry is facing at this point, it has been estimated
that there is going to be a shortfall in the raw material supply along with the competition from
the global players owing to the WTO agreement this is a major threat to the industry who have
enhanced access to cheaper and unrestricted supply of raw materials (Developing Code of Ethics
for Indian Industry 2017).
Players in the Indian industry like Relience, TATA, Birla etc are self monitoring
themselves and are incorporating CSR as a part of their business activities. Depending upon the
needs and requirements of the society these companies have come up with policies and strategies
to improve the standard of living of the people as well as check on the environment
(Govindarajan & Amilan, 2013).

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Indian Business scenario
Economic
sustainability
Social
sustainability
Ecological
sustainability
Ethical and human
rights concerns
Inclusive and internal growth Green growth
Socio-eco growth
Ethical growth
Conceptual framework
The Indian Industry and economic growth of the country has come to a crossroads at this
point of time. The gap that has been identified in the literature proves that there is a lack of
synchronization and monitoring in the sustainability and the code of ethics that has evolved in
the recent past. There are several industries in the Indian market that still follow the traditional
business model which only focuses on the prices and the cost and develops any kind of policies
surrounding the development of the business.
Figure: Theoretical framework of Indian Industry adopting a sustainable business model
Source: Author’s Creation

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In the above figure there are four sectors of division that has been created in order to follow the
sustainability model along with global ethical code. Firstly the economic growth of the company
is required to run the business and keep the cash flowing in to the business in order to carry out
the necessary activities of the company on a daily basis as well as in the future expansion and
growth plan. This is where the traditional business model ends, furthermore the aspects that have
been shown in the above diagram is the ones that are required to be incorporated by the
industries in India (Milne & Gray, 2013).
Social sustainability deals with the “people” aspect of the triple bottom line concept of
sustainability aforementioned. The companies in India are yet to realize their responsibility
towards the society it is also a fact that the business is directly affected by the way society
behaves, for example: if the society has the disposable income only then they will be able to
purchase the product or service the company has to offer (Ghimire, 2013).
Next, aspect is the code of ethics that companies need to incorporate in order to increase
the goodwill among the various stakeholders starting from the consumers of the goods and
services offered by the company as well as the employees of the organization. The reputation
that is build by the company based on principles and values have an impact on the industry
players as well, it is natural that other organizations within the industry or partners dealing in
business to business services. Employees of the organization set the fundamental base for the
daily operations of the business; hence Indian organizations should work towards reduction of
employee turnover with the help of incentive and motivation to promote job satisfaction and
improved conditions of work culture within the organization. This is only possible if the
company has sufficient and satisfactory employee policies maintaining the universally accepted
code of ethics (Dhanesh, 2014).

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Environmental depletion and degradation of the ecological balance is open of the greatest
threat that world is facing today; global warming is just one of the impact of the environmental
depletion. Indian industries have to realize that it is they have a duty towards the environment in
order to continue their growth as well. Adapting to environment friendly manufacturing and
production equipments should be enforced by law (Ghimire, 2013).
Hypothesis
Based on the literature review that has been conducted on the topic some of the
hypothesis that has been developed is:
Hypothesis1:
Null hypothesis: The acceptance of sustainability and global ethics among the organizations
operating in India is high
Alternate hypothesis: The acceptance of sustainability and global ethics among the
organizations operating in India is low
Null hypothesis: There should be a guideline and set of principles or a body of authority to
direct and monitor the companies operating within the geographical limits of India to abide by
the sustainable structure of business model.
Alternate hypothesis: There should not be a guideline and set of principles or a body of
authority to direct and monitor the companies operating within the geographical limits of India to
abide by the sustainable structure of business model. Rather, companies should involve in self
monitoring and

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Research Design and Evaluation methods
A research project is an organized method of investigating a topic or issue an in order to
commence on the process it is very important for the researcher to have planned and strategized
the way a research is going to flow so that it can reach a rational conclusion. This is the reason
why it is important to come up with a research design and evaluate the methods that are included
in the research process.
This research involves analysis of the data that is collected through secondary data as
well as primary data collection method. The sources of information that has been included in this
report are from journal articles, reports of related and relevant organization and authorities and e-
documents. The most relevant concepts and models related to the sustainability and global ethics
has been given importance in the study in order to understand the factors that drive a company to
adopt a new sustainable model. It has also given the researcher an idea about the factors that are
affected if the company adopts a sustainable model of business. The risks and challenges are also
evaluated in the literature from the company’s perspective. The analysis will identify the
relationship in between the variables that are associated with the topic of research. The first
variable being acceptance of the sustainable model and the other variables are the factors like
society, environment and economy being affected by this model of business.
The method of analysis that has been chosen in this report is qualitative in nature and the
approach will be descriptive and theme based as this will give a better understanding about the
role sustainability and global ethics play in the Indian context.

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Primary research
Though there is a lot of insight and information gathered from the literature that has been
reviewed in this paper. A new data will give a fresh approach to the acceptability of
sustainability and global ethics in India. For the purpose of gathering new data the researcher has
taken up the interview procedure. Six manger out of which three are taken form SMEs and three
from high turnover corporate will be taken in order to understand the diversified perspective of
the companies depending on the nature of the business as well as the scale of operation. The
questionnaire is attached in the Appendix A. Around 20 mangers of company operating in India
was selected and were asked to fill a survey from which is attached in Appendix B, the findings
of the data are also attached along with the questions. The survey has given the researcher all
over idea about the acceptance of the role of sustainability and global ethics.

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Analysis
The literature review that has been journalized in the report suggests that the traditional
view on business model is still prevalent in the Indian business environment. The information
that has been collected from the Primary research has given the researcher an idea about
sustainability and global ethics from the company’s perspective to this research. The triple
bottom line concept in the business is still a new concept. After the British has left the India the
economy was left in a very unstable condition, the country had to begin from the scratch, the
industries or businesses that was prevalent during the British Raj was only concerned about the
expansion and growth of business, after the globalization and liberalization of the economy in
1991 the Indian business environment had received a boost and the economy has come a long
way since then. Sustainability and global ethics application are yet to receive a fundamental
approach form the government as well as it has been noticed that there is a lack of guidelines and
authorities (Pastakia, 2014).
Need for sustainability: Every individual has right and hence it is justified that there are also
duties as a citizen that the individual has to implement in order to keep a balance in the society.
Similarly, with a business organization also there are certain responsibilities that have to be
fulfilled for the greater good of the factors will are indirectly related to the company or is even
not related to the company. These responsibilities are mostly self motivated and should come out
of selfless approach of a business organization. There contemporary concepts of business model
that are being recognized by many organizations which help the company keep track of their
contribution towards the environment and the society at large.

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In the traditional concept of business model the factors that was given precedence was the
price and cost of the company. This mostly dealt with the growth of the company, expansion of
the business, diversification opportunities, revenue structure, cost structure etc. The traditional
business model just focused on the well being and development of the business. But, the
contemporary structure of business model that has been discussed in the literature: triple bottom
line, suggests that the company focus on three different variables Price, People and Plant. The
concept is built around the fact that the company as an individual not only has rights on the
resources that the society and economy has to offer it also has responsibility towards them as
well. All the three aspects that has been stated in the triple bottom line concept has been given
equal importance as each of the variables play its own role in the growth and development of the
business as well as the society and environment (Cordeiro et al., 2014).
Factors affecting the sustainable approach: A business enterprise run with the help of several
stakeholders and the sustainability approach firstly impacts the stakeholders who are directly
related to the organization. For example when a person first applies to an organization for
employment he or she identifies and looks for recommendations and employee policies in the
organization. Work culture, gender equality, job satisfaction etc are some of the aspects a person
looks for in the place of work. The companies have to protect the interest of the employees as
they are the backbone of the operations that the company and are responsible for the daily
operations. The employee policies should be clear and should be on the global ethical lines like
the shift durations and the conditions of work, job site protection and health facilities, child labor
etc. In India employing child labor is a criminal offence. Employee turnover of the company is
directly related to the aspects that have been mentioned above. The companies which have
ethical code of employee policies have less employee turnover rate. Some of the points that have

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been identified as necessary for the employees are: promotion of the transparency in the
evaluation process along with proper governance, the employees also expect to reduce corruption
within the organization, protection of health interest of the employees, reduction in malpractices
and increased motivation in terms of appreciation and encouragement (Handbook on Corporate
Social Responsibility in India, 2017).
Another factor that is affected by the ethical model is the partners and other business
organizations that deal with each other. If a company is infamous for being unethical in the
industry then it will be difficult for the business to run as the partners or the third parties who are
associated with the business will be unwilling to work with the origination. Goodwill is a direct
response to sustainable business model and it is very important for a business organization to
have a good reputation in order to run a business.
Environment is the biggest concern of this millennium and the companies have to release
the role they are playing in the degradation and depletion of the environmental resources.
Industries have factories and manufacturing units which dispose waste and generate pollutants
into the atmosphere which are harmful for the environment, there are also companies who dump
wastes in the water bodies which make the marine ecosystem unstable and give rise to the
depletion of the flora and fauna. The triple bottom line concept suggest that the environment is
one of the most important factor that a company has to take care of while building a business
model as the resources used by several industries are directly or indirectly received from the
environment. For example if a company is involved in cutting down trees to get space for the
construction of the office space it should ensure that it after completion construction it should
plant equal or more amount of trees.

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Society is another factor that is impacted with the sustainable model of business. There
are no negative consequences if the companies do not involve in community service or societal
development but it definitely adds to the recognition and the reputation of the business. For small
or medium scale business unit that employee a proactive planning structure to offer aid to the
society usually gather appreciation in terms of benefits of favorable publicity, reputation and
integrity as well as recognition in the industry that it operates in.
Involvement of the Indian Industry in sustainable business model: Periodic internal and external
audits as well as legal enforceability status. It has been seen that employing sustainable and eco-
friendly method of operation in the business can be a little expensive for companies who do not
have a large turnover. The scope of such industries in incorporating the triple bottom line is
difficult. In India some SMEs even involve goals in their business plans for recycling, reusing,
reduction of waste, reduced consumption of energy by using energy efficient appliances as well
as contributing to local charities. Identifying the fact that the enterprises as well as its employees
are the members of a community and it has a responsibility to be constructive contribution
towards the overall betterment and improvement of the society and to safeguard the environment
is the ethical consideration of a business unit. Corporate giants like Tata group, ITC group,
ONGC etc in India have taken up several Corporate Social Responsibility actions that show the
company’s view on the responsibility they accept. CSR is the strategies and policies that are
undertaken by a company in order to serve the society and environment without any expectation
of return on investment (Sarkis et al., 2013).
Corporate Social Responsibility: In India there are several corporate who have been in the
industry for long. The companies indulge in social work and recognize the responsibility they
have towards the society and the environment. A report indicate that there has been an increased

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rate of CSR operations among the Indian Industries and the companies are accepting the triple
bottom line concept and are making the society and environment a priority over the expansion or
growth of the company itself. Mahindra and Mahindra, TATA group are the top the list of
companies that engage in CSR activities. Statistics show that there is a rise in sustainability and
CSR activities in India but the companies that are in the list are the multinational or public sector
companies who have the resources or means to conduct a CSR activities and take up the mantel
of the Triple bottom line concept of sustainability (Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility
in India, 2017). Bharat Petroleum is the new company in the list where as there are four Tata
group companies in the top 10 list. There are also several healthcare and public sector companies
in the list of industries that indulge in CSR activities in India, although there are no foreign
companies in India that are in the top 10 list of CSR activities in India (Halpern et al. 2013).
Legal amenities in the corporate social responsibilities: The Indian Government has fixed
an amount of 20,000 cores to be involved in CSR activities; this has been initiated by The
Ministry of Company Affairs. The modification in the Schedule VII of the Companies Act
promotes and drives those business organizations who have a net value of US$73 million (Rs
4.96 billion) or more, or an the yearly turnover of the companies who have US$146 million (Rs
9.92 billion) or more, or a net profit of US$732,654 (Rs 50 million) or more during a financial
year, should allocate 2 percent of average net profits of three financial years towards sustainable
efforts or CSR activities promoting global ethics as well. According to the draft that was drawn
of the company’s act in 2009, the clause which stated corporate social responsibility was deemed
to be voluntary on the part of the company although it was compulsory for enterprises to disclose
the amount of the profit that they were spending in the context of sustainability and global ethics
(Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility in India, 2017). The Act also made it compulsory

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for the corporate to have at least one female board member. The conclusions of this act lead to an
enhanced requirement of professionals and managers who are expert in the field of sustainability
and global ethics (Henriques & Richardson, 2013).

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Conclusion
The idea of sustainability and global ethics inclusion in the business industry is not
contemporary; taking responsibility is a state of understanding and mutual benefits that every
individual should posses. The economy of India is still in a phase where is developing and this
allows a lot of opportunities in terms of sustainable growth push form the corporate who have the
means and resources to drive the endeavor. There is an increased rate of acceptance of the
responsibility that lies in the shoulder of the business units that operate in India. But the gap and
issue that has been identified in the process is that the legislation and the jurisdiction regarding
the sustainable growth and global ethics enforcement are low in the country. There is a
requirement of a strict authoritative body as well as moderating guidelines to direct companies
who are not in the high turnover section. There are thousands of business unit in India who also
have the means and can take responsibility of the duties they have towards the society and the
environment as they also take form the society and the environment. The prospect that has been
identified after implementation of the sustainable business model is a staggering growth in the
level of goodwill both among the internal as well as external stakeholders of the company. The
goodwill of a company is regarded as an asset and helps in the long run development and
expansion of business.

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Appendix
AInterview questions:
Q1. Are you aware of the SDG set by the UN? Is your company following the guidelines set by
the United Nations in the SDG?
Q2. What are the types of sustainability policies that are undertaken by the company?
Q3. What are the policies and decisions that are taken by the company which is at par with the
interest of the employees as well as other stakeholders of the company?
Q4. To what extent does the organization encourage transparency?
Q5. What is the employee turnover ration of the company as per the last financial year?
Q6. What percentage of the profit is involved in CSR activities?
Q7. What does the company do in order to uphold the human rights of the employees?
Q8. To what extent does the company conform to the relevant laws and regulations regarding
sustainability and global ethics?
Q9. How does the company deal with crisis situations?
Q10. Do you think there should be a regulatory board in India to monitor the CSR activities as
well as sustainability of the company?

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B. Survey questions and findings in pie chart
Q1. Does your company follow the contemporary business
model?
Yes
No
Q2. Do you have a professional to look after CSR activities of the
company?
Yes
No
Q3. Are you aware of the SDG of the UN?
Yes
No
25%
75%
Yes
No
30%
70%
Yes
No
40%
60%
Yes
No
Total vote: 20
Total vote: 20
Total vote: 20

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Q4. Do you think there should be rules and regulations
surrounding sustainability and global ethics in India?
Yes
No
Q5. Is there a need for a governing body to look after the CSR activities of the companies?
Yes
No
Q6. Should CSR be compulsory for all companies operating in
India?
Yes
No
Q7. Does your company have a CSR or sustainability agenda?
Yes
30%
70%
Yes
No
80%
20%
Yes
No
20%
80%
Yes
No
35%
65%
Yes
No
Total vote: 20
Total vote: 20
Total vote: 20

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No
Q8. How important do you think sustainability and global ethics is in
a business environment?
Very important
Important
Not important 25%
60%
15% Very
Important
Not
Important
Important
Total vote: 20
Total vote: 20