CSR and Corporate Governance

The "Boardroom" Under the Neem Tree Last Tuesday, I sat in an FPO meeting in a village 40km from Koraput. Twelve farmers—directors of a registered company—discussing their overdue filings. Suddenly, a director’s phone rang. A local trader was offering ₹1,850 for paddy. Cash. Spot pickup. The director stood up, apologized, and left the meeting. Three others followed him. The Secretary looked at me and said, "Sir, this is why we can’t compete." That moment explains the crisis of Indian Agriculture better than any government report. On paper, we celebrate 10,000 new FPOs and ₹5,000 Cr turnover. The ground reality? 🚨 32.8% are "Active Non-Compliant" (teetering on collapse). 🚨 65% haven't filed financial reports. We haven’t created 10,000 businesses. We’ve created 10,000 legal entities that are legally alive but operationally comatose. Why? 1. The Liquidity Trap: A small farmer cannot eat a balance sheet. The FPO pays in 15 days. The trader pays in 15 minutes. Cash always wins. 2. The Compliance Monster: We forced simple farmers into a Pvt Ltd structure. I see FPOs spending more on CA fees than they make in profit. But there is a fix. In Kandhamal, I’ve seen a model that works. It’s not about "aggregation"—it’s about "Synchronized Production." And it’s increasing incomes by 80%. I wrote a deep dive on Medium diagnosing the failure and offering the "Odisha Blueprint" to fix it. Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/gTw7P2z5 Have you seen FPOs winning this battle? Or is the trader still king? #Agriculture #FPO #RuralIndia #AgriBusiness #Economics #Odisha

Happy New Year! I’m very pleased to share our first paper of 2026, an interdisciplinary collaboration across the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment, published in Science Magazine “Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the Milieudefensie v. Shell case” , with Simon Dietz, Catherine Higham, Tiffanie Chan, Noah Walker-Crawford, and Frank Venmans As climate litigation increasingly targets corporate conduct, courts are being asked to translate global climate science into concrete, enforceable legal obligations for individual companies. Our paper examines why this translation has proven difficult—and how it can be improved. 🔍 Key insights from the paper: Courts have relied on integrated assessment models (IAMs) to set binding climate obligations for governments, but remain hesitant to apply the same scientific tools to individual corporations. The Shell appeal judgment exposes a growing gap between global climate goals and company-level legal standards, particularly for scope 3 emissions. Contrary to the court’s concerns, peer-reviewed methods already exist to derive sectoral and corporate emissions pathways consistent with the Paris Agreement. We outline practical ways forward for courts and policymakers, including: - Using ranges of emissions reductions rather than single figures - Drawing on sectoral pathways and marginal abatement cost evidence - Defining minimum legal standards, such as at least requiring disclosure against credible methodologies The implications go beyond litigation: the same challenges arise as regulators embed climate transition planning into law across the EU, UK, Australia, and beyond. 📄 You can access the final published article here (free e-print, limited number of uses): 👉 https://lnkd.in/eZBxFqu4 Please DM me if you can't open the full paper. #ClimateLitigation #ClimateLaw #CorporateAccountability #ScienceBasedTargets #ClimateGovernance #EnergyTransition #PolicyForum

“A brilliant VP offended a Japanese client without realizing it.” The meeting room in Tokyo was a masterpiece of minimalism—soft tatami mats, the faint scent of green tea, walls so silent you could hear the gentle hum of the air conditioner. The Vice President, sharp suit, confident smile, walked in ready to impress. His presentation was flawless, numbers airtight, strategy compelling. But then came the smallest of gestures—the moment that shifted everything. He pulled out his business card… and handed it to the Japanese client with one hand. The client froze. His lips curved into a polite smile, but his eyes flickered. He accepted the card quickly, almost stiffly. A silence, subtle but heavy, filled the room. The VP thought nothing of it. But what he didn’t know was this: in Japanese culture, a business card isn’t just paper. It’s an extension of the person. Offering it casually, with one hand, is seen as careless—even disrespectful. By the end of the meeting, the energy had shifted. The strategy was strong, but the connection was fractured. Later, over coffee, the VP turned to me and said quietly: “I don’t get it. The meeting started well… why did it feel like I lost them halfway?” That was his vulnerability—brilliance in business, but blind spots in culture. So, I stepped in. I trained him and his leadership team on cross-cultural etiquette—the invisible codes that make or break global deals. • In Japan: exchange business cards with both hands, take a moment to read the card, and treat it with respect. • In the Middle East: never use your left hand for greetings. • In Europe: being two minutes late might be forgiven in Paris, but never in Zurich. These aren’t trivial details. They are currencies of respect. The next time he met the client, he bowed slightly, held the business card with both hands, and said: “It’s an honor to work with you.” The client’s smile was different this time—warm, genuine, approving. The deal, once slipping away, was back on track. 🌟 Lesson: In a global world, etiquette is not optional—it’s currency. You can have the best strategy, the sharpest numbers, the brightest slides—but if you don’t understand the human and cultural nuances, you’ll lose the room before you know it. Great leaders don’t just speak the language of business. They speak the language of respect. #CrossCulturalCommunication #ExecutivePresence #SoftSkills #GlobalLeadership #Fortune500 #CulturalIntelligence #Boardroom #BusinessEtiquette #LeadershipDevelopment #Respect

A bold move to outsmart fraudsters. Australia's new Scams Prevention Framework Bill is set to redefine consumer protection. The Australian Parliament today (13 Feb 2025) passed The Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2025. It establishes a comprehensive legislative framework to safeguard Australian consumers and small business operators against scams. This modernises and amends existing laws, such as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, to ensure that designated sectors (including banking, insurance, and communications) implement robust measures to prevent, detect, report, disrupt, and respond to scams. Key points include: - The introduction of stringent governance requirements, obliging regulated entities to develop, document, and annually certify policies, procedures, metrics, and targets specifically for scam prevention and response. - A multifaceted approach that covers every stage of a scam – from early detection of actionable intelligence to the timely disruption of fraudulent activities – with clearly defined civil penalty provisions for non‐compliance. - Designation of regulated sectors and to establishing sector‐specific codes (SPF codes) that set tailored standards for service providers, ensuring that consumer protection measures are fit for purpose. - Extended protection for natural persons and small business operators both within Australia and, in some cases, overseas, ensuring comprehensive coverage regardless of geographical location. - Provisions for safe harbour, which shield organisations from liability when taking proportionate, good-faith actions to disrupt suspected scams, provided they act promptly and in line with the legislative guidelines. Thoughts? How will your organisation update its risk management to meet new obligations and protect consumers against evolving scams? ____ 📥 Save for later ✍️ Add your comments below ♻️ Reshare if this was helpful

A recent lawsuit filed by an Apple employee against the company highlights the risks of mishandling Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. The employee claims the tech giant monitored personal devices and iCloud accounts, sparking privacy and legal concerns. It's a stark reminder that allowing personal devices at work requires a carefully crafted policy that balances company needs with employee rights. Here's how to do it right: 1. Respect Employee Privacy: Employees deserve to feel secure about their personal information. Clearly define what data the company can access and avoid overly invasive monitoring or wiping personal data unless absolutely necessary. 2. Prioritize Data Security: Ensure all devices accessing company data are equipped with encryption, strong passwords, and regular updates. Outline clear steps for reporting lost or stolen devices to minimize the risk of breaches. 3. Define Ownership: Specify what happens to company data when an employee leaves. A "remote wipe" provision can protect proprietary information while ensuring personal data is untouched. 4. Foster Awareness: Policies only work when people understand them. Train employees on the importance of safeguarding company data and their responsibilities under the policy. 5. Comply with the Law: Legal compliance is non-negotiable. Make sure your BYOD policy aligns with state and federal privacy laws and is reviewed by an employment lawyer to avoid potential lawsuits. BYOD is a win-win when done right. A well thought out policy protects your business and fosters trust—but only if you're clear up front about boundaries.

Which is stronger in your workplace: Organisational Culture or National Culture? And how do you make them work together? 🤔 Cross-cultural management research suggests that national culture runs deeper than organisational culture, especially under pressure. Why? Because national values are acquired in childhood and become embedded in the subconscious mind, while corporate values are learned later in life and are consciously adopted. When we join a company, we don’t leave our national identity at the door. We carry it into every meeting. So you can train an employee to follow a corporate practice (e.g., “speak up in meetings”). But if their cultural wiring teaches that contradicting a boss is disrespectful, they will likely feel deep psychological discomfort. It is not easy to integrate the organisational culture on the wall with the national culture in the hall. But a strong company culture has many benefits. It can create a shared language and set of behaviours that allow diverse people to work together, even if their underlying values are different. So how do you strengthen your corporate culture without suppressing the behaviours, values, and mindsets that diversity brings? Here are 3 steps to start with, so these two dynamics work WITH each other, not against each other: 1️⃣ Make your culture a dialogue - Invite employees from different cultures to share how the company’s values show up in their context. You might be surprised how “respect,” “authority,” or “fairness” can look different across cultures. 2️⃣ Translate values into practices - Since values are interpreted differently across cultures, focus on creating a specific shared set of behaviours and practices that allow people with different underlying values to collaborate as one team. 3️⃣ Align goals, adapt execution - Align everyone around the same strategy and goals, but give local teams the freedom to achieve them in their own ways. The goal is consistency in direction, not in how the work is done. Which one do you see more often in your workplace: national culture or organisational culture? And how does your organisation balance corporate belonging with cultural differences? #GlobalMindsets #CulturalIntelligence #GlobalOrganisations  

Most companies lose their soul when their founders leave. Costco didn’t. In her recent Harvard Business Review article, Zeynep Ton explains why. Zeynep Ton, who has spent decades studying frontline excellence and operational integrity, shows how cofounder Jim Sinegal embedded his convictions so deeply into Costco’s DNA that they have guided a company and its culture through multiple generations of leaders. At the heart of that legacy is Costco’s Code of Ethics, deliberately ordered to clarify priorities: 1. Obey the law 2. Take care of customers 3. Take care of employees 4. Respect suppliers 5. Reward shareholders Sinegal’s genius was a set of convictions turned into systems: discipline around pricing, investment in people, simplicity in operations, and a relentless commitment to “doing the right thing” because everyone is watching. Even as competitors chased trends, Costco stayed anchored. That discipline built trust with customers, employees, and shareholders alike, and produced long-term results most companies only dream of: 93% renewal rates, industry-leading retention, and decades of market-beating returns. In my own work, I often see organizations wrestle with the same challenge: how to sustain greatness when the founder is no longer in the room. Culture is transmitted through clarity, consistency, and teaching by example. Like Costco, enduring organizations translate values into operating choices: who they promote, what they measure, what trade-offs they refuse to make, and how leaders behave when no one’s looking. Sinegal’s story teaches us that leadership continuity is as much about succession plans as it is about conviction continuity. When values become embedded in daily routines and reinforced by structure, they can outlast any one person. That’s the true mark of a “good job” strategy, using Zeynep Ton's words, and of a great company. What’s one non-negotiable conviction in your organization that has stood the test of leadership transitions? #Leadership #Culture #HBR #Costco #GoodJobsStrategy #Impact #EthicalLeadership #OperationalExcellence #Learning https://lnkd.in/eZ5rMSmg

The Gensol-BluSmart Saga: A Blueprint for Rebuilding Trust in India’s Corporate Ecosystem The collapse of Gensol Engineering and BluSmart Mobility isn’t just a corporate scandal—it’s a clarion call for systemic reform. With ₹978 crore in diverted loans, an 85% stock plunge, and 6,000+ EVs grounded, this case exposes critical gaps in governance. But within every crisis lies an opportunity to learn. Let’s transform lessons into action. The Problem: Governance Failures in Numbers ₹262 crore unaccounted: Funds meant for EVs diverted to luxury apartments (₹42.94 crore) and promoter-linked entities. 45% of Nifty 500 independent directors have promoter ties (SEBI, 2024), enabling unchecked decisions. 32% of large corporate loans (>₹100 crore) show fund diversion (RBI, 2024). Result: Investors lost ₹4,300 crore in market cap. Employees faced operational paralysis. Public trust eroded. The Solution: Two Innovations for Accountability and stronger corporate governance 1️⃣ Independent Directors Appointed by an Independent Body Issue: Promoter-influenced boards lack objectivity. Fix: A SEBI-regulated panel to allocate directors via sector expertise + randomized selection. Impact: Could have flagged Gensol’s ₹262 crore gap early. 2️⃣ Mandatory Nominee Directors for PSU Loans >₹100 Crore Issue: IREDA/PFC loans misused without oversight. Fix: Nominees with veto power to block suspicious spends (e.g., ₹50 crore routed to shell firms). Impact: IIM-A study shows nominee directors cut fraud by 27%. The Bigger Picture Investors: Lost ₹4,300 crore in market cap in Gensol. Employees: BluSmart’s operational collapse left thousands stranded. Public Trust: Every diverted rupee undermines India’s growth narrative. “Corporate governance is not a compliance exercise – it is the foundation of sustainable value creation.” Let’s transform this moment into a movement for stronger, ethical governance. 💼✨ Your thoughts? How can we collectively drive these reforms forward? ______________________________ CAGlobal - Corporate चाणक्य Professionals: Advocate for ethical frameworks, to embed governance into corporate DNA Integrity is everything, join us in ~50k growing entrepreneurs' community RisingIndia उभरता भारत

Why Are Thousands of FPOs Still Struggling? Having engaged with multiple Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across regions, I must say forming an FPO was never the challenge it’s sustaining them with purpose and vision that has proved difficult. In the early years, FPOs often became vehicles for channeling government subsidies, loans, and grants. Many individuals were eager to work on paperwork and proposals, but lacked a long term, market oriented mindset. Instead of studying market intelligence, collaborating, or planning crops strategically, most FPOs became overly dependent on government support often forgetting that subsidies come from the hard-earned money of Indian taxpayers. Some of the core reasons behind the stagnation: Leadership Vacuum: Most FPOs lack trained CEOs or professional directors who can think like entrepreneurs. Their role often ends at compliance and documentation. Lack of Ownership: Ground-level farmer participation is often symbolic. Decisions are top-down, which weakens collective ownership and engagement. Weak Market Linkages: Reliance on local traders and mandis without exploring digital or institutional buyers restricts growth and bargaining power. Funding Gaps: Banks and NBFCs hesitate to finance low-turnover FPOs, especially without collateral or a sustainable model in place. Training Deficit: There’s little structured training in business development, branding, digital tools, or even basic compliance. Innovation Fatigue: Most FPOs avoid risk sticking to traditional crops with no move towards value addition, processing, or direct to consumer models. CBBO Disconnect: While Cluster-Based Business Organizations were meant to mentor and handhold, many are either absent on the ground or limited to documentation. To bring real change, we need a fundamental shift in approach: Intensive training and mentoring of CEOs and Boards Stronger market and finance linkages Greater co-ownership and accountability among member farmers Focus on product innovation, value addition, and brand-building India’s 40,000+ FPOs hold massive potential to transform the agricultural economy but only if we invest in people, not just paperwork. Let’s stop forming FPOs to tick boxes. Let’s build enterprises that don’t just survive, but thrive restoring faith in the cooperative movement and empowering real change on the ground. Our NGO Astittva Welfare Foundation Worked with multiple implementing agencies and CBBOs in over 5 states, supporting grassroots-level FPO formation, training, and long-term ecosystem building but the success is still a distant dream baring few ones . #Farmerproducercompany #Cooperation #cooperatives