Commercial Microfinance and Social Responsibility: A Critique

Working within the logic of maximising investor returns, the strategic focus of Indian microfinance institutions seems to have shifted from serving the poor borrowers to chasing profits. The commercial transformation of MFIs has been accompanied by changes in the structure of ownership, management and nature of their stakeholder commitment. This essay discusses some of the critical inadequacies in the approaches advocated and currently practised by the commercial MFIs in order to restore the sector’s focus on poor borrowers.commercial microfinance; social responsibility; India

Binding stakeholders into moral communities: A review of studies on social responsibility of business

This paper revisits the issue of business social responsibility with a view to reiterate its relevance in the contemporary scenario characterised by an overarching presence of private businesses and blurring of the barriers between not-for-profit and for-profit enterprises. The paper reviews the evolution of major theoretical positions of business social responsibility to demonstrate how the basic understanding of the term traversed through time and alongside changes in forms of business organisation and interpretations of the morality of private property. It draws on stakeholding and social contract theories to underscore the moral and social responsibility of businesses to broaden their vision beyond profit and stakeholder value.social responsibility, stakeholder, social contract, moral communities

Commercial Microfinance and Social Responsibility: A Critique

Working within the logic of maximising investor returns, the strategic focus of Indian microfinance institutions seems to have shifted from serving the poor borrowers to chasing profits. The commercial transformation of MFIs has been accompanied by changes in the structure of ownership, management and nature of their stakeholder commitment. This essay discusses some of the critical inadequacies in the approaches advocated and currently practised by the commercial MFIs in order to restore the sector’s focus on poor borrowers

Prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients attending tertiary care centre Ernakulam

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an irreversible bronchial inflammation of lung airways and parenchyma. Various factors play an important role in occurrence and severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a common in severe COPD. The objective of the study is to know the proportion of PAH in patients with severe COPD and to find the association between various factors.Methods: 180 cases of severe COPD patients admitted in Government Medical College Ernakulum from January 2019-December 2019, were enrolled into this cross-sectional descriptive study. Subject’s history, clinical examination, anthropometric measurements, vitals, Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) analysis were done.Results: Among 180 subjects, 148 (82.22%) had mild PAH, 22 (12.22%) subjects had moderate PAH and 10 (5.56%) had severe PAH. Use of accessory muscle was the most elicited sign in the study with 174 (96.67%). 170 (94.44%) had cough and 169 (93.89%) had breathlessness which were the most reported symptoms. Demographic variables and clinical features had no significant mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) association. Grade 3 PAH groups were elder than others, which was statistically significant (p<0.047). FEV1, Oxygen Saturation and ejection fraction were lowest in grade 3 PAH subjects. Respiratory rate, hemoglobin, PCV, tricuspid velocity, PaCO2 were highest in grade 3 PAH subjects being statistically significant (p<0.0001).Conclusions: In our study, majority of severe COPD patients had mild PAH.  There was an independent correlation between respiratory rate, hemoglobin, PCV, tricuspid regurgitant velocity and PaCO2 with severity of PAH

Binding stakeholders into moral communities: A review of studies on social responsibility of business

This paper revisits the issue of business social responsibility with a view to reiterate its relevance in the contemporary scenario characterised by an overarching presence of private businesses and blurring of the barriers between not-for-profit and for-profit enterprises. The paper reviews the evolution of major theoretical positions of business social responsibility to demonstrate how the basic understanding of the term traversed through time and alongside changes in forms of business organisation and interpretations of the morality of private property. It draws on stakeholding and social contract theories to underscore the moral and social responsibility of businesses to broaden their vision beyond profit and stakeholder value

Implications of GATT-94 on exports of Indian agro-processing firms

In the background of controversy on the prospective effect of GATT-94 on exports from the Indian agro-processing firms, this paper seeks to achieve mainly four objectives: (i)To analyse the perceptions of agro-based firms about the effect of GATT-94 on their business performance, particularly the exports, (ii) To analyse the determinants of competitiveness as perceived by the entrepreneurs of agro-processing firms in the aftermath of GATT-94, (iii) To find out the strategies planned by them to exploit the opportunities or cope up with the challenges arising out of GATT-94 and (iv) To discuss the obstacles to exports faced by the agro processing firms and suggest specific measures to address the same

Implications of GATT-94 on exports of Indian agro-processing firms

In the background of controversy on the prospective effect of GATT-94 on exports from the Indian agro-processing firms, this paper seeks to achieve mainly four objectives: (i)To analyse the perceptions of agro-based firms about the effect of GATT-94 on their business performance, particularly the exports, (ii) To analyse the determinants of competitiveness as perceived by the entrepreneurs of agro-processing firms in the aftermath of GATT-94, (iii) To find out the strategies planned by them to exploit the opportunities or cope up with the challenges arising out of GATT-94 and (iv) To discuss the obstacles to exports faced by the agro processing firms and suggest specific measures to address the same

Phasing out of Multi-fibre Arrangement: implications for the Indian garment exporting firms

The study suggests that the entrepreneurs in the Indian clothing industry is all set to take on the challenges and opportunities created by the signing of the GATT-94's Final Act by the Government of India. Small and medium enterprises in the industry are confident about their inherent competitive advantage that would facilitate greater market penetration. Yet, they realize that China, Pakistan and Bangladesh would emerge as major rivals in the global market along with multinationals.They have serious doubt about the distribution of actual gains during the transition period as they view the process and pace of integration envisaged in the GATT-94 Agreement as disproportionately biased towards the developed countries. The pattern of phasing out of MFA would practically deprive them of their access to real benefits. Similarly, along with the disappearances of the restrictive regime of quotas, they see the possibility of new types of barriers emerging in future. It is this uncertainty, which spreads over the optimism of Indian firms in the garment sector like a layer of mist that needs attention in the policy making fora

Supporting adolescent girls to stay in school, reduce child marriage and reduce entry into sex work as HIV risk prevention in north Karnataka, India: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Low caste adolescent girls living in rural northern Karnataka are at increased risk of school drop-out, child marriage, and entry into sex-work, which enhances their vulnerability to HIV, early pregnancy and adverse maternal and child health outcomes. This protocol describes the evaluation of Samata, a comprehensive, multi-level intervention designed to address these structural drivers of HIV risk and vulnerability. METHODS/DESIGN: The Samata study is a cluster randomised controlled trial that will be conducted in eighty village clusters (40 intervention; 40 control) in Bijapur and Bagalkot districts in northern Karnataka. The intervention seeks to reach low caste girls and their families; adolescent boys; village communities; high school teachers and school governing committees; and local government officials. All low caste (scheduled caste/tribe) adolescent girls attending 7th standard (final year of primary school) will be recruited into the study in two consecutive waves, one year apart. Girls (n = 2100), their families (n = 2100) and school teachers (n = 650) will be interviewed at baseline and at endline. The study is designed to assess the impact of the intervention on four primary outcomes: the proportion of low caste girls who (i) enter into secondary school; (ii) complete secondary school; (iii) marry before age 15; and (iv) engage in sex before age 15. Observers assessing the outcomes will be blinded to group assignment. The primary outcome will be an adjusted, cluster-level intention to treat analysis, comparing outcomes in intervention and control villages at follow-up. We will also conduct survival analyses for the following secondary outcomes: marriage, sexual debut, pregnancy and entry into sex work. Complementary monitoring and evaluation, qualitative and economic research will be used to explore and describe intervention implementation, the pathways through which change occurs, and the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. DISCUSSION: This is an innovative trial of a comprehensive intervention to improve the quality of life and reduce HIV vulnerability among marginalised girls in northern Karnataka. The findings will be of interest to programme implementers, policy makers and evaluation researchers working in the development, education, and sexual and reproductive health fields. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT01996241 . 16th November 2013

Understanding the Relationship Between Female Sex Workers and Their Intimate Partners: Lessons and Initial Findings From Participatory Research in North Karnataka, South India.

While traditional HIV prevention programs with female sex workers (FSWs) in Karnataka, India, have focused on reducing HIV transmission between FSWs and clients through increased condom use, these programs have not fully addressed the transmission risk between FSWs and their nonpaying intimate partners (IPs). Condom use is infrequent and violence is recurrent in these relationships: Furthermore, there is little evidence on the precise nature of FSW-IP relationships. Our study addresses this knowledge gap to inform HIV programs targeted at FSWs. A series of workshops, using participatory tools, was held to explore FSW-IP relationships; 31 FSWs and 37 IPs participated. Three aspects of FSW-IP relationships were examined: how FSWs and IPs understand and interpret their relationships, factors influencing condom use, and the role of violence and its consequences. FSWs wish to be perceived as their IPs' wives, while IPs expect their FSW partners to accept their dominance in the relationship. Nonuse of condoms signals fidelity and elevates the status of the relationship almost to that of marriage, which helps FSWs enter the category of "good" (married) women. Tolerating and accepting violence in these relationships is normative, as in other marital relationships; IPs justify violence as necessary to establish and maintain their power within the relationship. Both FSWs and IPs value their relationships despite the high degree of risk posed by low condom use and high levels of violence. Implications for program design include addressing current norms around masculinity and gender roles, and improving communication within relationships