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Dr N.D. Desai, Chairman of Apar Industries Ltd, Mumbai, speaking at the inauguration of an international conference on ‘Better business practices for sustainable social change’ at Nitte in Udupi district on Monday.

Our Bureau

Nitte (Udupi), Dec. 29 Business and social work should have limited partnership to tackle poverty, oppression, diseases and other human crisis, according to Dr Ram A. Cnaan, Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Education, School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of the three-day international conference on ‘Better business practices for sustainable social change’, organised by the Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management at Nitte in Udupi district on Monday, he said even before the current financial meltdown many people in the world lived in horrible conditions and suffered from numerous social problems.

With the current economic crisis, the scope for those falling into poverty and a life full of uncertainties and misery will expand both in the developing and developed countries. It is a challenge to find ways to ameliorate pain and suffering and find creative solutions to human needs.

In such a situation, two worlds – business and social work – should develop a limited partnership by which the resource of business and the expertise of social work are jointly harnessed to tackle poverty, oppression, diseases and other human crisis.

Stating that there are lot of abilities in these two worlds, Dr Cnaan said business has a tradition of accumulating resources and employing people as means to meet the human needs, and social work has developed numerous methods to assist people in need, he said.

Inaugurating the conference, Dr N.D. Desai, Chairman of Apar Industries Ltd, Mumbai, said better business practices mean a thorough self-examination of standards of ethics, working culture, transparency and best practices in governance. Better business practices involve good portion of training to fresh entrants to the company. He said that one cannot forget the principles and basics which have built up the company or organisation and the roots which have given strength to the super structure. “We should pass on best legacy to the next generation,” Dr Desai said.

Dr N.K. Thingalaya, Chairman of the Academic Council of the Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management, said the world is facing the current financial crisis because of the unethical practices of some corporate giants in the recent past. The conference is timely as it focuses on better business practices, he said.

Earlier, Dr M.S. Moodithaya, Director of the institute, welcomed the gathering.

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