Remember ME - You Me and Dementia

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Social Accountability: A Practical Guide to Implement Code of Conduct

A first of its kind book is making waves in the global space of corporate social responsibility. Written by Rajesh Chhabara, one of the most eminent CSR experts in Asia, the book has sold in over 30 countries following its launch early this year. The book has received global attention from corporate responsibility fraternity and favorable reviews in regional and international media.

Global supply chain of large multinational retailers, especially big-ticket fashion brands, has attracted severe criticism over the years by activists around the world for large scale human rights violations, child labor, unacceptable working conditions, violations of workers’ rights and environmental damage. Under pressure from NGOs, global brands initiated social accountability program throughout their supply chain a decade ago. However, making a good progress remained and still is a challenge. Part of the problem is attributed to a lack of education, training and information about implementation of social accountability principles. Rajesh’s book addresses this problem by offering a concise, easy to understand and ‘all under one roof’ guide. His book, the first on the subject, meets a long felt worldwide need of global supply chain for a reliable source of information to help implement social accountability code of conduct.

Apart from corporate responsibility professionals, prominent business schools and universities are taking a keen interest in the book. Corporate Social Responsibility is the hottest business subject worldwide debating the role of business in community as well as the consequences of irresponsible behavior of business in particular on workplace health and safety, human and workers’ rights, rights of local communities, sustainable development, environment protection and climate change. However, there is a worrying absence of literature on the subject. Rajesh’s book fills this gap by offering a useful insight into one of the most challenging aspects of corporate responsibility- the global supply chain.

This book aims to help implement supplier codes of conduct in the following sectors: apparel, textile, leather, footwear, sports goods, toys and hard-goods. It is in particular useful for factory owners and managers, social accountability managers, social accountability auditors and monitors, human resource managers, consultants, code of conduct professionals, importers, buying agents, sourcing organizations, researchers, NGOs, unions and students and anyone interested in corporate social responsibility.

Among other things, the book tells how to pass a code of conduct audit, how to avoid common mistakes, how to introduce best practices, how to create various compliance manuals, how to establish compliance systems, how to pass a C-TPAT audit, how to audit and monitor a factory as well as home-based production, how to deal with labor unions and how to establish a product safety system.

This book is structured in a simple, easy to understand and user friendly format. It includes most commonly found violations as well as best practices at the end of each relevant chapter. Factories will find it extremely useful as they can take corrective actions and significantly reduce chances of failing an audit by buyers. Knowing best practices will help in moving from mere compliance toward management excellence.

About the Author
Rajesh Chhabara is a Corporate Social Responsibility specialist with a diverse experience of 15 years in private and nonprofit sectors in Asia. He has an extensive experience in supply chain audit in a range of industries including clothing, textile, footwear, leather, toys, printing, electronics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, coffee and tea plantations, call centers and beverages.
Currently a freelance CSR consultant based in Singapore, he advises a variety of clients on sustainability, CSR strategy, communication, reporting, stakeholder engagement, certifications, risk management, management systems and training. He is a certified SA 8000 Lead Auditor. His experience includes stints with leading media houses in India, Unicef and Gap Inc.
More information about his book Social Accountability can be found at : www.socialaccountabilityhandbook.com

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

No comments: