Global Organisations and SME in India: A Comparative Study of Sustainability Initiatives

Sustainability has become a mandatory strategy for survival on the planet. Sustainable development is an imperative for survival and growth for nations, peoples and the organisations. The study embraces the sustainability initiatives of Global and Small/Medium enterprises (SME) working in India. Data was collected for the study using a questionnaire. Mid-senior level executives were contacted for their take on sustainability initiatives by their organisations in India. The responses were collected both from globally operating organisations and SME in India. The summarised data was analysed to arrive at the conclusions. The study indicates that global organisations are operating at global scale in corporate sustainability programs for competitive advantage, to mitigate risk, for building a brand, and to regulate the complexity of global supply chains for business growth to ensure an enhanced market share/customer growth. The SMEs in India are found at a nascent stage with respect to sustainability and are only involved in activities necessary for their survival. Incorporating sustainability initiatives in the business practices of SME will need awareness and policy frame. On the other hand, the global organisations have a long way to go to create appreciable impact on the planet via their sustainability efforts. However, changes of responsible product, processes and global supply chain designs are being incorporated in their culture. These initiatives will need further push through governance and policy announcements at a regional and country level for far reaching impact. And for emerging countries like India they can be leaders in sustainability efforts for other Indian organisations particularly SME to follow sustainability based practices.