Institute Social Responsibility by Going Green- A Study at KLS Institute of Management Education and Research, Belagavi, India

Abstract

Rapid industrialization over the last few decades has resulted in exploitation of the environment leading to an adverse impact on the climate which, if left unattended, can lead to unprecedented natural disasters for the future generations. There is an urgent need for countries across the globe to focus on sustainable development to protect their natural resources for current and future generations. The approach to such a development cannot be a knee jerk reaction. It has to be a proactive, well-planned and coordinated effort from all the stake holders of a country. The education sector is an important stake holder in any country and management education is a vital component of this sector. Business schools through their institute social responsibility (ISR) initiatives can play a key role in the sustainable development. This paper discusses sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the role of education sector in India, in general and business schools in particular, in sustainable development through going green. The paper further discusses the initiatives undertaken by KLS Institute of Management Education and Research, a standalone business school with a student strength of 240 in Belagavi, a small tier-II city in the southern state of Karnataka in India towards sustainable development and ISR in its journey towards becoming a green campus. The paper suggests ways to further improve the ISR efforts of the institute to gain competitive advantage.