In any company, giving a high priority to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is no longer seen as an unproductive cost or resource burden. In fact, it is seen as a means to enhance reputation and credibility among stakeholders, something on which success or even survival may depend. There is a marked transformation in how CSR is being viewed not only among large companies but the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well. It is increasingly clear that there is indeed a business case for CSR as much in SMEs as in larger organizations. Most SMEs are ownership driven and hence have a personalised style of managing their enterprises. Unlike larger organizations that principally drive interrelationships among their stakeholders and value chain, the SMEs strive on these interrelationships. Their contribution to responsible behaviour is typically governed by systems within their supply chain and may vary as per the expectation and demands from time to time. Although there is no exact way to measure the benefits of CSR in economic terms, there is no doubt that CSR helps in bringing about improvements in the competitiveness of firms and in improving stakeholder relations. This paper is a study of the CSR practices of 30 small-size companies drawn from different sectors in India. The empirical analysis shows a high level of incidence of CSR in these SMEs, particularly on the factors that translate into marketing benefits. Thus, the practice of CSR is seen to both correlate and contribute to the marketing efforts of the SMEs. In other words, CSR is gaining importance as a marketing instrument and a key to performance improvement within an organization, may it be large, medium, or small.RéSUMé. Dans n'importe quelle entreprise, une haute priorité accordée à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises (RSE) n'est plus considérée comme un coût improductif et un fardeau aux ressources. Au contraire, celle-ci est considérée comme un moyen d'améliorer la crédibilité et la réputation parmi les parties intéressées, ce qui peut déterminer la réussite ou même la survie de l'entreprise. On note d'ailleurs un changement marqué de point de vue à l'égard de la RSE chez les grandes entreprises et les PME. Il est de plus en plus évident que la RSE peut être rentable, que ce soit pour les PME ou pour de plus grandes entreprises. La plupart des PME sont dirigées par les propriétaires et ont donc un style de gestion de l'entreprise personnalisé. Contrairement aux grandes entreprises qui ne font que principalement diriger les interrelations parmi les parties intéressées et la chaine de valeurs, les PME s'efforcent de renforcer ces liens. Leur contribution au comportement responsable est généralement dictée par les systèmes au sein de leur chaine d'approvisionnement et peut varier de temps à autres relativement aux attentes et aux exigences. Bien qu'il n'y ait aucun moyen précis d'évaluer les avantages économiques qu'apporte la RSE, il n'y a aucun doute que la RSE contribue à améliorer la compétitivité des entreprises ainsi que les relations...

Reductionist thinking will no longer suffice to address contemporary, complex challenges that defy sectoral, national, or disciplinary boundaries. Furthermore, lessons learned from the past cannot be confidently used to predict outcomes or guide future actions. The authors propose that the confluence of a number of technology and social disruptors presents a pivotal moment in history to enable real time, accelerated, and integrated action that can adequately support a 'future earth' through transformational solutions. Building on more than a decade of dialogues hosted by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), and evolving a briefing note presented to delegates of Pivotal 2015, the paper presents an emergent context for collectively addressing spatial information, sustainable development, and good governance through three guiding principles for enabling prosperous living in the twenty-first century. These are:(1) open data, (2) real-world context, and (3) informed visualization for decision support. The paper synthesizes an interdisciplinary dialogue to create a credible and positive future vision of collaborative and transparent action for the betterment of humanity and planet. It is intended that these Pivotal Principles can be used as an elegant framework for action toward the Digital Earth vision, across local, regional, and international communities and organizations. ARTICLE HISTORY

No abstract