Department of Management Studies, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620 015, India

Correspondence: Ganesan Kannabiran, E-mail: kb@nitt.edu

Received 1 October 2008; Revised 29 October 2008; Accepted 7 January 2009.

Abstract

The business environment in the developing economies has changed dramatically due to major economic policies such as liberalization and globalization. The emerging competitive pressures in the business environment in recent years have demanded that firms examine their philanthropic and other socially responsible activities. Organizations have realized the need for aligning corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives with their specific business strategies. Nevertheless, such an alignment between CSR initiatives and business strategy has several organizational and managerial implications. In this paper, key dimensions of integrating stakeholder engagement through an innovative supply chain strategy are explored through a case study of a leading watch manufacturer in India. This exploratory study reveals that organizations can achieve business benefits while simultaneously serving the community by integrating suitable stakeholders as part of their business operations. It also shows that a deeper understanding of the needs of communities, appropriate societal mapping and organizational commitment will ensure success in integrating CSR and supply chain strategy. The paper concludes with implications for practice and directions for further research.