Corporate Social Responsibility

Information technology consulting is a field that focuses on advising businesses on how best to
use information technology to meet their business objectives. In addition to providing advice, IT
consultancies often implement, deploy, and administer IT systems on businesses' behalf.

The IT consulting industry can be viewed as a Four-tier system:

 Professional services firms which maintain large professional workforces and command

high bill rates.
 Staffing firms, which place technologists with businesses on a temporary basis, typically
in response to employee absences, temporary skill shortages and technical projects.
 Independent consultants, who are self-employed or who function as employees of staffing
firms (for US tax purposes, employed on "W-2"), or as independent contractors in their own
right (for US tax purposes, on "1099").
 Information Security Consultants

International Business Machines(IBM)

International Business Machines (IBM) is a multinational computer, technology and IT

consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. Samuel J.
Palmisano is the current chairman, chief executive officer, and president of IBM. IBM is
the world's fourth largest technology company and the second most valuable global brand. IBM
manufactures and sells computer hardware and software (with a focus on the latter), and offers
infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services in areas ranging
from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. 

IBM has been well known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer
company and systems integrator. With almost 400,000 employees worldwide, IBM is second
largest (by market capitalization) and the second most profitable information technology and
services employer in the world according to the Forbes 2000 list with sales of greater than 100
billion US dollars. IBM holds more patents than any other U.S. based Technology Company and
has eight research laboratories worldwide. The company has scientists, engineers, consultants,
and sales professionals in over 200 countries.
Ethics and Social Responsiveness by IBM

 The Corporate Service Corp: It offers selected individuals the opportunity to work in
multi-disciplinary teams on short term developmental projects related to economic
development, the environment and access to education in organizations, government or
not-for-profit. IBM professionals are working closely with organizations
like Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration
(YASHADA), Teach For India, Chaitanya, Film & TV Institute of India
(FTII) and Software Institute for Rural Development (SIRD) to implement a variety of
developmental projects. Under this global programme for which IBM annually spends
$150 million, it places its employees into developing countries to address core societal,
educational and environmental challenges.
 Matching Accounts for Learning: The Matching Accounts scheme encourages shared
responsibility between the employee and IBM for learning and development. It
recognizes that today's workers are likely to undertake many roles during their lives and
it enables employees to develop skills and expertise that might not be directly related to
their roles at IBM, but which will help drive economic success for the individual, for
IBM and farther afield.
 Transition Services: The third strand of the Global Citizen's Portfolio gives IBM
employees a range of flexible options to enable them to transition to a new career, again
recognizing that employees may not be able or want to work in the same industry for
their entire careers.
 Some efforts in the field of environment:
 IBM’s comprehensive global environmental management system in place since
1970s
 1990-2007, IBM reduced or avoided CO2 emissions by 45% of its 1990
emissions.
Infosys Technologies
Infosys is an information technology Services Company headquartered in Bangalore, India.
Kris Gopalakrishnan is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys. Infosys is
one of the largest IT companies in India with 114,822 employees (including subsidiaries) as of
2010. It has offices in 30 countries and development centers
in India, China, Australia, UK, Canada and Japan.

Infosys defines, designs and delivers technology-enabled business solutions that help Global
2000 companies win in a Flat World. Infosys also provides a complete range of services by
leveraging our domain and business expertise and strategic alliances with leading technology
providers.
Our offerings span business and technology consulting, application services, systems
integration, product engineering, custom software development, maintenance, re-engineering,
independent testing and validation services, IT infrastructure services and business process
outsourcing.

Ethics and Social Responsiveness by Infosys

Ingrained in the soul of Infosys is a drive to awaken in our employees, customers, investors and
other stakeholders, as well as the larger society, a spirit of responsibility - to ourselves, the
environment, our civic systems, the governments in the regions where we work and contribute,
and to the future of the generations to come.
 In 1996, Infosys created the Infosys Foundation in the state of Karnataka, operating in the
areas of health care, social rehabilitation and rural uplift, education, arts and culture.
Since then, this foundation has spread to the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Orissa and Punjab. The Infosys Foundation is headed by
Mrs. Sudha Murthy, wife of Founder Cum Chief Mentor Narayana Murthy.
 Infosys employees actively participate in the welfare of the local community. Their
Development Centers (DCs) in India make a difference through several Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
 Notebook distribution: The Infynite Smiles team has been distributing books
and stationery to underprivileged children across Karnataka since 2001. In 2009,
the team touched more than 45,000 lives, including the tribal community. They
collected donations amounting to Rs. 10, 00,000.
 Project Genesis: This initiative of the Infosys Affirmative Action Program
(IAAP) prepares students for a career in the Business Process Outsourcing
industry. The project was launched in Orissa in 2007 along with the state
government to enhance the skills of academicians. Till date, 515 professors have
been trained to make learning more focused by combining traditional teaching
methods with modern education. In 2009, 70 professors underwent a 12-day
training program
  Educare: Sneham, our local CSR team, manages a dedicated intranet portal to
help employees support education of the children of our housekeeping and
security staff. In 2009, 1,500 members contributed approximately Rs. 14, 00,000
to support more than 370 students. Meritorious students were awarded for their
performance. A special award was presented to a girl child with exceptional
recitation skills.
 Some of the initiatives taken by Infosys towards the protection of environment:

 10% reduction in per capita electricity consumption in 2008-09

 16,000 saplings of more than 200 species planted in our Mangalore biodiversity
park
 'Project Ozone' campaign spreads environmental awareness and implements eco-
friendly practices across development centers worldwide. Further, this vision is
supported by voluntary groups of employees organized into eco-clubs.

 The Foundation also organizes cultural programs to promote artists. It has felicitated
physically challenged musicians and exponents of Yakshagana, a classical folk dance-
theatre form of Karnataka. It has sponsored Kala Darshan, a musical program in rural
areas, and a folk festival to provide direct market opportunities for rural artisan
communities, in which about 100 craftsmen from 20 states participated.

Thus, the above are different ways by which IBM and Infosys deal with ethical and social
responsiveness in their own ways.

References

1. http://www.infosys.com/sustainability/pages/index.aspx
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibm
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infosys
4. http://www.ibm.com/in/en/
5. Wikipedia