CSR ACTIVITIES OF TITAN
By Yash Nirbhavane (19)
A. INTRODUCTION
Titan Company Limited (Titan), a joint venture between the Tata Group and the Tamil Nadu
Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), commenced its operations in 1984 under the
name Titan Watches Limited. Titan is the fifth largest integrated own brand watch
manufacturer in the world. Over the last three decades, Titan has expanded into
underpenetrated markets and created lifestyle brands across different product categories.
Titan is widely known for transforming the watch and jewellery industry in India and for
shaping India's retail market by pioneering experiential retail.
Company Vision – To create elevating experiences for the people we touch and significantly
impact the world we work in.
Company Mission – Achieve vision through a pioneering spirit and a caring, value-driven
culture that fosters innovation, drives performance and ensures the highest global
standards in everything we do.
Company Values –
Customer first: Customers take precedence over all else, always.
People make the brand: Titanians are at the heart of our success and that is why their
dreams and aspirations are at the forefront of our brand policy
Culture and teamwork: High performance is a way of life.
Creativity and innovation: Driven by innovation and creativity, we focus on smarter
approaches and newer technologies.
Passion for excellence: In all our pursuits, we ceaselessly strive for excellence.
Corporate citizenship: We ensure that a part of our resources is invested in environment
and community betterment.
The Journey –
A journey of over 25 years that saw Titan Watch Project becoming Titan Watches, Titan
Industries and to what’s today known as the Titan Company Limited. With hitting the 15
million mark every year in production, each year saw new technologies and innovations.
Entered European market in 1993, followed by Middle East and Asia Pacific, Titan watches
sold over 150 million pieces across 32 countries. Topping the charts in the share of the
organized watch market with a claim of 50% share, audaciously challenging the Swiss Titan
became the world's largest integrated own brand manufacturer of watches.
Along with conquering the watch market, Titan made it’s entry to the glittering side.
Expanding to jewellery in 1993, the brand Tanishq was launched in 1996 and a decade later
launched Goldplus - the standardized mass marketing of jewellery. This diversification was
further followed by more ventures. Fastrack – the fun and youthful brand of watches and
accessories, and accessories line in 2003; Precision Engineering in 2005, and the Titan
Eyewear Division in 2007 - a project of prescription eyewear, complete with specialized
outlets, catering to customers’ every need.
B. CSR POLICY & VISION
Titan Company aims to treat the Corporate Sustainability function (that covers CSR, Climate
Change and Affirmative Action) as an intrinsic and essential part of being in business. The
function therefore, draws inspiration from the Company’s vision:
“We create elevating experiences for the people we touch and significantly impact the
world we work in”
Titan aims to leverage the skills and competencies, financial and people resources as well as
the infrastructure and relationships of the Company in order to excel and maximize societal
impact. This will ensure that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will benefit from the
business activity of the Company even as it serves the communities that interface with such
business activity.Accordingly, the CSR focus at Titan is to be driven by broad themes such as
upliftment of the underprivileged girl child, skill development for the underprivileged and
support for Indian Arts, Crafts and Indian Heritage.
The Company aspires to work towards responsible citizenship by continuing present
initiatives, supporting local and national causes and taking up others as and when required
even as it works towards scaling up on the larger chosen themes.In all its efforts, Titan will
seek to actively engage and integrate wherever appropriate the requirements of Affirmative
action and other State and Central Government initiatives from time to time.
Titan Company will spend at least 2% of its average net profits of the previous three
financial years for its CSR activities that shall not include investment in any projects
considered as business as usual related activities. Titan will implement its CSR initiatives
through a combination of its own in-house teams/volunteering, partnering with Non-
Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and institutes of repute and other partner
organisations who have competencies in the field under consideration. Each of the CSR
projects and programs will have clearly defined output, the progress of which will be
reviewed and reported on a quarterly basis or as per schedules defined under various
projects as appropriate by the Corporate Sustainability team.
C. CSR MOTIVATIONS, ACTIVITIES & THEIR IMPACT
The Kanya Initiative:
A staggering 54 per cent of world’s 67 million out-of-school children are girls. Of these, over
8.1 million are in India. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) rates India at
an abysmal 119 out of 169 countries: Only three out of 10 girls, who enter Grade 1,
complete Grade 10. The worrying school drop-out rate coupled with the skewed child sex
ratio (914 girls to 1000 boys) has also led to early marriage, dowry harassment, teen
maternity and even death.
In 2012, Titan decided to bolster its efforts in education through a girl child education
initiative. “The time had come for us to invest in a cause that directly impacted the girl child
who is exploited and endangered, especially because of the practice of female foeticide,
followed by even the upper class families,” Bhaskar Bhat, managing director of Titan said.
The initiative named ‘Titan Kanya’ – Empowered Girl Child aims to support 10,000 girl
children with participation directly by Titan and through support from our employees and
business associates. The girls hail from urban, rural and tribal areas of the country,
sometimes deeply remote, with little access to a school. The programme takes a holistic
approach to the cause of girl child education, by not only addressing the needs of Kanyas in
the Academic Support Centres and ensuring attendance and good results, but also engaging
with their families and other stakeholders to build ownership among the community.
Titan’s partnership with Nanhi Kali, run by the K C Mahindra Education Trust (KCMET) in
collaboration with the Nandi Foundation, has helped empower 7,097 girls across 490
Schools. Our collaboration with IIMPact, an initiative of the alumni of the Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) has helped better the lives of 2,090 girls across 60
learning centres. As of December 2014, 9,187 girl children had been reached via Titan
Kanya. The Nanhi Kali programme, in collaboration with KCMET, has impacted girl child
education in the cities of Chennai, Kanker, Krishnagiri, Mahabubnagar, Delhi, Sheopur,
Ratlam, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vishakapatnam and Pratapgarh. The initiative has received
great support from Titan employees (595 volunteers across 543 academic centres) and
business associates.
Tribal Education:
Forgotten, isolated and severely impoverished, the scheduled tribes of Karnataka are on the
brink of extinction. In a small step towards their rehabilitation, Titan has joined in to help
connect these indigenous people with the world, through the bridges of education. As per
the 1991 Census, scheduled tribes accounted for 8.08 per cent of India’s population, or
67.76 million people, and were concentrated in hilly and forested areas. In Karnataka, a
total of 50 ethnic groups have been listed as scheduled tribes, or 6.55 per cent of the
population. Within this cluster are certain tribal communities known as Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), such as the Koragas of Dakshina Kannada district and the
Jenu Kurubas who are concentrated in the districts of Mysore, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu.
A major part of Titan’s targeted initiatives for the underprivileged and neglected
communities, the Affirmative Action (AA) programme began as a means to enable
employability skill development, entrepreneurship development and education support.
Titan has also been working with these communities through its partner organisation, the
Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM). SVYM has been enlisted and recognized by
the Government of India as an Established Voluntary Organisation (EVA) for its work among
the tribal population. The organisation had worked extensively towards conceptualisation
and implementation of welfare programmes for the tribals of Karnataka. A major impetus
has been the SVYM-run Viveka Tribal Centre for Learning, Hosahalli. The school has been set
up with the goal of imparting quality education to tribal children, especially girls. Targeting
children aged six years to 15 years; it focuses on values, literacy, numeracy and appropriate
vocational training through joyful, experiential and child-centred learning processes. Apart
from holistic development of the children, the centre conducts soft skill training, field visits,
counselling, career guidance and support.
Scholarships:
The Titan Scholarship Scheme was formally launched in 1992, with the objective of
identifying and encouraging meritorious students who were economically underprivileged.
Since then, over 1500 students of ITI, Diploma, Engineering, Medicine and Arts and Science
Graduates have till date benefited from this scheme.
Initially, the area of intervention was restricted to Dharmapuri, a designated backward
district of Tamil Nadu. Today, the scheme encompasses several states, with particular focus
in Uttarakhand. Along the lines of Titan’s Affirmative Action (AA) initiative, the scholarship
scheme lays a special focus on girls, first generation students, SC/ST communities, the
differently abled, as well as students who are orphans or come from broken homes. The
grants are the culmination of a rigorous procedure that is designed to reach to the neediest
students. Applications are invited through several modes of communication, including
advertisements in print media as well as posters in schools and colleges. This is followed by
short-listing of candidates, scrutiny of marks obtained, evaluation of social and economic
status and finally a ‘face-to-face’ interview by subject matter experts in the relevant fields.
The Interview panel consists of key middle level managers of the company and HR
managers.
Skill Building:
The National Vision Document, ‘India at 75’, predicts that India will need 150 million skilled /
upskilled workers to meet the demands of growing sectors by 2022. Studies have indicated
that the demand is not restricted to traditional sectors such as auto and BFSI, but also
newer ones like organised retail. Despite the rosy future ahead, the present condition of
India’s skill landscape is alarming. Coupled with the large numbers of urban and rural youth
who drop out of schools and colleges due to economic reasons, is an ineffective education
system that has rendered a large percentage of youth unemployed, underemployed or
unemployable. The government’s Skill India Mission intends to tackle this looming issue. Our
mission is simple: empower the underprivileged youth across urban, rural and tribal areas
with skills that will enable them with gainful employment. Skill development for less
privileged youth is one of the focus areas of Titan’s CSR initiatives. The Company have
partnered with various implementing organizations of repute and have skilled and provided
job placements for over 5000 of our youth. Unemployed youth from urban and rural areas
are mobilized, counselled, assessed for their strengths and aspirations and put through
training programs which are aligned to the job market requirements. Courses that are
currently being offered at various skilling centers are:
• Non-technical courses: Retail, Hospitality, Data Entry Operation, Animation, CAD, Tally +
Excel and Advanced Excel.
• Technical courses: Refrigeration and Air conditioning, Electrical, Fitter, CNC Operation and
Electronic Mechanic.
All the courses include components of digital literacy, communicative English and life
skills.Apart from the above, skill training is also being offered at the institutes. Final year
Engineering students of Anna University are being trained in employability skills which
include communicative English, Aptitude, life skills and interview skills. The training is being
imparted using new age technology. Students of ITI are being trained in employability skills
which include communicative English, life skills and interview skills.
Currently, skill development programs are being implemented at various districts of Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka.
Titan Happy Eyes Vision Improvement Programme:
As a part of the eye care industry, Titan Company ensures support elimination of
preventable blindness in adults and children of the country as a larger social cause. Titan has
embarked on this phenomenal exercise in line with the Vision 2020 programme of WHO
partnering with institutes of national statures, such as Sankara Eyecare, Narayana
Nethralaya and Drishti. The Company has rolled out the programmes in the districts of Tamil
Nadu, Uttarakhand and Karnataka. Through this programme, Titan has reached more than a
2.60 lakh children and adults to provide them support for spectacles, medicines and
surgeries during FY 2017-18. The focus during the year was on paediatric eye care and the
same will be carried forward in the coming years.
Tata Medical Center:
A child brightens our lives but when the child’s health is affected, our world goes dark. It is
worse when parents cannot afford the treatment or expenses for the child. To ease the
parent’s pain financially, Titan supports Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in Kolkata on their
paediatric cancer care program. Our support enables the hospital to provide free treatment
to children belonging to the poor families.
D. THE LEADER’S WAY
The New Managing Director (MD) of Titan Co. Mr. CK Venkataraman is truly a socially
responsible leader. He headed Titan’s CSR programme for a few years before he was
relieved from that position but that didn’t stop him from continuing to do what he feels is
giving back to the society. has always taken only half of his total remuneration home. The
rest goes into educating 1,700 underprivileged girls in the backward villages of Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Heading the CSR activities in his organisation made him
understand various social issues in close quarters three years ago. “It helped me clarify my
own thinking on the subject (of reaching out to the larger community) and decide where I
should focus,” he said. A year later, Titan relieved him of CSR responsibilities, but
Venkataraman started his own ISR -- individual social responsibility.
Venkataraman’s involvement does not end with the cheques he signs. Taking the help of
NGOs Nanhi Kali and IIMpact which have a strong presence in UP and MP, he also puts his
time and skills to good use.
“I visit Ratlam, Shahjahanpur and the villages around it, where the girls are studying, and
spend time with them. I asses the progress they are making and ensure that the
organisations in-charge pursue the cause with the same zeal and purpose,” he said. “I also
meet the village representatives and talk to them about what more they can do to improve
the current system and quality of education provided to these girls.” Readying himself for
another such trip to the villages he plans to undertake sh ..
When leaders like Mr. Venkataraman lead with example and take upon themselves to help
uplift the poor and educate them, the company culture is also affected in a very positive
way.
