Abstract

The case discusses the corporate philanthropy initiatives of Switzerland based pharma major Novartis AG. Even before Novartis was incorporated in 1996, through the merger of Ciba Geigy and Sandoz, Ciba Geigy was actively involved in philanthropic activities and had set up a foundation in 1979, which went on to become Novartis Foundation after the merger. Novartis also adopted the UN Global Compact principles in the year 2000. Novartis and Novartis Foundation were actively involved in several philanthropic projects to help the poor in underdeveloped countries. The case discusses in detail few such projects like anti-leprosy program, initiatives to eliminate malaria and tuberculosis (TB), and programs for AIDS orphans etc. The company also started a research institute to carryout research on tropical diseases. The institute was actively involved in finding cure for dengue fever and TB. The philanthropic activities of Novartis were extended to include poor people of the developed countries, and the company started providing its highly effective cancer drug Gleevec in the US free of cost for patients whose income was low.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Provide insights into the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and study how it has been practiced by the Tata group
• Understand the need for integration of various CSR initiatives with key business processes of the company
• Highlight the growing importance of CSR as a business imperative
• and Give insights into concepts like triple bottomline and sustainable development.

Keywords

Novartis AG, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, Corporate Philanthropy, Social Responsibility , Sustainability Management, UN Global Compact, Access to Medicines Program, Novartis Code of Conduct, Social Marketing, Corporate Citizenship