Abstract

This case is about a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (CITCO), a public sector organization in India, to open India’s first condom themed bar-cum-discotheque at the north Indian city of Chandigarh. Through this initiative CITCO wanted to promote awareness about HIV/AIDS, a growing pandemic in India. Through its very ambience, the Condom Bar promoted the message of safe sex. The bar also gave away free samples of condoms and also sold condoms to its customers. The cost of the food and the drinks had been kept very affordable as the bar was being run as a not-for-profit organization. The inflow of customers into the bar had increased markedly. It was also able to draw the attention of the world. CITCO’s initiative has been appreciated by experts who felt that it deserved extra kudos as it had gone ahead with such an innovative idea despite being a semi-government organi-zation. But the initiative also drew criticism from some quarters as the critics believed that the bar was against Indian culture. However, CITCO’s Condom Bar was cited as yet another example of how corporations around the world were engaging themselves in HIV/AIDS related CSR.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the corporate social responsibility initiatives of a public sector organization with regard to countering the HIV/AIDS problem in India: Discuss the issues and challenges faced by a public sector organization in formulating and implementing an

Keywords

CITCO, Chandigarh, Corporate Social Responsibility, Public Sector, Tourism, Condom Bar, Branding , HIV/AIDS related CSR, Word-of-mouth advocacy, HIV/AIDS awareness, Safe sex, Red Ribbon, India, Theme restaurants