Conscious Governance

Today, the corporate world as a whole is in the process of acquiring a moral conscience. Corporate governance, business ethics, corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability are some of the expressions through which this emerging ethical instinct in the corporate world is trying to express or embody itself into corporate life. However, effective implementation of an ethical ideal or concept requires two factors: creating an ethical consciousness and promoting ethical conduct and behaviour. But for the outer conduct and behaviour to be authentic, sincere and effective, it has to be a spontaneous expression of a corresponding inner state of consciousness.

The main topics and articles in this book are based on the syllabus of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. It examines the concept and practice of corporate governance from an integral, holistic and consciousness perspective. Integral means taking into consideration the inner and outer dimensions of the phenomenon under study; holistic means looking at corporate governance as a subset and in the context of the larger corporate environment; consciousness-perspective means an emphasis on the inner change of consciousness. The vision or approach presented in this book views corporate responsibility, ethics and governance, not exclusively in terms of outer behaviour or organisation, but mainly as expressions of inner consciousness of people. Here is a new paradigm of governance that offers a real chance to make a difference in the world around us - not by mandating more and more rules and regulations but by bringing out a fundamental and paradigm shift that would plug and stop our current daily dose of scams and frauds, both in the polity as well as in business. As more and more people get to share this idea, understand and feel its power, the change will become a groundswell. And tomorrow will be a better place.

As Sri Aurobindo said, "An outer activity as well as an inner change is needed and it must be at once a spiritual, cultural, educational, social and economic action. Its scope, too, will be at once individual and communal, regional and national, and eventually a work not only for the nation but for the whole human people.

**Contents and Sample Pages**