Management Gita: People Before Profit

येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च । त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च ॥ १-३३॥
yeṣāmarthe kāṅkṣitaṃ no rājyyaṃ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca
ta ime’vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṃstyaktvā dhanāni ca 1-33

Spiritual Context

Arjuna notes that those for whom he seeks wealth and happiness are now risking their lives in battle.

Management Context

This reflects stakeholder purpose, sacrifice evaluation, and goal reassessment. Arjuna questions goals that harm stakeholders, akin to balancing profit and people.

Insights

Stakeholder-centric goals enhance sustainability (Freeman, 1984). This mirrors corporate social responsibility (CSR) priorities (Carroll, 1991).

Applications

Businesses can adopt CSR frameworks or employee well-being programs to align goals with stakeholder welfare (Porter & Kramer, 2011).

References

Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility. Business Horizons, 34(4), 39–48.
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Pitman.
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2), 62–77.

This excerpt is taken from Management Gita, authored by Sunil Khandbahale