SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

AND
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
ASSIGNMENT

Case Study Analysis: DHAN FOUNDATION

Submitted To,
Dr. George Joseph

Submitted By,
Joseph John
P20232
PGDM C
1. Evaluate the two alternatives outlined in the core strategic dilemma of case C?

An underwater earthquake in December 2004 generated a Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, affecting
millions of people across Asia. Following the Tsunami in India, the DHAN FOUNDATION began
relief efforts for those who had been impacted. Following Dhan's humanitarian efforts, they turn
their attention to resuming livelihood operations in disaster-affected areas.

In the middle of 2017, Dhan takes a coastal protection campaign after several years. To avoid
future disasters in coastal areas, it is necessary to maintain coastal lands. They discovered various
options for coastal protection, and after analyzing them, they came up with two. It put the Dhan
Foundation in a bind. The alternatives are:

 Create a coastal corridor

 Connect coastal forestry and coastal livelihood

Both options are implemented to prevent disasters from happening, because it is always preferable
to prevent disasters than to have to rebuild a society after a disaster has occurred. These plans aid
in the preservation of natural resources such as Costal eco-system, Marine bio system, Water
bodies, Costal farm system. These also help the society to reduce the poverty and vulnerability.

The first option is to set up a coastal corridor with the goal of planting various forest species, which
has the ability to withstand natural calamities such as tsunamis and earthquakes. However,
implementing this action plan will be difficult because it would necessitate a large sum of money
and the management of strong personalities. Essentially, the coastal forest acts as a rock that
protects against calamities by partially reflecting and transmitting water back to the sea.
Mangroves also served as a Tsunami barrier in 2004. There are other countries, such as Japan and
Thailand, where coastal forests existed during the Tsunami and aided in mitigating the effects of
the disaster. However, there is a significant disadvantage to constructing coastal forests is cost of
building it.

The second option is to combine coastal livelihood with coastal forestry, which essentially means
making people forest beneficiaries. There are numerous advantages to this approach, like being
free of the disaster, securing their assets, and having multiple streams of income, among others.
As a result, the society's livelihood involves ensuring the safety of coastal regions through
preserving coastal forestry. Sustainable nurturing, harvesting, processing, and supply of high-
demand medical plants, uncommon fruits and vegetables, and other sources of income will be
included. The second alternative is preferable because it provides a source of income for society.
Actually, Dhan aims to establish a business-based people's organisation and networks in order to
reinforce their current livelihoods and encourage them to pursue different livelihoods based on
their needs and desires.

2. What lessons can corporate world learn from DHAN's relief, restoration, and conservation
program?

DHAN FOUNDATION, a non-profit organisation based in India, began providing help to those
affected shortly after the Tsunami. Following Dhan's humanitarian efforts, they turn their attention
to resuming livelihood operations in disaster-affected areas. In the middle of 2017, Dhan takes a
coastal protection campaign after several years. To avoid further disasters in the coastal areas, it is
necessary to conserve the coastal lands. They discovered a number of options for preserving
coastal habitats.

DHAN's relief, repair, and conservation programme can teach us a lot. DHAN made extra efforts
to reach out to those living in villages, especially those who are socially vulnerable and left out of
mainstream relief operations, and the corporate world can learn to incorporate people from
different sectors and places. DHAN chose to work not only in the directly afflicted coastline edge,
but also in the indirectly affected victims who had been overlooked by others. DHAN's strategy
also included adequate documentation, which is something that corporations should consider. The
staff was extremely well-organized, and they provided relief goods to token holders in a timely
and orderly manner, preventing any chaos.

Corporates should concentrate on the regions where they have received less attention and make
the appropriate provisions for the restoration of those individuals. Include those places in the
organization's CSR initiatives. Every relief and restoration effort relies on financial support, and
corporations could assist coastal areas in protecting coastal conservation by planting coastal
forests. In the crisis management process, prompt and timely reactions from corporations are
regarded as best practices.
3. Discuss the interrelated nature of global challenges as revealed in the case.

In this case, the main topic of discussion is the December 2004 Tsunami. Global difficulties will
pave the path for the global economy to collapse. It devastates society's livelihood and creates a
black hole in the future. There are certain organisations and plans in place to avert the financial
devastation of societies in the aftermath of a calamity. They're also talking about community-level
infrastructure in this scenario, such as tiny and large bodies of water that have been inundated by
seawater and had muck deposited by the waves. Furthermore, salt water damage and sediment
flooding necessitated the reclamation of cultivable land for coastal agriculture, which sustained a
huge number of jobs.

4. What are the different interventions mentioned in the case study and how are they related
to each other?

In most cases, three interventions take place: relief, restoration, and conservation. The first stage
is relief, which in this case is Tsunami. At this point, those who have been affected attempt to
overcome the circumstance. And at this point, the most basic needs are food and shelter, which
DHAN is offering to those in need. Restoration is the process by which a society attempts to rebuild
its livelihood following a calamity. During this time, many NGO's and SHG's assist societies.
Finally, the stage of coastal area conservation. This will help to avert future calamities.

In order to achieve its greater aim of poverty alleviation, DHAN made livelihood intermediation a
priority. Acting as a facilitator in the provision of microfinance services, skill development, and
market linkages to increase the poor's engagement in the local economy. Bringing people at the
bottom of the pyramid up to a subsistence level of living and releasing them from forced labour
migration. This would encourage long-term viability and stability. With bank capital help, scale
up activities during the financial intermediation phase.
5. What is the process of selection of ‘Target group’ that can be identified in the case?

The persons who were impacted by the Tsunami calamity in December 2004 are the target group
in this case. DHAN's mission was to alleviate human suffering, especially among the poorest of
the impoverished. DHAN faced a problem in deciding whether to go all-in on delivering immediate
relief or to combine relief with a component of rehabilitation as part of a broader project; it also
had to examine the organizational implications of each choice.

DHAN focused all of its resources in the months following the devastating tsunami to provide
emergency help. As a first move, RADAR teams took a rapid tour of the impacted areas and
returned with reports on the places where help was most required. DHAN formed ten dedicated
field teams to carry out relief activities in crucial areas based on these findings. DHAN took a
different approach to the aid mission than other groups. It made a specific effort to reach out to
those living in rural areas, particularly those who were socially vulnerable and were left out of
mainstream relief operations. To avoid duplication, the DHAN team first went to the impacted
area to assess the requirements and supply gaps, then issued tokens to the recipients. The following
day, the team distributed the relief goods in a systematic manner, avoiding a stampede for supplies.
DHAN helped almost 29,000 people in total, delivering food to 17940 people, and clothing to
4,200 people, and household supplies to 6000 people. Damaged boats, engines, and nets were also
repaired according to the foundation.