The Business of Business Is (Not) Just Business

In India the 'business of business' has never been only business. Corporate behaviour has long been shaped by forces beyond the marketplace: public policy social norms and reputational pressures. Yet as sustainability and inclusion become buzzwords in boardrooms the gap between rhetoric and reality has rarely been wider. The question then is no longer whether companies should act responsibly but how to make that responsibility meaningful. The Business of Business Is (Not) Just Business cuts through corporate virtue-signalling and feel-good slogans to unpack the deeper incentives pressures and belief systems that influence business behaviour. Edited by Sutapa Banerjee this wide-ranging anthology brings together economists policy experts investors and industry leaders to confront three of India's most urgent challenges: environmental sustainability unequal participation in the economy and the persistent norms and stereotypes that mould economic life. Drawing on first-hand industry insight and rigorous economic thinking the essays ask: What does responsible business actually look like in practice and how can companies be held to it? Clear-eyed and unsentimental it examines what it takes to move from box-ticking to meaningful action—not by abandoning profit but by recognizing that lasting success and public purpose must go hand in hand.