FOREWORD BY NADIR GODREJ

Corporate behaviour in India 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 never been wider. The question, then, is no longer whether companies should act responsibly, but how to make that responsibility meaningful.

Edited by Sutapa Banerjee, and structured as a thought experiment, this wide-ranging anthology cuts through corporate virtue-signalling and feel-good slogans to unpack the deeper incentives, regulations and behavioural insights that influence businesses. It 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 perspectives, rigorous economic thinking and science-based tools, the essays ask: What does responsible business actually look like in practice and how can companies be held to it?

Clear-eyed and unsentimental, The Business of Business Is (Not) Just Business examines what it takes to move from box-ticking to meaningful action, and makes the case that lasting success and public purpose go hand in hand.