Tata Sons, one of India’s largest companies (Sales: US$80 billion), has a philanthropic mission — whether it’s building schools and hospitals or preserving wildlife — because it is two-thirds owned by charitable trusts (NJ.Com, September 26, 2010). About 12 percent of profits are dedicated to social capital formation in strategic social enterprises such as townships in the tea estates, Tata Memorial Hospital, The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the National Institute of Advanced Studies and the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

The conversation is widening the range of social capital, social enterprise, succession, managing (a trust, businesses and social enterprises; and their trade-offs); and almost 400,000 ‘activist’ staff in an Asian-Global setting! Succession is a practiced art of continuity and change with half a dozen Chairman in its 140-year history.

Erudite and well spoken Harvard Business School-Kennedy School Emeritus Prof D Encarnation is well placed (as one who lived in India, professed at the Indian Institute of Management & advised on NGO matters) to expound and explain to NGOs, NPOs, Foundations and Family Trusts the classic social & mercantilist tradeoffs.