印度大亨拉坦•塔塔演讲谈职业生涯

    6月26日晚上，拉坦•塔塔获得了洛克菲勒基金会（Rockefeller Foundation）颁发的创新终身成就奖。这位塔塔集团（Tata Group）的董事长将其家族企业打造成为了国际性大公司，涵盖了从咨询服务到著名汽车品牌的多个领域，业务遍及80个国家。约66%的塔塔集团股份由120年前创建的慈善信托基金持有。在纽约举行的欢迎会上，他向洛克菲勒基金会主席朱迪斯•罗丁博士谈到了其漫长的职业生涯。以下是谈话摘录（略有编辑）。

关于企业应该如何看待社会责任：

    我认为，企业应该认识到，他们在哪里开展业务，就会给哪里带来变化。砍伐亚马逊森林的企业会留下巨大的伤疤，他们本不想如此，但他们却这么做了。企业还应该认识到，他们需要回馈社会，做些事情来促进社会的繁荣。这些在发展中国家尤其明显，因为那里的差异性非常大。

关于他在年轻时就被任命为塔塔集团掌门人：

    我是站在巨人的肩上。他是个巨人。他就是JRD•塔塔先生。他是印度商界的传奇人物，执掌了塔塔集团50年的时间。人们几乎开始以为他将永远呆下去。突然之间，我觉得自己被扔进了游泳池底，试图跟上他的脚步。

    我想，那时我脑中的最大难题是如何效仿他并跟上他的脚步。但我发现，我永远也无法成为他，我应该做我自己。当时媒体人士就是这么说的。他们的评价并不友好，说我会毁了塔塔集团，说我不具备他的能力和天资。不久后我意识到，公司不是靠我，而是靠所有的员工。我认为，我所取得的成就完全依赖于40万公司员工对我的支持。

关于慈善动机：

    这很难用言语来表达。当我看到非洲和部分亚洲国家的极度贫困，却发现自己生活舒适、衣食无忧，我觉得只有那些麻木不仁的人才会认为自己不必为此做些事情。我们不仅要捐款捐物，还要帮助贫困地区发展经济。那些饥饿的孩子们眼中闪烁着光亮和智慧，但他们却没有得到机会。只有铁石心肠的人才不会去做些事情。

关于最令他感动的事情：

    有几件事情，不是只有一件事情。常常令我感动的就是看到某个社区因为缺水而几近衰败，于是我引入了节约用水和农业方面的一些简单原则。两三年后，我发现那个社区由于拥有了肥沃的土地而突然之间变得繁荣起来。整个社区发生了翻天覆地的变化，不久后社区的居民们就将为社会做出贡献。没有比看到这种转变更令我高兴的事情了。

    译者：千牛絮

    Last night, Ratan N. Tata received a lifetime achievement award for innovation from The Rockefeller Foundation. Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, built his family's company into a massive, global business ranging from consultancy services to well-known automotive brands stretching across 80 countries. Some 66% of Tata is owned by philanthropic trusts founded 120 years ago. At a reception in New York City, he spoke with the foundation's president, Dr. Judith Rodin, about his long career. What follows are lightly edited excerpts.

On how business should think about social responsibility:

    I think business should be sensitive to the fact that businesses are making a difference in the places that they operate. A company going into the Amazon and quarrying raw materials leaves behind a tremendous scar, which they don't attempt to do but which they do. And they need to be sensitive to the fact that they need to give back to the community and do things to help the prosperity of that community. This is all the more evident in the developing world where the disparities are so huge.

On being named to his role as a young man:

    I followed someone who had very large shoes. He had very large shoes. Mr. JRD Tata. He was a legend in the Indian business community. He had been at the helm of the Tata organization for 50 years. You were almost starting to think he was going to be there forever. You feel suddenly that you've been thrown into the deep end of the swimming pool, trying to follow him.

    I think the greatest dilemma in mind was how to mimic him and follow in his footsteps. And I realized that I could never be him and I should try to be whoever I was. That was read by those in the media, which had been less than friendly, as someone who would destroy the group, who didn't have his competence, his capability. I realised fairly soon it was not you but the entire workforce that you count on. I think I have only achieved what that force of 400,000 people has been able to support me to do.

On the philanthropic motive:

    It's difficult to put into words. But when you see, as you do in Africa or parts of Asia, abject poverty and you look at yourself as being a person that has wellbeing and comforts, I think it takes an insensitive person not to think they need to do something that's not just handing out dough but playing a role in helping get prosperity to the community where they are. When you see hungry children, you see bright eyes, intelligent eyes of children who aren't given a chance. It would take a very tough person not to what to do something.

On what experience has moved him the most:

    There have been several; there isn't really a single one I can talk of. What moves one very often is seeing a community that is almost decrepit because of lack of water. And then you bring in simple principles of conserving water and agriculture. After two or three years, you see that community suddenly becoming prosperous because they have fertile land. The whole community changes and, fairly soon, the members of that community will contribute to society. Nothing gives you greater pleasure than to see that transformation.