Strategic CSR by Emerging Market MNCs from India: A Case Study of Marico in Bangladesh

International business cooperation has traditionally been viewed from a multinational Corporation (MNC) perspective, entities headquartered in developed economies but with business operations across countries, including emerging economies. However, since the 1990s, there has been a trend of companies with origins in the Emerging Markets internationalising. This has given rise to the so-called "EMNC," MNCs that are rooted in the emerging markets but have spread outwards - both to other emerging markets and to the developed markets. With India rising as a major economic power on the world stage, companies based in India have also expanded internationally. This study looks at a prominent Indian EMNC, Marico, and explores its CSR practice in Bangladesh – where CSR is neither mandatory nor does the institution necessarily expect it. This paper examines the long-term strategic implications of an Indian EMNC voluntarily spending a share of its profits on CSR and proffers a proposition for deeper examination.