Hayleys chosen for case study by INSEAD

A thought-provoking case study on how Sri Lanka's Hayleys Group has sought to align corporate responsibility with sustainable business initiatives has been placed before a wide international audience by INSEAD, one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools.

The case study will be reading and discussion material for students reading for Master's degrees in Business Administration (MBAs) from INSEAD which has alumni in more than 160 countries. Hayleys is only the second Sri Lankan business group to be chosen for a case study by INSEAD, which was founded in 1957.

Commenting on this noteworthy development, Hayleys Chairman Mohan Pandithage said: "An emphasis on sustainability is not new to Hayleys, as many companies in the Group have adopted sustainable and community-centric business initiatives well before sustainability became a corporate buzzword. Nevertheless, it is an honour to have these efforts being subjected to critical analysis by an institution of the calibre of INSEAD."

The case study was written by Mark Lee Hunter, Adjunct Professor and Luk Van Wassenhove, Professor of Operations Management, the Henry Ford Chaired Professor of Manufacturing and Academic Director of the INSEAD Social Innovation Centre, who spent time in Sri Lanka for their field research and interviews.

Comprised five different cases, the study examines the business values and organisational culture of Hayleys PLC, the holding company of the diversified conglomerate; the social and environmental accountability practices of Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills; the eco-tourism strategy of Hayleys - Jetwing Hotels; the 'Firstlight' supply chain initiative of Dipped Products PLC (DPL); and the Ethical Tea initiative of Kelani Valley Plantations and its marketing associate Mabroc Teas.