Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited Essay

ITC peculiar(a) which previously stood for imperial beard tobacco companionship of India modified is an Indian conglomerate with a turnoer of US $ 4.75 billion. It ranks third in pre-tax profit among Indias private sector corporations. The prep be has its registered attainice in Kolkata. The company is currently headed by Yogesh Chander Deveshwar. It employs over 20,000 stack at to a greater extent than 60 locations across India and is listed on Forbes 2000. The Training heart and soul of the company is in Munger, Bihar. ITC is as well as known as Chatkal (especially in Munger). ITC particular or ITC is an Indian conglomerate. Its diversified short letter includes five elements Fast go Con pluser Goods, Hotels, Paperboards, Paper & Packaging and Agri rail line.A countrys markings argon a reflection of its competitive strengths and a manifestation of its innovation and intellectual condenser. I strongly believe that a countrys economic capacity is signifi go cancel gu idetly enriched when its institutions build and own inter fieldly competitive brands. Winning brands exercise as hybridizin issue forth anchors to aver the conflict of the entire measure out custody of which they are a part. Strong domestic brands create much big value since they create, capture and retain value within the country. ITC takes justifiable hook in creating maiden Indian brands that have demonstrated immense vital force in the spherical Indian grocery store place. Y C Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC LimitedITCs Branded case Foods business is cardinal of the fastest increase nutriments businesses in India, driven by the market standing and consumer franchise of its septette common brands Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, lotto, Kitchens of India, mint-o, Candyman and Yippee Over the past 5 twelvemonths, the business has gravid at an impressive rate faster than that of the industry. Given Indias speedy economic growth and rising disposable incomes, ITCs Branded box Food s business is well-positioned to ride this boom to secure robust, long-term growth. The business continues to commit in either aspect of manufacturing, dispersal and marketing to ensure that it can leverage emerging opportunities and fulfill its aspiration of being the most(prenominal) legitimate provider of Branded Packaged Foods in the country.HISTORYITC was in bodilyd on exalted 24, 1910 nether the shout Imperial tobacco plant caller-out of India Limited. As the conjunctions ownership progressively Indianised, the name of the corporation was castrated from Imperial Tobacco familiarity of India Limited to India Tobacco Company Limited in 1970 and then(prenominal) to I.T.C. Limited in 1974. In recognition of the Companys multi-business portfolio encompassing a wide range of businesses Fast Moving Consumer Goods comprising Foods, person-to-person palm, Cigarettes and Cigars, Branded Apparel, fosterage and Stationery Products, Incense Sticks and Safety Matches, Ho tels, Paperboards & oddity Papers, Packaging, Agri- strain and nurture Technology the full stops in the Companys name were removed effective September 18, 2001. The Company now stands rechristened Limited, where ITC is today no longer an acronym or an initialized form. A Modest BeginningThe Companys beginnings were humble. A leased office on Radha Bazaar Lane, Kolkata, was the centre of the Companys existence. The Company celebrated its 16th birthday on marvelous 24, 1926, by purchasing the plot of land situated at 37, Chowringhee, (now renamed J.L. Nehru Road) Kolkata, for thesum of Rs 310,000. This decision of the Company was historic in more(prenominal) ways than one. It was to mark the beginning of a long and factful journey into Indias future. The Companys headquarter construction, Virginia House, which came up on that plot of land devil years later, would go on to become one of Kolkatas most venerated landmarks. 1925 Packaging and Printing Backward IntegrationThough th e first hexad decades of the Companys existence were primarily devoted to the growth and desegregation of the Cigarettes and cockle Tobacco businesses, ITCs Packaging & Printing transaction was pin down up in 1925 as a strategic backward integrating for ITCs Cigarettes business. It is today Indias most sophisticated packaging house. 1975 entree into the Hospitality Sector A Welcome MoveThe Seventies witnessed the beginnings of a corporate transformation that would usher in momentous changes in the flavour of the Company. In 1975, the Company engrossed its Hotels business with the skill of a hotel in Chennai which was rechristened ITC-Welcomgroup Hotel Chola (now renamed My Fortune, Chennai). The accusing of ITCs entry into the hotels business was rooted in the concept of creating value for the nation. ITC chose the Hotels business for its potential to earn high levels of foreign exchange, create tourism infrastructure and generate large scale direct and indirect employme nt.Since then ITCs Hotels business has self-aggrandising to occupy a position of leadership, with over 100 owned and managed properties spread across India at a lower place four brands namely, ITC Hotels extravagance Collection, WelcomHotels, Fortune Hotels and WelcomHeritage. ITC Hotels latterly took its first step toward inter field of study expansion with an approaching super premium luxury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In addition, ITC Hotels also recently tied up with RP Group Hotels & Resorts to manage 5 hotels in Dubai and India under ITC Hotels 5-star WelcomHotel brand and the mid-market to upscale Fortune brand.1979 Paperboards & Specialty Papers ontogenesis of a Backward Area In 1979, ITC entered the Paperboards business by promoting ITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited. Bhadrachalam Paperboards amalgamated with the Company effective March 13, 2002 and became a member of the Company, Bhadrachalam Paperboards plane section. In November 2002, this division incorporat e with the Companys Tribeni Tissues Division to form the Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division.ITCs pieceboards technology, productiveness, quality and manufacturing processes are comparable to the best in the military man. It has also do an immense plowshare to the development of Sarapaka, an economically backward area in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is directly involved in rearing, environmental protection and fellowship development. In 2004, ITC acquired the re flummoxationboard manufacturing facility of BILT Industrial Packaging Co. Ltd (BIPCO), near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The Kovai Unit allows ITC to improve customer service with reduced lead meter and a wider product range. 1985 Nepal Subsidiary primary Steps beyond study Borders In 1985, ITC set up Surya Tobacco Co. in Nepal as an Indo-Nepal and British joint venture. In rattling(a) 2002, Surya Tobacco became a subsidiary of ITC Limited and its name was changed to Surya Nepal Private Limited (Surya Nepal).I n 2004, the company diversified into manufacturing and exports of garments. 1990 Paperboards & Specialty Papers Consolidation and Expansion In 1990, ITC acquired Tribeni Tissues Limited, a Specialty write up manufacturing company and a major supplier of tissue paper to the stub industry. The merged entity was named the Tribeni Tissues Division (TTD). To harness strategic and operational synergies, TTD was merged with the Bhadrachalam Paperboards Division to form the Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division in November 2002. 1990 Agri Business modify Farmer LinkagesAlso in 1990, leveraging its agri-sourcing competency, ITC set up the Agri Business Division for export of agri-commodities. The Division is today one of Indias largest exporters. ITCs unique and now widely acknowledged e-Choupal opening night began in 2000 with soy farmers in Madhya Pradesh. Now it extends to 10 states covering over 4 one thousand one thousand thousand farmers. Also, finished the Choupal Pradarsh an Khet maiden, the agri function vertical has been focusing on improving productiveness of crops while deepening the relationship with the farming community. 2002 precept & Stationery Products crack the Greenest products ITC opened line of premium range of notebook computers under brand Paperkraft in 2002.To augment its saying and to reach a wider student population, the Classmate range of notebooks was launched in 2003. Classmate over the years has grown to become Indias largest notebook brand and has also increased its portfolio to occupy a greater component part of the school bag. Years 2007- 2009 saw the launch of Practical Books, D lancinateing Books, Geometry Boxes, Pens and Pencils under the Classmate brand. In 2008, ITC positioned the business as the Education and Stationery Products Business and launched Indias first environment friendly premium business paper under the Paperkraft Brand. Paperkraft volunteers a diverse portfolio in the premium executive letter pap er and office consumables segment. In 2010, Colour Crew was launched as a bare-assed brand of art stationery. 2000 life style Retailing Premium OfferingsITC also entered the modus vivendi Retailing business with the Wills Sport range of international quality relaxed abide for men and women in 2000. The Wills lifestyle string of sole(prenominal) stores later spread out its range to include Wills Classic formal go into (2002) and Wills Clublife evening behave (2003). ITC also initiated a despoil into the popular segment with its mens wear brand, John Players, in 2002. In 2006, Wills Lifestyle became title helper of the countrys most premier way of life event Wills Lifestyle India demeanor Week that has gained recognition from buyers and retailers as the angiotensin converting enzyme largest B-2-B platform for the Fashion Design industry. To mark the occasion, ITC launched a special Wills Signature, taking the event forward to consumers. 2000 Information Technology Bu siness Friendly SolutionsIn 2000, ITC spun off its information technology business into a wholly owned subsidiary, ITC Infotech India Limited, to more aggressively pursue emerging opportunities in this area. Today ITC Infotech is one of Indias fastest growing global IT and IT-enabled serve companies and has established itself as a key player in offshore outsourcing, providing outsourced IT solutions and go to leading global customers across key focus verticals Banking Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Retail, Manufacturing, Engineering Services, Media & Entertainment, Travel, Hospitality, Life Sciences and Transportation & Logistics. 2001 Branded Packaged Foods Delighting Millions of Households ITCs foray into the Foods business is an outstanding example of successfully blending threefold home(a) competencies to create a new driver of business growth.It began in August 2001 with the introduction ofKitchens of India ready-to-eat Indian gourme t dishes. In 2002, ITC entered the confectionery and staples segments with the launch of the brands mint-o and Candyman confectionery and Aashirvaad atta (wheat flour). 2003 witnessed the introduction of Sunfeast as the Company entered the biscuits segment.ITC entered the fast growing branded snacks loving class with Bingo in 2007. In 2010, ITC launched Sunfeast Yippee to enter the Indian instant noodles market. In just over a decade, the Foods business has grown to a large size under seven distinctive brands, with an enviable dissemination reach, a cursorily growing market share and a solid market standing. 2002 Agarbattis & Safety Matches Supporting the Small and Cottage Sector In 2002, ITCs philosophy of contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the entire value twine institute yet an otherwise expression in the Safety Matches initiative. ITC now markets popular safety matches brands like iKno,Mangaldeep and Aim. ITCs foray into the marketing of Agarbattis (incense sticks) in 2003 label the manifestation of its confederacy with the cottage sector.Mangaldeep is a highly established national brand and is forthcoming across a range of fragrances like Rose, Jasmine, Bouquet, Sandalwood and scent of Temple. 2005 Personal Care Products Expert Solutions for Discerning Consumers ITC entered the Personal Care Business in 2005. In eight years, the Personal Care portfolio has grown underEssenza Di Wills, Fiama Di Wills, Vivel and Superia brands which have take ind encouraging consumer response and have been progressively extended nationally. In May 2013, the business expanded its product portfolio with the launch of Engage one of Indias first range of couple deodorants 2010 Expanding the Tobacco PortfolioIn 2010, ITC launched its handrolled cigar, Armenteros, in the Indian market. Armenteros cigars are available undividedly at tobacco selling outlets in select hotels, fine dining restaurants and exclusive clubs.PRODUCTS & SERVICES*FAST MOVING CO NSUMER GOODS1) CIGARETTESITC is the market leader in cigarettes in India. With its wide range of invaluable brands, ITC has a leadership position in every segment of the market. ITCs highly popular portfolio of brands includes Insignia, India Kings, Lucky Strike, Classic, specious Flake, Navy Cut, Players, Scissors, Capstan, Berkeley, Bristol, Flake, Silk Cut, Duke & Royal. The Company has been able to consolidate its leadership position with single minded focus on continuous value creation for consumers with and through significant investments in creating & bringing to market innovative product designs, maintaining coherent & superior quality, state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, & superior marketing and distribution.With consumers & consumer insights driving strategy, ITC has been able to interlace market standing in the long-term, by developing & delivering contemporary offers applicable to the changing attitudes & aspirations of the constantly evolving consumer. ITCs pursuit of international competitiveness is reflected in its initiatives in overseas markets. In the extremely competitive US market, ITC offers high-quality, value- wrongd cigarettes and Roll-your-own solutions. In West Asia, ITC has become a key player in the GCC markets through its export operations. ITCs cigarettes are manufactured in state-of-the-art factories at Bengaluru, Munger, Saharanpur, Kolkata and Pune, with cutting-edge technology & excellent run practices benchmarked to the best globally. An efficient supply-chain & distribution network reaches Indias popular brands across the length & breadth of the country. 2) FOODSTC made its entry into the branded & packaged Foods business in August 2001 with the launch of the Kitchens of India brand. A more broad- g bust entry has been made since June 2002 with brand launches in the Confectionery, Staples and Snack Foods segments. The Foods business is today represented in 4 categories in the market. These are * Ready to Eat Fo ods* Staples* Confectionery* Snack FoodsIn order to assure consumers of the highest standards of food safety and hygiene, ITC is engaged in assisting outsourced manufacturers inimplementing valet de chambre-class hygiene standards through HACCP certification. The unwavering commitment to internationally benchmarked quality standards enabled ITC to rapidly gain market standing in all its 6 brands * Kitchens of India* Aashirvaad* Sunfeast* Mint-o*Candyman* Bingo*Yippee2) INCENSE STICKSAs part of ITCs business strategy of creating multiple drivers of growth in the FMCG sector, the Company commenced marketing Agarbattis (Incense Sticks) sourced from small-scale and cottage units in 2003. This Business leverages the core strengths of ITC in nation-wide distribution and marketing, brand edifice, supply chain management, manufacture of high quality paperboards and the creation of innovative packaging solutions to offer Indian consumers high quality Agarbattis. With its participation in t he business, ITC aims to enhance the competitiveness of the small-scale and cottage units through its complementary R&D based product development and strengths in trade marketing and distribution.The Business continues to work on various exciting new offerings to the consumers and is planning to launch them in the near future. In line with ITCs Triple Bottom term philosophy of every business contributing to the nations economic, environmental and amicable capital, Mangaldeep agarbattis are manufactured by small scale and cottage units, providing livelihood opportunities for more than 14,000 battalion. Mangaldeep Agarbatti is manufactured at various centres & 5 of the manufacturing units are ISO 9000 certified.Mangaldeep ASHA (Assistance in Social Habilitation through Agarbattis) is an ITC initiative to improve the quality of raw agarbatti production and provide part livelihood for women rollers. ITC has also extended support to NGOs in states and like Bihar, Tripura, Tamil Nadu , who are setting up agarbatti units, nurture village women in rolling agarbattis and employing them in these units. ITC has signed a MoU with ORMAS (Orissa untaught cultivation & Marketing Society), an autonomous body under the Pachayat Raj in Odisha. This initiative provides technical training to rustic women & provides employment opportunities to over cd0 rural women 3) stationeryITC made its entry to the education and stationery business with its Paperkraft brand in the premium segment in 2002 and later expanded into the popular segment with its Classmate brand in 2003. By 2007, Classmate became the largest Notebook brand in the country. Together, Classmate and Paperkraft offer a range of products in the Education & Stationery space to the discerning consumer, providing unrivalled value in terms of product & price. Classmate and Paperkraft have become a natural extension phone of the consumer. Meticulous understanding of consumer take ins helped creating a relevant and c omprehensive portfolio self-coloured the needs of different sets of consumers. ITC is the manufacturer of Indias first Ozone treated environment friendly Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, paper and paperboard. It blends its knowledge of count on processing, printing and conversion garnered from Packaging & Printing Business with its brand building and trade marketing & distribution strengths resident in its FMCG business to offer superior value products to consumers. Paperkraft Business paper and the papers used in Classmate and Paperkraft notebooks are superior in quality and environment-friendly. Other offerings available in education and Stationery range are safe and certified non-toxic. 4) LIFESTYLE APPARELITCs Lifestyle Retailing Business Division has established a nationwide retailing presence through its Wills Lifestyle chain of exclusive specialty stores. Wills Lifestyle, the fashion destination, offers a tempting resource of Wills Classic work wear, Wills Sport relaxed wear, Wills Club life evening wear, fashion accessories and Essenza Di Wills an exclusive range of fine fragrances and bath & body care products and Fiama Di Wills a range of premium shampoos and shower gels. Wills Lifestyle has also introduced Wills Signature source wear, designed by the leading designers of the country.Wills ClassicWills Classic work wear was launched in November 2002, providing the premiumconsumer a distinct product offering and a unique brand positioning.John PlayersITC forayed into the youth fashion segment with the launch of In December 2002 and John Players is committed to be the No. 1 fashion brand for the youth..* HOTELSITC Welcome group Hotels, Palaces and Resorts is Indias second largest hotel chain with over 80 hotels. Based out of Hotels Division Headquarters at the ITC Green Centre in Gurgaon, ITC Welcome group is also the exclusive franchisee of The Luxury Collection brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in India. ITC entered the hotels business in 1975 with the acquisition of a hotel in Chennai, which was then rechristened ITC Chola. Since then the ITC-Welcomgroup brand has become synonymic with Indian hospitality with over 90 hotels in 77 destinations.* PAPERBOARDS & military strength PAPERSITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited & ITC Tribeni Tissues Division are now under one roof Paper Boards and Specialty Papers Division. There are 4 Units under one umbrella Bhadrachalam, Tribeni, Bollarum and Kovai. ITCs Packaging & Printing Business is the countrys largest convertor of paper board into packaging. It converts over 50,000 tonnes of paper and paperboard per annum into a variety of value-added packaging solutions for the food & beverage, personal products, cigarette, liquor, cellular phone and IT packaging industries. It has also entered the Flexibles and Corrugated Cartons business.*AGRI-BUSINESSE-ChoupalThe unique e-Choupal model creates a significant two-way multi-dimensional channel which can efficiently carry produc ts and services into and out of rural India, whilere covering the associated costs through agri-sourcing led efficiencies. This initiative now comprises about 6500 installationscovering nearly 40,000 villages and serving over 4million farmers.Leaf TobaccoITC is the largest buyer, processor and exporter of leaf tobaccos in India creating a global benchmark as the single largest amalgamated source of quality tobaccos. Serving customers in 50 countries across more than 70 destinations, ITC co-creates and delivers value at every stage of the leaf tobacco value chain.embodied strategiesITC is a board-managed passe-partout company, committed to creating enduring value for the shareholder and for the nation. It has a rich organisational culture rooted in its core values of respect for people and belief in empowerment. Its philosophy of all-round value creation is indorse by strong corporate governance policies and systems. ITCs corporate strategies areCreate multiple drivers of growth by developing a portfolio of world class businesses that best matches organizational capability with opportunities in domestic and export markets. Continue to focus on the chosen portfolio of FMCG, Hotels, Paper, Paperboards & Packaging, Agri Business and Information Technology. bench mark the health of each business comprehensively across the criteria of Market Standing, favorableness and Internal Vitality. Ensure that each of its businesses is world class and internationally competitive. bring up the competitive power of the portfolio through synergies derived by blending the diverse skills and capabilities residing in ITC are various businesses. Create distributed leadership within the organization by nurturing talented and focused top management teams for each of the businesses. Continuously beef up and refine Corporate government processes and systems to catalyze the entrepreneurial energies of management by striking the golden balance between executive freedom and the nee d for effective control and accountability.MARKETING STRATEGIESITC pricing strategyThe pricing of the ITC food division depends upon the Customers demand schedule, the cost function and the competitors price. The pricing of the company is much(prenominal) that it caters to the need of all income groups of people but special provision has been kept for Low and middle income group, and their pricing are competitive with respect to other players like Britannia, Parle and Brisk farm. The company follows the Going rate pricing that is the price of the product depends upon the competitors price. The firm chooses pricing more or less the same(p) as Market leader.ITC Promotional activitiesA particular budget is allocated for the procession of the products, the local promotion scheme is decided by the Area gross sales manages, it give its suggestion to the District office and that is forwarded to the Head Quarter in Kolkata. In another promotional scheme for Biscuits a particular add up of cases is given freely to the distributors according to the amount of sale they make, this was a put down promotion I.e. of the number of free cases that a particular distributors gets, off them ascertain part is reserved for the retailers and customer if they buy a certain level of biscuit quantity.ITC DistributionBuoyed by a strong distribution network ITC is likely to retain its market share in the cigarettes business the ban on advertisements is likely to work in favor of ITC thank to the recall factor. The companys reliable distribution network also ensures superior inventory turnover than its peers.CORPORATE amicable RESPONSIBILITYSOCIAL featAs a Company that continuously strives to be Citizen First, ITC attaches critical importance to its responsibility to contribute to the Triple Bottom patronage, namely the augmentation of economic, ecological and social capital. This commitment finds expression in the Companys sustainable development philosophy, which recognizes the need to not only economize but also enrich precious environmental resources. ITCs social development initiatives harmonize the Companys endeavour to create shareholder value with making a substantial contribution to society. In partnership with rural communities, ITC supports over 5 million livelihoods in India. The thrust of the Companys social sector investment is in four areas (a) Web-enablement of the Indian farmer through the e-Choupal initiative (b) Natural resource management, which includes permissive waste, watershed and gardening development (c) Sustainable livelihood creation, comprising genetic improvement in blood productivity and womens economic empowerment and (d) Community development, with focus on primary education and health & sanitation.MILESTONES4 million farmers empowered, 6,500 e Choupals installed1,45,000 hectares greened, generating 65.67 million person days of employment 1,21,000 hectares brought under soil and moisture conservation 18,700 women mem bers, 1,494 self help groups314 Cattle Development Centers, Animal husbandry services provided to 4,90,000 animals 3,00,000 children covered through 2,845 Supplementary Learning systems1) initiatorys taken- Lets put India firstITC is committed to a national agenda of raising clownish productivity and making the rural economy more socially inclusive. ITC believes that the need and scale of these tasks make market linked solutions and innovations more effective and sustainable than capital intensive approaches.2) Social & farm ForestryITC has helped to bring nearly 13,000 hectares of wasteland under social forestry benefiting more than 16,000 poor households in 466 villages. ITCs social forestry programme simultaneously addresses the livelihood problems of marginal farmers and the ecological imperative of regenerate biomass and nurturing depleted soils.3) Watershed DevelopmentITCs watershed initiatives have led to an improvement in soil and moisture regimes there is more land und er irrigation, water tables have risen and farmers can harvest more than one crop, making it possible to live off the land round the year.4) Agricultural DevelopmentITC offers facilitation to farmers to form agri-business societies, pool knowledge and resources, improve productivity and quality, and reach out beyond local markets to sell at better margins.5) Women EmpowermentThe confidence and skills generated among women by forming confidence groups and managing businesses become assets to their communities.6) Livestock DevelopmentThe milk marketing co-operatives represent exemplary change in rural enterprise, away from dependence on agriculture and local markets.7) Primary EducationSchool going becomes an empowering process for the child and the community. The awareness of entitlements like education and health grows, along with a sense of the communitys responsibility.INVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCEEconomic progress and long-term business sustainability are today be by the real and a dverse consequences of global warming and accelerated humour change. ITC has responded to the challenges emerging from the threat of global warming by aligning its corporate strategy with national priorities. Accordingly, in line with the National Action protrude on Climate Change (NAPCC), they have adopted strategies to address humor change-related impacts and developed appropriate mitigation and adaptation plans. Their unique approach has been to integrate these plans with their business strategies and not as separate activities.Their Strategies Include1. Identifying and evaluating climate change risks for each business. 2. Reducing the environmental impact of our processes, products and services and working towards creating a positive environmental footprint. 3. Adopting a low carbon growth channel through reduction in special(prenominal) energy consumption and compound use of renewable energy sources. 4. Enlarging our carbon positive footprint through increased carbon seque stration by expanding forestry projects in wastelands. 5. Reducing specific freshwater intake and augmenting rainwater harvesting activities both on-site and off-site at watershed catchment areas. 6. Working towards minimising waste generation, maximising its reuse and recycle and using external post-consumer waste as raw material in our Units. 7. Creating sustainable livelihoods and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.Global honorsITC constantly endeavors to benchmark its products, services and processes to global standards. The Companys pursuit of excellence has earned it national and international honors. ITC is one of the eight Indian companies to figure in Forbes A-List for 2004, featuring 400 of the worlds best big companies. Forbes has also named ITC among Asias fabulous 50 and the Worlds Most Reputable Companies. ITC has several firsts to its creditITC is the first from India and among the first 10 companies in the world to publish its Sustainability piece of musi c in compliance (at the highest A+ level) with the latest G3 guidelines of the Netherlands-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a UN-backed, multistakeholder international initiative to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.ITC is the first Indian company and the second in the world to win the prestigious Development Gateway submit. It won the $100,000 Award for the year 2005 for its trailblazing ITC e-Choupal initiative which has achieved the scale of a movement in rural India. The Development Gateway Award recognizes ITCs e-Choupal as the most exemplary contribution in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development during the last 10 years. ITC e-Choupal won the Award for the importance of its contribution to development priorities like poverty reduction, its scale and replicability, sustainability and transparency. ITC has won the inaugural World Business Award, the universal business award recognizing companies who have made significant efforts to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and enduring wealth in developing countries.The award has been instituted collectively by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Chamber of transaction (ICC) and the HRH Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). ITC is the first Corporate to receive the Annual FICCI Outstanding Vision Corporate Triple Impact Award in 2007 for its invaluable contribution to the triple bottom line benchmarks of building economic, social and natural capital for the nation. ITC has won the Golden Peacock Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility (Asia) in 2007, the Award for CSR in Emerging Economies 2005 and excellence in Corporate Governance in the same year. These Awards have been instituted by the Institute of Directors, New Delhi, in association with the World Council for Corporate Governance and Centre for Corporate Governance. ITC Hotel Gardenia, Bangalore is the first Indian Hotel and worlds largest, to get the LEED Platinum rating the highest green building certification globally.