Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons from

Business Strategies and Higher Education Policies in

Brazil

Speaker: Patricia Almeida Ashley, Prince Claus Chair in

Development and Equity (ISS/EUR and UFF, Brazil)

Date: Thursday 27 January 2011Time: 15.30-17.00

Place: Room 3A06, Pieter de la Court building, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden.

Discussant: Ben Zwinkels, Senior investment officer, Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO)

Topics

1. What do we mean by corporate social responsibility?

2. Brazilian case on CSR1. The experience of collective

learning in Brazil 2. What lessons can be learnt from

Brazil?

3. How do we generate enabling conditions for corporate social responsibility?

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Not an issue for today´s seminar, but in summary...Decision making on what and how

to do business with respect to:◦Governance◦Environment◦Fair operating practices◦Labour practices◦Human rights◦Consumer issues◦Community involvement and

development

Organizational Principles and Themes of Social Responsibility - ISO 26000 Guidance Standard

Governance

Human Rights

Labour Practices

The Environment

Fair Operating Practices

Consumer Issues

Community Involvement

and Development

1.Accountability2.Transparency3.Ethical behaviour4.Respect for

stakeholders’ interests

5.Respect for the rule of law

6.Respect for international norms of behaviour

7.Respect for human rights

Principles

Themes

THE EXPERIENCE OF COLLECTIVE LEARNING IN BRAZIL

Networks of Experiences and Exchanges

• IBASE• FIDES• Friends of the

Earth• Greenpeace• Brazilian

National Standards Body - ABNT

• ...

Non-State Organizatio

ns

• Fundação ABRINQ• Instituto Ethos• GIFE• National

Confederation of Industry (CNI – SESI)

• National Federation of Banks (FEBRABAN)

• ....

Business Association

s• Petrobras• Eletronorte• Banco do

Brasil• Banco Real –

ABN/AMRO• Banco Itaú• Vale do Rio

Doce• Grupo Gerdau• ...

Enterprises

Networks of Experiences and Exchanges

• Research Universities and Networks

• SEBRAE, SENAC, SENAI

• Publishers • Applied Science

Universities• .... Knowledge

Institutions

• Journalists• Web and social

networks• TV channels and

programs• Newspapers• Magazines• ...

Media and Social

Networks

• Ministry of Education

• BNDES• Central Bank• Ministry of

Planning, Budget and Management

• ???...

Government

WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNT FROM BRAZIL?

SR is not an ‘one person’ leadership... Business leaders are necessary, but not

enough◦ Unethical competition◦ Prices at the end are usually cheaper for the

“socially irresponsible” products... ◦ Careless international trade regardless of the

history (past and future) of products◦ Regardless public taxation and other public

policies◦ Professionals, managers, investors not trained and

developed to make decisions and work towards socially responsible business and economy

◦ Institutional Investors and shareholders´ investment policies

Market, Political and Social value

of SR

Outdate business (still as is taught)

Funding

Taxation

Education

Sustainable

trade and

Procurement

Short termism in

results and

premiuns

Non-compliance

with ILO and UN

conventions

No-transparency

and bad

governance

Networks of social responsibility

Time/Space

HOW DO WE GENERATE ENABLING CONDITIONS FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

‘I am, because You are’ – Ubuntu African humanist philosophy“It is impossible to know the

parts if I do not know the whole. It is impossible to know the whole if I do not know the parts”.

Catherine Odora Hoppers – South African Research Chair in Development Education – University of South Africa

You Tube video

Ru

les

an

d C

ult

ure

of

the G

am

e:

Hard

an

d S

oft

Reg

ula

tion

s, P

olic

ies

an

d L

earn

ing

E

nvir

on

men

t

The State and Government

Knowledge Institutions

Enterprises and

Business Foruns

Professionals and

Unions

Civil Society,

Communities and

Families

Media and Journalists

Banks and

Investors

Next Steps: Multi-actor social responsibilitiesNot only corporate and organizational

social responsibility1. Networks of Values on social

responsibility 2. Networks in Markets: the ethics of care

as expression of market value and, thus, risk management considering social, environmental and economic risks of projects, organizations and products

3. Network in Territories as scopes for multi-actor and multilevel governance of stakeholders´social responsibilities

Multilevel Ethical Challenges on Values of Social Responsibility

Legal Complianc

eInternational Law and Regulation

Country, Provincial and Municipal Law

and Regulation

Sectoral and Organizational Law

and Regulation

Social Expectati

onsInternational

Standards and Practices

Country, Provincial and Municipal Standards and

Practices

Sectoral and Organizational Standards and

Practices

Ethical Ideals

International Codes of Principles and

Ethics

Country, Provincial and Municipal

Codes of Principles and Ethics

Sectoral and Organizational

Codes of Principles and Ethics

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Sectoral andOrganization

al

Municipal

Provincial

National

International

Multi-actor social responsibility in a territorial scope

State and Government

Science and Knowledges Media Capital

Investment Finance Trade UnionBusiness

Association Enterprise

Not for Profit and

Community-Based

Governance Development Phases for Multiactor and Multilevel Social Responsibility in a Territorial Scope

Phase 1: Political

Commitment for

Values/Policies Alignment

Phase 2: Values/Policies

Alignment Assessment

Phase 3: Values/Policies

Alignment Renovation

Phase 4: Values/Policies

Alignment Innovation

UN Millenium Development

Goals

UN Report on Human

Development

Outcomes in Territorial Indicators of Development

+

+

Social Quality, Wellbeing

...

Multi-Actor and Multilevel social responsibility towards Development and Equity Outcomes in Territories

Thank you so much!

Contacts: ashley@iss.nl or ecocidades@gmail.comEcocidades: www.ecocidades.orgISS: www.iss.nl