First Steps in Corporate Social Responsibility: Business for a Better world
Creating plans and actions to engage stake holders and increase their relationship which companies.
Increase awareness of social and sustainable practices of CSR in Emerging Market Companies and to promote the development of models of CSR in SMEs.
At present, the competitiveness of the company is no longer related only to its ability to cope with an increasing number of competitors; now it must also meet the new and growing demands of local and international markets, employees and diverse stake holders that somehow have an interest in the company.
For this reason, companies not only need to be recognized as productive and efficient, they also need to demonstrate capacities to overcome new consumer preferences, operational and image risks, access to sources of financing or new exportation barriers, in order to access the growing global market.
The social responsibility of the company is then consolidated as an important factor of management and competitiveness. Socially responsible practices allow companies not only to have a good image or reputation, but also allow them to build advantages that are difficult to imitate. They can therefore differentiate themselves from their competition and achieve the acceptance and preference of customers and consumers. They have better quality products, respectful promotion, cleaner and efficient production and fair treatment of workers, respecting their rights as human beings and promoting their professional and family development, among others.
The CSR program formed a team, made up of a senior consultant, a company, and local and international students. Three phases were presented:
- Virtual training (remote): Three days, International and local students take virtual classes (6 hours; two hours per day) where they received information about program, experiences, methodologies and tools.
- Companies Diagnostic (Remote): Two weeks; in this phase, the senior consultant and local students visit the companies to gather information and feed the diagnostic, share data in parallel with international students, via remote meetings
- Creation of proposal: One week, face to face; previous arrival of international students, team works together to create and present the most suitable proposal to the company.
- Identification with the values ??associated with sustainability.
- Knowledge about the international criteria of corporate sustainability
- Use of practical tools that facilitate the responsible management of organizations
- Application of knowledge in real, productive activities.