SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL ACTIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN THE SUGAR AND ETHANOL SECTOR

Abstract

This study approaches some possibilities of social activities management to improve the incorporation of values of Corporative Social Responsibility (CSR). It proposes a comparative analysis of management structures of these actions in two sugar-cane mills aiming to understand if different purposes conduct to a conception toward CSR. Two sugar-cane mills in the São Paulo State are taken as object of study. Company “A” has a foundation that manages social programs. Company “B” develops these projects through a structure linked to the sugar-cane mill itself. For this purpose, secondary data and in-depth interviews were carried out with social assistants from these companies. The results showed that the development of the social projects is marked by the initiative of the owners of these companies. Founded by families, they are characterized by presenting models of CSR management relatively similar, but they also keep their distinct aspects. Both companies are at the stage that social activities are enforced to minimize the conflicts with the society because of the negative externalities produced by them. The social projects are centered within the sugar-cane mills, and the community (internal and external) participates only at some stages of the decision process jeopardizing the construction of social emancipation and partnership that could lead to the development of new organizational values. However, it is a window in the social structure that can be explored.