Organizations and the
United Nations Millennium
Development Goals
Evidence from some of the largest
companies in Brazil
Charbel Jose´ Chiappetta Jabbour
Business School, The University of Sa
˜ o Paulo, Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil
Angelo Saturnino Neto
The University of Sa
˜ o Paulo, Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil, and
Wesley Ricardo Souza Freitas, Adriano Alves Teixeira and
Erik Januario da Silva
Sa
˜ o Paulo State University, Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil
Abstract
Purpose – The objective of this study is to verify whether some of the largest companies in Brazil adopt management practices aligned with the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Design/methodology/approach – Overview information obtained from the web sites of six Brazilian multinational companies listed in the Forbes Global 2000 ranking was analyzed.
Findings – The major findings of this study indicate that the companies studied did not demonstrate clear knowledge of the MDGs, nor did they adopt practices aiming at meeting those goals. The evidences show that the companies adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, which are indirectly related to four MDGs. It was observed that the CSR practices tend to be developed based on a contingency perspective according to the characteristics and impacts of products offered by those companies. Therefore, there is a window of opportunity for those companies to begin developing programs in order to meet the MDGs aiming at new business opportunities, innovative CSR practices, and new ways to make CSR information evident and more organized.
Originality/value – The originality of this research lies in the fact that there is a dearth of literature on MDGs and companies in development countries.
Keywords Brazil, Corporate social responsibility, Multinational companies, Millennium Development Goals
Paper type General review
1. Introduction
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were developed out of the eight chapters of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, signed in September 2000. Those goals represent the eight humanity’s greatest challenges for sustainable development. Since then, the eight MDGs have been widely diffused and are endorsed by recognized agencies worldwide including UN agencies.
Jallow (2009) states that the implementation of the MDGs requires a partnership-based approach that demands knowledge and involvement of several society players, without which advances could not be made.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0828-8666.htm
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Humanomics Vol. 28 No. 1, 2012 pp. 26-41q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0828-8666
If the involvement of companies seems inevitable and mandatory, the lack of studies on the relationship between organizational management and the MDGs becomes evident. According to Sturchio (2008), so far there has been little scientific research relating organizational management and the MDGs, especially studies that focus on whether the companies are pursuing these goals and how such relationship can be improved.
Hence, the following question motivated this research: have some of the major Brazilian companies been managed in alignment with the millennium goals? Therefore, the major objective of this study is to verify whether some of the top companies in Brazil adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices aligned with the MDGs according to voluntarily disclosed information available in their web sites.
The following section of this study (Section 2) presents the major concepts and theoretical considerations necessary to understand the phenomenon mentioned above. Section 3 presents the decisions and methodological justifications, the definition of the variables used in this research, and the framework that guides the collection and data analyzes. Finally, Section 4 presents the results, Section 5 introduces relevant discussions, and Section 6 presents the conclusions and guidelines for further research.
2. Theoretical considerations 2.1 Organizations and society
During the twentieth century, the capacity of a company to produce goods and provide services efficiently was considered competitive advantage (Weymes, 2004). Countless global issues such as scarcity of food, people facing famine and living below the poverty line (Singh, 2009), and the aspects related to social and religious conflicts, to climate change and environmental degradation are challenges posed to organizations (Murray et al., 2010). Today, the role of organizations consists of innovating and offering products and services using the resources more efficiently guaranteeing profits and doing business that are accepted by the society (Fitzgerald, 2010), more specifically those that meet the interest of society members (Lacy et al., 2009).
According to Katsoulakos and Katsoulacos (2007), organizations have been making more investments nowadays concentrating on facing the challenges posed by sustainability by reducing environmental impacts, recognizing the social aspects that involve their businesses, and interacting positively with the various stakeholders. Nevertheless, the perspective on sustainability in business, according to White (2009), presents simultaneously responsibilities and opportunities regarding CSR of the firms. CSR is regarding four categories – economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic – aiming at establishing how the organizations should act towards their stakeholders (Carroll, 1991). According to Potluri et al. (2010, p. 36), “a private company has responsibilities towards society that go beyond profit, and the strategic decisions affect more than just the corporation”. Hence, socially responsible corporations are those which aim at reaching the equilibrium between a multiplicity of interests such as employees, suppliers, distributors, community, and shareholders (Mishra and Suar, 2010).
Based on this scenario, Quazi and O’Brien (2000) highlight two dimensions that represent both the restricted and broad view of CSR. The authors argue that the restricted dimension represents the classical sense in which the companies offer goods and services aiming at short-run profit maximization. The second dimension, broad view, is related to meeting society expectations towards issues such as environmental protection, development of community actions, resource preservation, and philanthropic donations.
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2.2 UN MDGs
The MDGs originated from a UN initiative and derive from earlier international development agreements reached by international companies at worldwide conferences during the 1990s. They were established based on the fact that while substantial improvements had been made in living conditions in many countries, the performances were uneven and incredibly slow in most parts of the developing world (Sahn and Stifel, 2003).
MDGs are defined as quantifiable global goals (UN Millennium Project, 2005), focused on reducing poverty, improving life quality and promoting gender and education equality, and environmental sustainability as well as establishing partnerships to guarantee that globalization can bring great strength to people of all nations (Nelson and Prescott, 2003). Each goal has a series of measurable targets to be achieved by 2015 indicators chosen to monitor the progress of each target (Warhurst, 2005).
To this end, the UN members defined and agreed to achieve the following goals: (1) eradicate hunger and misery;
(2) provide quality education for people around the world; (3) promote gender equality and empower women; (4) reduce child mortality rate;
(5) improve maternal health;
(6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; (7) ensure environmental sustainability; and (8) develop a global partnership for development.
These objectives are ambitious once they represent clear and direct challenges for both individual countries and global communities (Imai et al., 2010) and demonstrate the priority areas to improve peoples’ lives in developing countries (Warhurst, 2005). Such consensus constitutes a very important institutional agreement and is one of the most significant political pact ever made regarding an international context (Waage et al., 2010) focusing on a global strategy that includes basic health conditions, development, and welfare (Castello et al., 2010). Nonetheless, the MDGs involve a complex task that cannot be accomplished by any player alone (Warhurst, 2001). MDGs may seem illusory or even fallacious unless a lot of effort is put on the participation (Warhurst, 2001) and development of CSR competences associated to accomplishing the MDGs (Akpomi, 2009).
2.3 Linking organizational management and the MDGs
The success of the MDGs requires a partnership-based approach that demands knowledge and involvement of several society players. Although national governments demonstrate increasing knowledge about this issue, together with the civil society, without the involvement of the private sector advances will hardly be made ( Jallow, 2009).
Sturchio (2008) states that the MDGs are related to highly complex humanity problems and thus require a considerable amount of resources. To date, neither the governments nor the organized civil society have proved capable of coordinating and supporting, the implementation of solutions to achieve the MDGs.
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According to Jallow (2009), the organizations can contribute to attaining the MDGs by:
. debating on the MDGs;
. developing initiatives addressed to the achievement of the MDGs; . disseminating the MDGs; and
. taking CSR to support MDGs.
From an organizational perspective and the generation of competitive advantages, companies can engage in debate over the MDGs. The MDGs can clearly generate new market opportunities (Sturchio, 2008).
Studies addressing the relationship between organizational management and CSR are still limited. In one of the few studies available, Jallow (2009) argues that the involvement of a famous multinational company in MDGs is focused on obtaining competitive advantages and guided by philanthropic actions.
Table I shows some contributions that the business sector could make towards the advancement and implementation of the MDGs.
The methodological aspects of this study as well as how those concepts are applied in some of the largest companies in Brazil are presented next.
3. Research methodology
Figure 1 shows the framework proposed in this study. Using the concept of organizations (Hall, 2004), information about CSR will be analyzed to verify whether
MDGs Some contributions of the companies
1. Eradicate poverty and misery Provide low-income consumers with access to products
Donations and campaign against hunger 2. Provide quality education for people
around the world
Employee continuing education incentive programs Employees’ families continuing education incentive programs
Donations and education support campaigns 3. Promote gender equality and empower
women
Human resource policies focused on gender equality and inclusion
Incentive to campaigns against gender prejudice 4. Reduce child mortality rate Donations and campaigns on child mortality 5. Improve maternal health Maternal health care for pregnant employees
Donations and incentive and support campaigns for maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
AIDS and other diseases internal prevention campaigns
Donations and campaigns against AIDS and malaria 7. Ensure environmental sustainability Internal environmental management (like ISO14001)
Environmental preservation campaign 8. Develop a global partnership for
development
Internal initiatives to raise employees’ awareness about the MDG s
Partnerships with other organizations focusing on the MDGs Table I. Potential contributions of companies to the MDGs
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or not the companies studied show evidences of MDGs awareness. In the event of the presence of such awareness, the good practices related to the integration between the organizational management and the MDGs will then be analyzed. This study is focused on six Brazilian companies listed in the Forbes (2010) ranking. The data were collected from the web site portal of those companies and reports (social responsibility and sustainability), voluntarily provided. Similar methodology was successfully adopted by Dincer and Dincer (2010), who evaluated information on CSR from websites of companies in Turkey.
The main variables used in this study, their definitions, and the perspective from which they are analyzed are shown in Table II.
4. Results
4.1 Companies profile
Company A is one of the largest companies in Brazil operating in the agribusiness market. It was founded in the 1950s as a small-sized company. Nowadays, it comprises 23 production plants in Brazil, Argentina, the USA, and Australia.
Figure 1.
Research framework
Organizations
Social Responsibility
Knowledge and awareness about the MGDs?
Good practices related to the Millennium Development Goals
Brazilian Companies Voluntarily Information disclosure Enterprise Information Portal Discussions Conclusions
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Company B operates in the cellulose market. It has more than 15,000 employees, production capacity of 5.4 million tons, and more than 3,00,000 tons of paper per year. It incorporates the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. It holds several certifications such as ISO 9001 and 14001, OHSAS 1800, and Forest Stewardship Council.
Company C is one of the leaders in the Brazilian personal hygiene market. It has held ISO14001 and ISO 9001 certifications. It has around 7,000 employees and operates in France and in seven Latin American countries.
Company D operates in the exploration and distribution of natural gas and oil market. Founded in the 2000s, this company established its position in the Brazilian market of exploration and production of petroleum and natural gas by acquiring a diversified, high-potential portfolio comprised of exploratory blocks.
Company E is one of the largest companies in the aviation sector, including the commercial, executive, and defense aviation segments. It was founded in the 1960s. It has at about 17,000 employees and operates in a number of countries all over the world. Its major consumers are the European and North American markets. It has incorporated the Dow Jones Sustainability Index since 2000. It has established Integrated Management System and holds ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, and ISO 14001certifications.
Variables Definition Analytical perspective
Organizations Organizations are a social unit of people systematically arranged and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. These elements and their actions are determined by rules and hierarchy, and they have a boundary separating them from their environment. As a consequence, organizations have beneficial and harmful impacts on society (Hall, 2004)
An analysis of size, number of employees, vision, mission, and fundamental values of a company
CSR Encompasses the economic, legal and ethical expectations that society has of organizations (Carroll, 1979)
Enterprise practices related to reducing the negative impacts on society Awareness
about the MDGs
Reference to the MDGs as defined by UN (2010)
Understanding the company’s approach to the MDGs
Good practices related to the MDGs
It concerns the practices an organization can develop voluntarily to support the MDGs, especially those shown in Table I, such as those mentioned by Sturchio (2008)
There are practices regarding MDGs (in a direct or indirect way)?
Systematization of the practices innovative practices adopted Enterprise
information portal
It is a web site to the world wide web utilized by users that serves as a single gateway to a company’s information and knowledge base, focused topics of interest, “for employees and possibly for customers, business partners, and the general public as well” (Dias, 2001)
Major company web site available in Portuguese
Information provided voluntarily
Non-compulsory release of information about CSR and about the engagement in the MDGs
Information, videos, reports, online publicity, and socio-environmental report Table II. Research variables, definitions, and analytical perspective
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Company F is a large telecommunication company that offers telephone, cable television, and high-speed internet services in Brazil. It was founded in the 1990s, and since then it has acquired other companies in the sector. It has approximately 15,000 employees and operates in the major cities in the country.
Table III systematizes the information about the characteristics of the companies analyzed.
4.2 CSR practices
Since the main raw material of company A is directly related to the environment, the company indicates that environmental preservation is fundamental, and thus it invests in projects and in socio-environmental practices simultaneously aiming for business growth. It promotes the interaction with the society through its institute focusing
Company Sector
Characteristics of the corporate portal (access, content, and media)
A Agribusiness Disclosure of general information about the company (history, rules, policies, etc.); it has webpage on “sustainability” subjects; in the webpage to “relationship with investors”, a three-year performance report is disclosed containing information about social policy and sustainability; downloadable PDF documents and reports; and figures and images highlighting sustainability in the homepage
B Paper and cellulose Large amount of information about its history, products, programs the company adopts and/or implements; large amount of information about its environmental practices and sustainability; downloadable files such as annual financial reports, social report, and an institutional video C Personal products General information about its recent activities, products,
views, editorial videos of different topics, information about social and cultural support and sponsorships and also about its environmental policy and topics related to sustainability; downloadable documents such as results, annual reports, and financial and environmental performance reports
D Petroleum exploration and production of natural gas and oil
General information about recent activities and history of the company, products, views and services delivered, social and cultural sponsorships, disclosure of social and environmental actions, and topics related to sustainability, downloadable documents, annual reports, and also financial and environmental performance reports E Aviation General information about its recent performance; a portal
for each major product, information about environmental management and recruitment and selection; and downloadable documents and video, especially about the history of the company
F Multi-services (internet for example)
Information about the recent performance of the company, its history, major and distinctive products, downloadable material such as results, annual report, social and environmental report, and institutional video Table III.
Systematization of information about the characteristics of the companies analyzed
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on education. With regard to the internal practices and processes, the company has created a committee composed of members of the board of directors to manage the sustainability guidelines established. In addition, it intends to prioritize suppliers that supplies raw materials based on social and environmental criteria. Company A has established four dimensions to manage its social responsibility: internal management (focusing on people through the adoption of human resources best practices); market and society (focusing on the impacts of the organization on the local community and on social projects); public and private sector (focusing on contributing to public policies); and external communication (focusing on the communication with the clients).
Social responsibility was observed in company B since it is integrated with the business strategy, as shown by its mission, vision, and values. According to the sustainability report, the company indicates that “a global leader based on forest resources has the responsibility of giving an example by promoting high standards of conduct”. Hence, the CSR practices developed are available in the website and in the sustainability report and highlight nine objectives:
(1) improve the relationship with the communities promoting their social and economical development;
(2) develop programs focusing on climate change issues;
(3) share the economic, social, and environmental benefits of the forest activities with rural producers and the communities reevaluating their models;
(4) recuperate and preserve natural areas;
(5) to promote awareness and improve its supply chain;
(6) eco-efficient production, focusing on quality and using less natural resources; (7) keeping with the certification of its forest areas;
(8) participate actively in socio-environmental movements; and
(9) consolidate sustainability in the different levels of the company through the creation of sustainability committees.
Company C indicates the compromise of promoting “the relationship between individuals and nature, individuals and society, and among themselves” besides “compromising with building a better world”. The following CSR practices can be highlighted: quality of life at work; training and development programs for the employees; environmental management and environmental education projects; valorization of professional diversity; investment in educational projects developed in public schools; incentive programs for local and sustainable development, and cultural project and event sponsorship.
Despite the recent creation of company D in 2007, it is worth mentioning the importance given that to CSR by this company, especially regarding disclosing the company’s figures and specific documents related to the relationship with investors.
Company E states its missions: “behavior integrity and social and environmental awareness” besides having “sustainable future” is the motto of its management model. CSR is mentioned on its web site in three different forms: in the web site main menu; in the webpage “environment” and “Company E Institute”, and in the socio-environmental report available on the institute web site. The web site highlights the following CSR practices: support to educational projects and partnerships focusing on not-for-profit
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organizations related to the educational sector. Besides the practices mentioned above, the socio-environmental report includes actions based on employees such as training and development, support to dismissed employees, and a program for quality of life at work.
Company F does not include vision or values clearly related to CSR, which can beexplained by its recent interest in the topic. Only in 2008, did the company state that the alignment of its growth objectives with the three sustainability dimensions is of fundamental importance. According to the documents analyzed, the organization administrators are aware that a repositioning is necessary to promote social responsibility. It is evident, in its web site as well in its documents, an interest in educational programs, such as developing a webpage with educational contents for public primary school teachers and students, cultural actions in poor communities, and providing primary and secondary schools with free internet access. The social responsibility practices based on employees involve training and development, quality of life at work, and diversity management.
Table IV systematizes information about the characteristics of the companies analyzed.
4.3 Millennium Development Goals
Company A does not refer to the MDGs directly on its webpage and annual reports. However, there are policies related to environmental sustainability and related to the participation of the top management team of the company through its institute in social projects, especially those related to education.
With regard to company B, there is no reference to the MDGs. The company adopts environmental, quality of life, and educational practices, indirectly, aiming to manage its resources efficiently and promote socio-economic welfare of the community in which it operates.
Although company C does not refer to the MDGs on its webpage or annual report, CSR indirect practices aligned with this proposal can be observed. There are actions related to the environment, education, equality, and partnerships, as well as some initiatives to pregnant employees such as courses and medical care for employees and their families.
Company D does not refer to the MDGs directly on its webpage and annual reports. There are only some indirect practices related to environmental preservation and development of a social actions plan.
Company E does not refer to the MDGs explicitly on its web site or socio-environmental report. Although there is no direct link between the CSR identified practices and the MDGs, there are indirect relationships, especially those related to the environment, education, and partnerships with stakeholders.
There are no evidences that company F employs CSR practices directly related to the MDGs. This topic is not mentioned on the company web site or annual and socio-environmental reports. However, contributions to goals related to education and gender diversity can be observed.
5. Discussions
In general, there are no evidences that the companies studied employ management practices and initiatives directly related to the MDGs (Table V).
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Company Reference to CSR Web site map (webpage, medias, projects) Practices reported in the web site Practices reported in the socio-environmental report A Reference to CSR and sustainability In the home page there is a link to “company compromised with the society and environment” and an interactive figure”: “Sustainability: To us sustainability is the compromise of all employees, clients, and suppliers” On the second web page, “Relationship with investors”, the items “compromise with the society, environment, and the productive chain” have no online contents. The sustainability and CSR policies and practices are presented in the “Annual Reports” and in the “corporate information” menu Code of ethics Code of ethics and transparency Company facilities meet the legal and environmental demands Several environmental management and labor workout Evaluation of environmental impacts Integration of outsourced companies Gas filtration systems Programs for efficient use of water and energy Investments in fuel saving equipment Reforestation and use of alternative fuel (biodiesel) Internal and external recycling operations Final compromise of administrators with sustainability Cultural support to events, monitored community visits, to the company Educational projects Open communication between all the interested parties Programs for reducing greenhouse gas emission and obtaining carbon credits Educational projects B Reference to sustainability Partnerships, actions, and programs for a best environmental management Partnerships, actions, and programs for socio-economic development On the home page – institutional menu – there is direct information about sustainability and voluntary compromises of the company On the home page – people menu and sub-menus: people management, social investment and community – there is direct information (although superficial) about quality of life and health at work, education, generating work and income Voluntary participation in the global pact, business pact for integrity and against corruption, and national pact for the eradication of slave labor Plans for proper forestry Climate governance (GEE emissions inventory) Program for environmental education Entrepreneurship and innovation program for employees Educational and professional qualification program for people between 15 and 29 years of age Program for the relationship with Black and Indian communities Participation in national and international environmental discussion forums Programs for quality of life, health, and safety at work (continued ) Table IV. Systematization of information about the characteristics of the companies analyzed
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Company Reference to CSR Web site map (webpage, medias, projects) Practices reported in the web site Practices reported in the socio-environmental report On the home page – environment menu and sub-menus: presentation and programs developed, forest preservation – there is information about preventive and strategic environmental management actions that focus on competitive advantage More detailed information in the sustainability report Program for preservation and handling of natural resources Program for the relationship and involvement with surrounding communities Forest savings: incentive to rural producers that own lands close to the plantation areas by providing them with eucalyptus seedlings, technical assistance, and timber commercialization C Reference to environmental management and environmental policy Reference to the support to social, cultural and environmental preservation projects Reference to actions based on employees On the home page there is direct information about CSR in the link “relationship with the society” Detailed information in the “Annual Report” Support to social entrepreneurship projects Support to environmental preservation projects Programs for environmental management Programs for environmental education Cultural events sponsorship Organization climate management and quality of life at work Valorization of diversity Educational projects Incentive to local sustainable development Training and development D Reference to CSR and to the environment On the home page there is a highlighted menu for the environment and CSR “Social and environmental responsibility” The second page, “relationship with the investors” has the same menu with additional information related to the CSR and environmental projects and actions Code of ethics Compliance with environmental laws Evaluation of environmental impacts Reforestation and creation of preservation areas Evaluation of the impacts on surrounding communities Environmental management Training and development Quality of life at work Control of carbon emissions (continued ) Table IV.
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Company Reference to CSR Web site map (webpage, medias, projects) Practices reported in the web site Practices reported in the socio-environmental report E Reference to environmental management On the home page there is no direct information about CSR Educational projects Projects for improving the management of non-governmental organizations focused on education Environmental management Training and development Support to dismissed employees Quality of life at work Reference to the company institute, responsible for social responsibility actions Detailed information about can be found only in the socio-environmental report and on the responsible institute page F Reference to social responsibility On the home page, there is direct information about CSR in the link “corporate profile” Detailed information can be found only in the “socio-environmental report” and “Annual Report” Educational projects Community Intervention projects Free internet access to public schools Cultural sponsorship Training and development Quality of life at work Diversity management Table IV.
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Nevertheless, all companies develop practices related to CSR, especially those including the following four objectives:
(1) Quality education through the support to education in the communities in which it operates.
(2) Gender equality and women’s inclusion through gender diversity management actions.
(3) Quality of life and respect to the environment.
(4) Establishment of partnership with the public sector or not-for-profit sector was observed.
It is worth mentioning that the product commercialized by the company seems direct the kind of information about CSR that is highlighted on the web site. For example, there is a focus on the environmental practices related to a cleaner cellulose production on the web site of company B. On the other hand, on the web site of company C there are a number of CSR practices related to stimulate the proper use of biodiversity by the community. Therefore, the analysis of those companies’ products seems to be fundamental to understand the CSR practices adopted and their motivations.
Finally, it is important to mention that the companies can benefit substantially once they focus on the MDGs. From a primary point of view, the companies could identify new market opportunities, establish partnerships with non-governmental organizations, and value their CSR practices. Company A, for example, could contribute more intensively through the hunger eradication objective. On the other hand, company C could take actions related to women empowerment and gender equality. From a secondary point of view, it can be said that the eight MDGs could serve as a guideline for the companies to disclose CSR information to their stakeholders more efficiently. 6. Conclusions
The main motivation of this study was to investigate the relationship between the management actions of some Brazilian companies and the MDGs. The major findings indicate that the companies analyzed do not demonstrate clearly awareness about
Company Reference to the goals Location on web site map Reported practices Relationship with mission, vision, values, and business
Associated performance indicators?
A No No No, only indirect
practices
No No
B No No No, only indirect
practices
No No
C No No No, only indirect
practices
No No
D No No No, only indirect
practices
No No
E No No No, only indirect
practices
No No
F No No No, only indirect
practices No No Table V. Systematization of the relationship between organization management and MDGs, for the companies analyzed
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the MDGs, nor do they adopt practices directly related to those goals. There are, however, evidences that they develop indirect CSR practices, which are indirectly related to four objectives. It could be noted that CSR practices tend to be developed within a cotangential perspective according to the characteristics and impacts of the products offered by those companies.
The results obtained affect researchers and organization administrators. With regard to researchers, the results indicate real evidences about the relationship between organizational management and the MDGs, a limitedly explored topic, especially considering the largest companies in Brazil.
With regard to managerial implications, this study shows that there is a significant window of opportunity for companies that focus on the MDGs. Moreover, it reveals that an adequate understanding of the characteristics of the products and services delivered is essential for the development of CSR practices that are relevant to the company and its stakeholders. Finally, this study suggests that the information about CSR could be evidenced according to MDGs topics.
The major limitation of the results found concerns the data collection process, which was based on information voluntarily disclosed by the companies. Further studies should be carried out including interviews with employees in order to evaluate their perceptions and their level of awareness about the MDGs.
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About the authors
Charbel Jose´ Chiappetta Jabbour has a PhD from The University of Sa˜o Paulo. He is Professor of Business Administration in The University of Sa˜o Paulo Business School at Ribeira˜o Preto.
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His research interests include business and society, business administration, environmental management in companies and operations management. He has articles published in Journal of Cleaner Production, Social Responsibility Journal, International Journal of Production Research, Industrial Management & Data Systems, and others. Charbel Jose´ Chiappetta Jabbour is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: prof.charbel@gmail.com
Angelo Saturnino Neto is a Master’s Candidate and Junior Researcher at The University of Sa˜o Paulo. His research interests include business and society, business administration, environmental management in companies and operations management.
Wesley Ricardo Souza Freitas has a Master’s Degree from Sa˜o Paulo State University. His research interests include business and society, business administration, environmental management in companies and operations management.
Adriano Alves Teixeira has a Master’s Degree from Sa˜o Paulo State University. His research interests include business and society, business administration, environmental management in companies and operations management.
Erik Januario da Silva is a Master’s Candidate and Junior Researcher at The University of Sa˜o Paulo. His research interests include business and society, business administration, environmental management in companies and operations management.
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