Corporate Social Responsibility: retail actions in Brazilian market

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1 Corporate Social Responsibility: retail actions in Brazilian market Lucas Sciencia do Prado University of São Paulo School of Business and Economics of Ribeirão Preto (FEA-RP/USP) Marketing & Strategic Projects and Research Center (MARKESTRAT) Avenida dos Bandeirantes, Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil Phone: ls.doprado@usp.br Marina Darahem Mafud University of São Paulo School of Business and Economics of Ribeirão Preto (FEA-RP/USP) Marketing & Strategic Projects and Research Center (MARKESTRAT) Avenida dos Bandeirantes, Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil Phone: marinamafud@hotmail.com Edgard Monforte Merlo, PhD. Prof. University of São Paulo School of Business and Economics of Ribeirão Preto (FEA-RP/USP) Avenida dos Bandeirantes, Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil Phone: edgardmm@usp.br Marcos Fava Neves, PhD. Prof. University of São Paulo School of Business and Economics of Ribeirão Preto (FEA-RP/USP) Marketing & Strategic Projects and Research Center (MARKESTRAT) Avenida dos Bandeirantes, Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil Phone: favaneves@gmail.com 1

2 Corporate Social Responsibility: retail actions in Brazilian market ABSTRACT The main goal of this study was to recognize the leading practices of corporate social responsibility as reported by the major Brazilian retailers and compare them with the practices of the world's largest retailers. The concept of Corporate responsibility is one of the greatest challenges of modern life. The importance of this subject is increasing, not only in Brazil, but all over the world. The BSR - Business for Social Responsibility (2009), points out that companies can be seen as socially responsible when they are able to align their actions with the expectations of the environment in which operate, with respect to legal, ethical and commercial issues. In this context, the problems investigated in this study were: What are the main actions of social responsibility practiced by the major Brazilian retailers? How do those actions applied in Brazil compare to the ones practiced globally? For better understanding of the data obtained, the analyzed issues were split into four categories: Environment, The Marketplace, Workplace and Community. The authors conducted a preliminary exploratory study identifying the main social responsibility practices of Brazilian retailers and analyzed how they are being developed when compared to major retailers worldwide. Briefly, general practices which are being developed globally are also being developed in Brazil. Comparing these practices, it was noted that neither the Marketplace nor Workplace categories are being extensively used by Brazilian retailers, or that they are not widely known, as this study used only publicly available sources. The category Community is most used by Brazilian retailer, followed by Environment. Almost all retailers that provided information on social responsibility practices showed at least one type of these actions. 1. Introduction In recent decades, interest and concern regarding social and environmental issues have developed in different ways, with intensification in the last few years, and with several sectors of society receiving increased attention. The impacts of rapid demographic and industrial changes and, in consequence, consumption, has brought new habits to society, and a desire to find a conscious type of consumption that will allow for environmental sustainability. Therefore, both consumers and producers started to consider the environmental compatibility of products, which have become a part of everyday life. Corporative Responsibility is one of the biggest challenges of contemporaneity. The importance of this issue is growing, not only in Brazil, but all over the world. The BSR Business for Social Responsibility (2009), the world s primary authority in the area of social responsibility, claims that companies can be seen as socially responsible 2

3 when they align their actions with environmental expectations which are considered to include legal, ethical and commercial factors. Kreitlon (2004) says that companies can influence society, and this type of power should be formally used in service of the overall common good, compensating for all the failings in free market behavior. On the other hand, Rico (2004) believes that a political agenda from a country should be regularized through a partnership between companies, society and State So, understanding the way that social responsibility has been seen and also organized by companies can facilitate the use of public policies by the Government, seeking greater adoption of such practices, in a context in which the Government develops new regulative functions that would stimulate social desirable actions. Ascoli and Benzaken (2009) encourages companies engagement with public policies in countries. According to them, companies can improve their programs performance supporting social responsibility, in addition to expressing a higher long term commitment to the country s development. According to Passador (2002), the first actions of social responsibility in Brazil (between companies and Government) emerge with the publication of Brazilian Social Balance, through an initiative by Herbert de Souza (IBASE s constitutor) Brazilian Institute of Social Analysis. A Brazilian Institution which, in one way, amplified the efforts pursued by IBASE was the Ethos Institute. Besides supporting social responsibility, the institute developed indicators that try to estimate the incorporation of social practices by Brazilian companies. Silveira (2008), in his study, shows how these indicators can be applied in a company, emphasizing if the actions applied correspond to the precepts of social responsibility. Several sectors in Brazil started to develop actions of social responsibility. Some statistics confirming this statement are from members of the Ethos Institute, which, by the way, collectively have an annual revenue billing equaling 35% of the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (ETHOS, 2009). Once a socially responsible management model is adopted it becomes self-perpetuating and these social actions will continue (MEZA, 2009). The retail sector, according to Amadeu Junior, Gelman and Macedo (2008), is one of the most engaged in developing social practices. The authors believe that retailers are just at a beginning phase of taking these actions, however it is becoming increasingly noticeable that a growing number of companies each day are seeking to make their businesses, more socially responsible. Considering the context above, the problem that will be investigated in this study are: what are the actions of social responsibilities practiced by the main Brazilian retail companies? And also, how do the actions performed in Brazil align with global practices? Jones et al. (2007), in his research, which was an explorative study, considered how the main retail sellers in the world deal with social responsibility. The purpose of this essay is to identify the main practices of social responsibility in the corporate world, 3

4 as typically reported by major Brazilian retailers and then to contrast them with the profile of practices followed by the biggest retail sellers in the world as described by Jones et al.(2007). 2. Theoretical framework 2.1. Corporate social responsibility (CSR): the concept evolution. Carroll (1999) mentions that the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept has a long and diversified history and that it is possible to find evidences of business practices of social responsibility in previous centuries. During the Industrial Revolution, particularly after the mid-nineteenth century, some companies began to present some philanthropic practices, related to better working conditions, contributing to the integration of these people in society (Carroll, 2008). According to Carroll (1999) and Carroll and Shabana (2010), more formal studies on the SR concept emerged in the 1950s, when Howard Bowen, in 1953, released his book called "Social Responsibilities of the Businessman". In his study, Bowen (1953, apud Carroll, 1999) pointed out that the executive has a responsibility to society that goes beyond his business. The discussion of the social responsibility concept involves different ideological matrices. One of the authors that argued against this concept was Friedman (1970), who said the company's social responsibility was linked to the range of the shareholders expectations, and notably to the highest possible financial return. The theory defeated by Friedman (1970) was questioned by other authors who have argued that the company could only maximize their wealth while respecting the externalities, it means that actions done by one producer or consumer would affect other producers or consumers, and are not considered in the mechanism of market prices (Naver, 1971). After the 1970s the study of CSR "accelerated" (Carroll, 2008). Carroll (1979) introduced the concept of corporate social performance, and he highlighted that companies have a responsibility that goes beyond the economic, legal and ethical responsibilities, and could be called discretionary. In the early 1990s, the same author presented a review of his concept presented in 1979, creating the CSR Pyramid (Carroll, 1991), in which the discretionary dimension was replaced by philanthropic level, affirming that companies must overcome expectations, either the economic, legal and ethical. Whetten, Rands, and Godfrey (2002) agree with Carroll s dimensions (1991), but in a reverse order. According to the authors, the company s social obligations regard to legal, economic, moral and social responsibilities (do what you want, go beyond the expected, do what s best). One of the most discussed concepts in social responsibility is the stakeholders theory highlighted by Freeman (1984), who demonstrated how important is to satisfy the company s holders, which may influence on the company s outputs. The involvement in CSR activities brings benefits to the companies, since the stakeholders usually think these activities as a support to the company (MCWILLIAMS; SIEGEL; WRIGHT, 2006). Whetten, Rands, and Godfrey (2002) classify the stakeholders as 4

5 those who affect and are affected by the company s activities, and the company should be responsible for this group of people (MOIR, 2001). In the mid-1990s, a new concept about social responsibility and sustainability started to be discussed. Burke and Logsdon (1996) were among the first authors to examine the CSR activities with a strategic focus. The authors defined strategic CSR as the one that yields benefits to the company, and that supports the development of its main activities, helping it to accomplish its mission. Given this new scenario, some authors began to study how companies can benefit (from the strategic alignment of the practices) while benefiting its stakeholders (PORTER, KRAMER, 2006). Given the evolution of the concept presented in the study, the necessity to describe the definition of CSR today can be highlighted. According to Crane et al. (2008), there are a few theoretical fields as controversial and contested as the CSR. Typical approaches to corporate social responsibility include the development of the Corporate Code of Ethics, presentation of reports using the social, economic and environmental pillars and launching of public campaigns to emphasize socially responsible activities (Galbreath, 2008). Since there are many concepts of CSR, and there is a lack of consensus for a common definition, CSR can be described as the company s activities seeking to align their actions to the environment expectations in which it operates, overcoming them, regarding to legal, ethical and economic aspects (WHETTEN; RANDS; GODFREY, 2002, FALCK; HEBLICH, 2007; SIEGEL; VITALIANO, 2007; BSR, 2009; ETHOS, 2010). This is the concept used to support the discussions of this study Applying the CSR concept to Retail According to one of the leading British supermarket chains, Morrisons apud Scot (2007), the corporate social responsibility regards to the understanding and the relationship management between business and economics operations, environment and communities where the company operates. In the specific case of the retailer, these actions focuses on managing social, ethical and environmental factors that are important to their performance, through a continuous improvement program. Like other companies committed to corporate social responsibility, Morrisons indicates that the key areas of the program include working conditions, nutrition and health. The British Retail Consortium apud Jones et al (2007), in a statement about CSR in retail, said that it is a tool for retailers to submit a report about different questions that enables the industry to involve many stakeholders, either customers, employees and managers or the media, in positive developments and innovative programs. The British Retail Consortium even states the CSR is inherent to the retail s business strategy. Parente et al. (2006) highlighted three reasons that prove the retail vocation to CSR practices, which are: proximity to the final consumer and social articulation in communities; modifier role in the value chain, and geographic representation and capillarity. The retail sector in Brazil is quite representative, considering its importance to the Brazilian economy. According to Hilário (2009), in 2008, the Brazilian retail sector 5

6 was responsible for a revenue of nearly R$ 160 billion, or 5.5% of GDP, which was of R$ 2.9 trillion. According to released data by the Anuário ABRAS de Varejo ABRAS (Brazilian Retailers Association) Retail Yearbook (PANORAMA, 2009), during the previous year, the sector was directly responsible for generating over 850 thousand jobs. Analyzing the global retail market, Deloitte (2006) stated that the social communication profile, from most major retailers and consumer goods companies, requires them to be responsible and make positive contributions to the community. To succeed and prosper in the long term, retailers must make a balance, not only of their opportunities, but also of their responsibilities as corporate citizens. With ever increasing legislation and pressure from society, they must rethink how to manage, to measure and to demonstrate their performance in CSR activities. 3. Methodology The methodology of this work was based on the paper of Jones, et al. (2007). A research from secondary data was realized, specifically Internet, that s one of the most used vehicles to report the social responsibility activities by large corporations (BOWEN, 2003). It was analyzed the companies web sites, sustainability reports, GRI reports and the Bank for Social Responsibility Practices and Sustainability in Retail sector, organized by the Program of Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Retail of Fundação Getulio Vargas - FGV. It s important mention that the actions highlighted here were published in the databases until the date of the article elaboration, which means that some actions taken by retailers might be omitted. Analyzed retailers were chosen basing on the latest rank published by Abras (2010). Abras - publishes this ranking for than 30 years. His last research includes 500 supermarkets that accounts 68% of industry sales and represents approximately R$122 billion. The table below shows the selected retailers. Rank Company Central Office 2008 Retail sales ( R$ mill) Stores 1 Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição/Cassino SP Carrefour SP Wal-Mart Brasil SP GBarbosa SE Cia. Zaffari RS Prezunic Comercial RJ Irmãos Bretas MG DMA Distribuidora MG Super Muffato PR Angeloni SC Table 01: Retail Rank Source: Abras (2010) 6

7 Several authors have classified the stakeholders regarding their actions (SPILLER, 2000; PAPASOLOMOU-DOUKAKIS et al., 2005; MAIGNAN et al. 2005; ABREU et al., 2005; LONGO et al., 2005). One of the main object of this study is to compare the practices of social responsibility of the major Brazilian retailers with the largest retailers in the world (as defined by Jones et al. 2007). Will be used the same categories determined by Whooley quoted in Jones et al. (2007) to examine the practices of Brazilian retailers. These are: Environment, Marketplace, Workplace and Community. The table below shows which retailers were analyzed by the authors in the study used as reference for comparison. Name Country 2004 Retail Sales (US$ Mill) Wal-Mart USA Carrefour France The Home Depot USA Metro Germany Tesco UK Kroger USA Costco USA Target USA Arhold Netherlands Aldi Germany Table 2: Top 10 retailers Deloitte Source: Jones et al. (2007) 4. Results 4.1 Social Responsibility in Brazilian Retail Considering the analysis of websites and other secondary sources related to the main retailers, the companies are interested in publishing the social-environmental responsibility practices that they make. For better understanding of the analyzed categories, it is important to define which issues make up each theme: Environment, Business Environment, Work Environment, and Community. The Environment is one of the major focuses of corporate social responsibility in the organizations. In this article, these environmental issues among others include energy consumption, emissions, use of natural materials, water consumption, volume of wasted packaging, recycling, use of chemicals and environmental awareness programs for the population. The Business Environment, the second category analyzed, includes the procurement for goods and services (purchase), as well as their sale to consumers. The purchase of goods by retailers can be a controversial issue. Some points that have received attention are: the ethical trade, the purchase of food regionally or locally, food safety and animal welfare. 7

8 Regarding to the Work Environment, the observed points were issues that affect directly on the company's staff, such as remuneration and benefits, training and development, equity and diversity, health and safety, vacations, and a balance between work and personal life. Finally, the aspects that concern the Community are those that directly impact on the community in which the companies operate such as social contributions including volunteer work or donations to local or national organizations. This aspect is the one that has the most social actions by the organizations studied. Below can be found further definition of the categories with details about each and information about how Brazilian retailers are committed to socially responsible practices. Environment From the analysis of companies websites, a predominance of activities can be identified related to the conscious consumption of energy, reduction of waste, collection of recyclables, good manufacturing practices, and awareness programs for the population, in cooperation with Ecodicas from the Prezunic Group, or the environmental education program of the GBarbosa Institute, from the GBarbosa Group. Also as part of the consciousness, linked to the reduction of waste, it is common to find some tips and instruction for customers and employees on reuse and consumption of food, as happens with the program "School goes to Extra", from the Pão de Açúcar s group, which brought up themes such as "Education for Sustainable Consumption Recycling for students from elementary school (1st to 9th grade, in Brazil) of public and private schools surrounding their stores. The same group also acts on environmental issues, by encouraging the use of reusable bags, making "green boxes" available at the time of the purchase, which allows consumers to discard packaging that doesn t necessarily need to be taken home with the product, and that will be later recycled; and the availability of recycling containers to collect recyclable waste, in addition to the collection of used cooking oil, which is also recycled. Wal-Mart Brazil has an environmental document, called "Pact for Sustainability", which makes a set of commitments involving suppliers, government and other entities, either through stations for recyclable waste collection or through the availability of products in packages that have less impact on the environment. The group has also a plan to reduce its ecological footprint, which encourages the use of less polluting fuel (biodiesel), reduction in the number of trips from distribution centers to the stores, use of vehicles with air deflectors and neutralize carbon emission by planting trees in reforestation programs. Finally, there were some cases found where retailers would say they had environmental programs, but they didn t actually describe these programs, such as the Super Muffato group. 8

9 Marketplace The business environment was the least focused on issue among the social responsibility actions taken by retailer groups. A minority have programs that impact on the business environment, which is composed by 3 out of the 4 major retailers groups in Brazil. Pão de Açúcar has a program "Faces of Brazil", which buys products from disadvantaged populations, assisting these suppliers and supplying them with one of the main challenges of organizations have with their production activities: commercialization. Another important point to mention was the retailers' commitment to sustainable development in the supply chain. The Wal-Mart Group, recently published the Pact for Sustainability, in which the main goal is to certify that the company's suppliers are committed to sustainable practices. Besides environmental factors, this involves encouraging the development of small producers and partnerships for information exchange, with suggestions for improvements, from customers to producers. Other social responsibility practices found were programs that ensure the quality and origin of the products supplied by them. Carrefour, for example uses international standards in Brazil, created by Carrefour France, to ensure best practice by their suppliers and the sustainability of products supplied. Besides this program of Assurance Source, Carrefour also invests in partnerships with local suppliers and small sized suppliers to help in the development of these companies. Workplace As well as the business environment, actions related to the work environment still receive little attention, when compared to actions on the environment and the community. These actions mainly envolve staff training and development, inclusion and diversity. The Pão de Açúcar Group, for example, supports its employees with many training activities that promote their personal professional development. In 2008 the group invested more than 1 million hours in different type of training opportunities. Besides training, the group also wants to achieve gender equity among their employees. In 2008, there were 44.5% women and 55.5% men working for the group. The group also encourages participation of its team in sporting events, with financial help for registration and uniforms. Another example of a retailer who values practices related to the work environment is Wal-Mart. In 2008 they had more than 2 million hours of training in different areas of the company, reaching an average amount of training per employee of 28 hours, a 16% increase from the average in The company also increased the period of maternity leave to 6 months. Other issues related to workers' health are also pursued by them. The company launched the division of Risks and Health Control, seeking improvements in the work environment. The support they give to vaccination campaigns is another important aspect. The supermarket group Prezunic created the program for People with Special Needs. Besides the fact they are carrying out the law that demands that companies hire a minimum number of people with special needs, they 9

10 increased this number with more participants and greater opportunities for development and professional growth. To carry out another Brazilian law, the group launched the Apprentice Program, which employs people from 14 to 16 years of age, with contracts of up to two years, in order to train and develop young people for the labor market. Other inclusion and development practices are also done by the Angeloni Group. The major highlights are the recruitment of older professionals. The company also reported the creation of a center of education and development, with the promotion of knowledge and training opportunities for their staff. Another program related to education enables employees to complete the high school equivalency. The programs of training and development of new leaders were also an important aspect among the largest retailers in Brazil. Trainee programs are often used by groups such as Carrefour. Besides these programs, the retailer also has programs of social security assistance, job security and benefits policies. Community The major action of impact in the communities were the campaigns to collect donations or even to make donations by the own companies, such as the Super Muffato group, which carries out campaigns to collect donations, called "Day of Kindness", or Wal-Mart Brazil, which makes systematic donations of goods that, although they wouldn t meet the criteria for sale on the shelves, are good for consumption. These products are distributed to many of the country s food banks. Wal-Mart Brazil also has the Wal-Mart Institute, which supports programs of income generation, vocational training, and cultural valorization, focusing their social investments in local medium to long term development projects. In late 2007, this institute has become a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP) and expanded its operations. According to the Institute, since its creation, in 2005, 45 social projects were financed by the WalMart Institute. Through the initiatives of employment creation and income generation, 3.8 thousand people have benefited, as well as 900 thousand families through program Strengthened Brazilian Family, in partnership with UNICEF. The Pão de Açúcar Group also has activities in the communities where they are located, such as the Pão de Açúcar Institute, which works with educational activities in the community, developing projects that support the development of children, adolescents, young adults and their families, and offering, for example, music education programs. In addition, the group acquired a historic building and launched the "Citizenship Station, whose role is to do community service by making available space for a collection of the city s history, and places for lectures, exhibitions, providing guidance to small businesses as well as other services such as vaccination, sports and leisure. The company also conducts vaccination campaigns, collects donations, and supports other educational activities. Whereas GBarbosa Group, through the GBarbosa Institute, pursues projects such as the "Small Product, Great Entrepreneur, its objective is to provide training for small producers of Horticulture and Fruits and Vegetables, for the whole production system. The "Awakening and Learning" program enables deaf people to enter the labor market. 10

11 The "Solidarity Movement" offers various services to the community, depending on local needs. The "Store and Community" program in which the store managers, along with a team of volunteers, supports local charitable institutions with the promotion of holidays or events these institutions want to make. The "Literacy for Youth and Adults," works, together with SESC, providing the opportunity for literacy to youngsters and adults in different communities where GBarbosa works. Finally, the "Product Solidarity" program, which is based on the use of a stamp that identifies, in the store, socially and environmentally responsible products, with the objective of contributing to income generation of small communities, through the sale of products produced by their cooperatives. The Zaffari Bourbon Group created the Educational and Information Center for the Consumer, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to inform and educate the community about issues regarding consumption. It is done through seminars, research, courses and training, prepared and presented by the Center s consultants. Through this organization, the group has the "Conscious People program, which works in the schools, with students, teachers and the community. The Prezunic Group works with the community, especially in the cultural sphere, such as with raffles of tickets to theaters, and in the social sphere, with the Globomóvel project, which simulates a mobile radio station, in which community members participate with their protests, news and complaints. Finally, the Angeloni Group has sporadic social activities, called Angeloni Social Action. They made a campaign to donate products based on the purchases of their customers, encouraging those customers who participated in the campaign, and, in return, the Angeloni group donated to charitable institutions the same product that was sold, they could even donate to hospitals 1% of all sales made in certain periods of time. Besides that, the group stimulates the donation of coins received by the customers as change, depositing them in boxes located in the supermarket checkout, proposing to add 5% of the amount donated Consolidation of CSR practices in the Brazilian retail sector Based on the results the authors highlight an agenda of social responsible practices by the 10 largest retailers in Brazil. We point out that the categories that are better developed are: "community" and "environment". The other two categories "workplace" and "marketplace" still need more attention. Community - Campaigns to collect donations or even to make donations - Local development projects such as professional training to community. - Projects for development of children and adolescents, such as music practice - Volunteer programs - Conducting lectures for the community - Training programs for small entrepreneurs in the local community - Community education, seeking conscientious consumption. 11

12 Environment - Conscious consumption of energy - Campaigns to reduce waste - Programs of environmental awareness of the population - Campaigns to reduce the use of packaging - Collection of recyclables - Collection of packaging boxes - Product stewardship - Use of biofuels in fleet vehicles for supermarkets logistic system - Reforestation programs to offset the carbon emission by the stores Workplace - Training programs for employees - Encouraging the health of the collaborators team. Support in the participation of competitions and sporting events - Extension of maternity leave period - Equal Employment Opportunities - Actions to improve the working environment - Campaigns of work safety - Expansion of the employees benefit policies Marketplace - Buy products from local producers - Guaranteed Exposure for these products - Selection of providers who practice CSR - Programs to guarantee the products origin - Development of small producers with feedback information with the goal of improving the business Table 3: CSR - Brazilian Retailers Agenda Source: the authors 4.3. A comparison between the practices of the Brazilian and the foreign retail sector Generally, the four largest retailers in Brazil presented practices involving all four categories of social responsibility. It is worth noting that, the headquarters of two out of the four retailers, are located outside the country and one of them has a significant share of foreign capital. Another important aspect is that retailers who occupy the top positions in the presented ranking offer information about social responsibility on their websites and also report on sustainability. The largest retailers in Brazil started to use the GRI indicators a short time ago. In the Environment category, Brazilian retailers presented practices such as the conscientious consumption of energy, waste reduction, awareness programs for the population, selective garbage collection, recycling programs and sustainability programs in the supply chain. Compared to the results found in Jones et al (2007), the retailers have similar practices, but they also presented a concern regarding genetically modified products as ingredients of commercialized foods and a policy of waste management. Some practices which were developed some years ago by the retailers studied by Jones et al (2007), are being recently implemented by the Brazilian retailers, such as waste management and packaging control. 12

13 In the business environment category, retailers studied by Jones et al (2007) presented policies and actions to encourage local suppliers, small businesses and regional products. In this category the Brazilian retailers presented very similar practices to those developed internationally. In this category only retailers from the top ranking reported the same practices. The work environment is presented as one of the categories that are not very developed by retailers in the ranking, but the importance of employee concerns are increasing in the companies. In Brazil, policies for worker s inclusion, investments in training, recruitment and benefits policies are activities that really stood out. Some isolated activities to encourage the employees to participate in events were also found. Compared to the studies of Jones et al (2007), there is a great similarity among the practices adopted in Brazil. The main difference is that among the 10 retailers studied by the authors, these practices are best distributed. In Brazil only 50% of the retailers studied reported those concerns. The Community category is the most developed by Brazilian retailers. All retailers who provided information on social responsibility practices showed some kind of action for this category. The main practices are linked to the donation of food, aid to needy communities, assistance in the development of people and cultural education. The retailers studied by Jones et al. (2007) showed that the actions are more related to donations and welfare to the local communities. The activities of both studies showed the involvement of retailers in the development of the communities they operate in. 5. Conclusions The main objective of this study was to conduct an exploration, of a preliminary observational nature, that could identify the main social responsibility practices of Brazilian retailers, and how these practices are being developed, when compared to the major retailers worldwide. Some of the retailers studied in Brazil, were also part of the sample of Jones et al (2007), being possible to conduct a study of the practices integration worldwide. Generally, practices developed on a global basis are also developed in Brazil. Comparing the practices, the categories of Business Environment and Work Environment are not well developed by Brazilian retailers, or they are not widely published, in the secondary and open data sources on which this study was based. The integration of their practices with the retailers strategies isn t very clear in some cases when the missions, visions and values of each are analyzed. The limitations of this study may be associated with the amount of information released by the retailers on their websites, and other studied media. Therefore, the authors' suggestion for future research is a deepening research, diversifying the basis of data collection that may detail the best practices of RSC. Performing in-depth interviews with employees responsible for this area in the retail sector, or possibly the development of a multiple case study approach are good alternatives for the development of a new study. 13

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