Social responsibility among high education institutions: an exploratory

research on top ten universities from Brazil and world

Abstract:
The deep changes that took over the world since the post war period has forced companies to rethink
their actions. The complaints of society in general, concerning work rights and deterioration of
environment, has attracted a new element that aims to harmonize the business actions with the needs
and desires of human beings: the Social Responsibility. As required in business, it has been one of the
main objects of study in academia. The educational institutions must, therefore, not only teach them in
the classroom; they need, rather, to be a model for those who learn from them. Therefore, the
educational institutions have to put into practice Social Responsibility actions, which may vary in
content, direction and extension. The objective of this paper is to identify the actions, seen as of Social
Responsibility, of the top 10 institutions of higher education in the world and the top 10 in Brazil, an
how those institution announce them on their webiste. To meet the objectives of this work, an
exploratory research was conducted on their homepage on the World Wide Web. The results show
what the main activities of social responsibility are, and how the institutions make their disclosure.
Keywords: globalization, social responsibility, institutions of higher education.

1. Introduction
Globalization has been much celebrated and discussed, and currently is an inevitably subject
in most disciplines of courses ranging from elementary school until the levels of postgraduate
studies. Along with the integration and opening of foreign markets, companies are facing a
vast landscape, offering both opportunities and competition.
Regarding competitiveness, companies are facing the need to reduce its costs and expenses,
seeking to optimize their production system and exploit its resources more and more.
Often, this search for better and more productive processes dried many actions that are not
approved by the ethical concepts end up being charged, as the exploitation of human
resources, the abuse and misuse of the components of the environment, among others.
Therefore, in this scenario a condition emerges with the purpose of harmonizing business
actions with the needs and desires of humanity: the Social Responsibility. As required in
business, it has been one of the main objects of study in academia. Educational institutions
must, therefore, not only hold them in the portfolio; they rather need to be a model for those
who learn from it. Thus, educational institutions have been bringing into practice actions of
social responsibility, which may vary in their content, extension and direction.
The objective of this paper is to identify the actions, seen as Social Responsibility ones, of the
top 10 institutions of higher education in the world and the top 10 in Brazil. The results show
what the main activities of social responsibility are, and how the institutions make their
disclosure.
2. Social Responsibility
The world is currently in constant discussion about issues related to the role of organizations
in search of a development that has at its heart social justice. If previously the role of
corporations was limited to the generation of profits to its shareholders and distribution of
satisfaction among all its stakeholders, pondering on the responsibilities that its leaders should
take, in present discussions it goes much further and reach those using products or services:
final consumers .
There has been a growing awareness of companies in a global context concerning the concept,
the limits and needs of corporate social responsibility. This fact, along with the worsening of
the social crisis, causes new social agents to be involved in the search for solutions of social
problems. Thus, Aliglieri (2003, p.144) states that organizations are experiencing, in the past
50 years, from little or no social demand to increasingly higher levels of integration in this
area, becoming economic and non - economic decision markers, responsible for balancing the
interests of various groups impacted by its activities.
Currently, the practices of social responsibility are seen as fundamental to the life of
organizations. Researches and debates on corporate social responsibility are becoming more
common in business and academic environment, non-governmental organizations and also in
the midst of civil society. However, there is a lack of agreement on its definition, being the
word presented at times confusing and contradictory.
Pinto and Lara (2003, p.02) states that , for some, the term represents the idea of legal
obligation; for others, requires companies to higher standards of behavior; there are some who
interprets it as social practice, social role and social function; while others see it associated
with the ethically responsible behavior or philanthropy.
Carroll (1979) states that, in order to achieve a definition of social responsibility that is
complete and aggregate the whole group of obligations that a company has with society, it
should be considered the following categories or dimensions: economic, legal, ethical and
philanthropic. These categories may not be mutually exclusive, nor additive or cumulative.
They must be viewed in a continuum between the economic and social aspect.
In this sense, Carroll (1979; 1991; 1998) proposes four dimensions of Social Responsibility,
as follows:
1. Economic: refers to the obligations of the company to be productive, profitable,
obtaining expected return on shareholders’ investment. It is the main type of social
responsibility in a company, once profits are the reason of its existence.
2. Legal: this dimension establishes that, to the economic mission, be added a greater
respect for legal requirements and regulations. The organization must provide products
that meet government regulations, safety standards and local city councils.
3. Ethics: refers to principles that define a standard of conduct acceptable and expected
by the public, private groups involved, regulatory bodies and the organization itself,
but not necessarily codified by law and may not serve the direct interests of the
organization (DAFT, 1999). It assumes that the shares of the company should be
taken, taking into account its impact on the way in which it is inserted, considering the
rights of others and their duties to them.
4. Philanthropic: requires involvement of the organization to the improvement of
society through legal responsibility, ethics and economic, as well as the adoption of
philanthropic practices. The activities related to this dimension are not mandatory and
are only linked to the wishes of the organization, which are becoming increasingly
 strategic.
According to Carroll (1979, 1991, 1998), good citizen-companies should be profitable, obey
the laws, have ethical behavior and return to society in the form of philanthropy.
A complete definition of the term, which attempts to cover the dimensions above, is made by
the institute Ethos of Companies and Social Responsibility, which explains as follows: social
responsibility is a way to conduct the business of the company that makes it partner and co-
responsible for social development. A socially responsible company is one that has the ability
to hear the interests of the various parties (shareholders, employees, service providers,
suppliers, consumers, community, government and the environment) and successfully
incorporates them in the planning of its activities, in order to meet the demands of all and not
only shareholders owners (ETHOS, 2007).
The concept of corporate social responsibility has been consolidated, associated to a systemic
approach, as a multidimensional and interdisciplinary concept, seeking for interdependence
and interconnectedness in relations between stakeholders, directly or indirectly related to the
activity of the organization (ASHLEY et al, 2000).
Associated to social responsibility, some companies adopt the practices of Social Marketing
which, according Schiavo (2004), is the strategic management of the social change process
from the adoption of knowledge, inclusion of new people, attitudes and individual and
collective practices, targeted by ethical precepts founded in human rights and social equity.
The implementation of Social Marketing is associated to serious sponsorship for projects
aimed at solidarity. Actions such as these serve the needs of a huge slice of Brazilian society
which is the support to needy classes, and are widely disseminated by the press. Thus, it is an
efficient solution of Marketing for the company, since it brings results through the creation of
a positive image of company identified with social problems.
3. Methodology
Due to its objectives, the research consists in an exploratory research, of basic nature and
qualitative approach. The technical procedure was the bibliographical research and case study
(SILVA e MENEZES, 2001). The main purpose was to find the top 10 universities in the
world and in Brazil, and analyze whether or not they announce on their website actions
concerning Social Responsibility. To meet this purpose, a search through the World Wide
Web was made, which provided the required information, according to the Times Higher
Education, in 2007 (QS TOP UNIVESITIES, 2007).
To find the top 10 universities in Brazil, a search at the MEC (Ministério da Educação e
Cultura) website was made, which provided the best 10 universities in Brazil, in 2008.
4. Top 10 universities in the world and in Brazil and social responsibility
The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in Brazil requests that educational institutions
perform actions of Social Responsibility. Therefore, the institutions are supposed to include
such activities in their strategic planning.
Chart 1 presents a list of the top 10 universities in Brazil, in 2008, and the most important
actions of social responsibility they are involved in, as well as the way such actions are
promoted in their respective home page.
 INSTITUTION STATE
Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
The University supports 70 established social projects, such as extension programs, scholarships, an
open university for elders, and partnerships with private companies and the government. Some of the
SP
projects are:
Xingu project: Health care of native people in several Indian reservations;
Quixote project : Care of adolescents with severe behavior problems
Fundação Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)
RS
Information not found at their home page.
Fundação Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV)
MG
Information not found at their home page.
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
MG
Information not found at their home page.
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Not many activities are advertised on their home page. The one found is “Solidarity integration of RS
freshman students at the university”.
Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM)
MG
Information not found at their home page.
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
RJ
Information not found at their home page.
Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR)
SP
Information not found at their home page.
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC - Rio)
Not many activities are advertised on their home page. The one found is a program on Scholarship RJ
and exchange programs.
Universidade Federal de Itajubá (UNIFEI)
MG
Information not found at their home page.
Source: Data collected by the authors (The list of the top 10 universities in Brazil was collected from Universia,
2008.)

Chart 1 - Top 10 universities in Brazil in 2008 and their social responsible actions
According to the research, the institution that offers more complete and wider programs on
Social Responsibility is FAFESP. The University has around 70 projects in the social area.
These projects, as well as the commitment of the university towards this field, are clearly
promoted on its home page.
With the other institutions, they certainly have projects concerning the social responsibility
area. However, they are not clearly promoted on their web site. Therefore, it is necessary to
contact them directly, to get information about such actions.
Chart 2 provides information concerning the top 10 universities in the world, and their
actions with social responsibility character.

INSTITUTION COUNTRY
Harvard University
Resources for Harvard’s neighbors include, in Harvard’s Allston:
a. Campus arts, sports, lectures, classes, and religious services USA
b. Community partnerships and programs
c. Community planning
University of Cambridge
Every year Cambridge staff and students invest 370,000 hours of their time in voluntary and
United Kingdom
outreach work, with more than 1 million people annually participating in and benefiting from
our community activities.
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
The University of Oxford is committed to playing a strong and supportive role in the city and
region, and is deeply involved in a range of activities in the local community. These activities
are related to the topics: education, museums, events and activities, voluntary work (students
perform voluntary works to the community).
Yale University
The University stimulates and coordinates volunteer opportunities in many different areas, for USA
instance: American Red Cross, Children’s Community Programs, among others.
Imperial College London
The university provides a Volunteer Centre, related to many areas (persons with special needs,
United Kingdom
elderly, environment, and others). Any person can join the centre, just by filling out the
required forms.
Princeton University
Volunteer program for community services for students of Princeton, related to many different
areas. Community action seeks:
* Promote an ethic of service and community awareness among undergraduates USA
* Foster productive collaboration between the University and surrounding communities
* Engage all participants in academic and interpersonal dialogue
* Provide quality leadership opportunities for upperclassmen
California Institute of Technology
Volunteering program for students and community, in activities like: clearing hiking trails,
USA
supporting those infected with the HIV virus, and preparing and serving meals for the
homeless.
University of Chicago
The university has a Commitment to Civic Partnership, for a “A thriving, productive, safe
community is a top priority for the University of Chicago”. The university is committed to
improving the quality of life for its neighbors, particularly in the communities that surround the USA
campus. Many of their staff, students, and administrators work closely with community
organizations and other groups to improve health care, ensure neighborhood safety and
amenities, create affordable housing, and support education.
UCL (University College London)
Volunteering Services Unit is project to promote and support volunteering within the local
community by students and staff members, by:
 Helping students set up and run their own community action projects
 Organizing one-off volunteering events
United Kingdom
 Providing training
 Administering a small grant scheme to help with volunteering projects
 Organizing volunteering fairs
 Contributing to UCL’s Global Citizenship Agenda, amo9ng many other projects.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Chart 2 – Top 10 universities in world in 2007 and their social responsible actions

The research revealed that all the top 10 universities in the world have several different
projects and programs on volunteering, which constitute in actions of social responsibility.
These programs, in many cases, are directed to students and community in general, as well.
They are very dynamic, and involve the whole community in their activities. MIT is deeply
involved not only with the surrounding community, but the whole world. The students have
many opportunities to give back what they have received from the institutions, getting
involved in different projects around the world, ranging from health to biodiesel programs.

5. Final considerations

The top 10 universities in the world are very active and dynamic concerning projects on social
responsibility. Even though they do not openly and clearly call such projects as of social
responsibility character, they are clearly directed to this important area.
On the other side, there are the universities in Brazil. It was clearly observed that they do not
promote the programs and projects concerning social responsibility on their web sites. One
exception is made to FAFESP. The university has around 70 projects in the social area. These
projects, as well as the commitment of the university towards this field, are clearly promoted
on its home page.
Though MEC (Ministry of Education and Culture) calls the Institutions of High Education to
be attentive to his area, it does not look that many advances have been achieved.
Social Responsibility is a theme broadly discussed and required from organizations
nowadays. Therefore, the institutions of higher education need not only to teach them to their
students, but help them put into practice some actions of that character. It is a good practice of
extension, also.
A way to get the students and the whole community involved in those practices is to advertise
the programs and projects of this nature on their home page. By doing it, universities will be
fostering their programs on social responsibility, and providing better opportunities for their
students to participate, thus enabling them to help improve their stakeholders quality of life
and the whole surrounding community.

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