Cooperativismo y Desarrollo, September-December 2019; 7(3): 341-353
Translated from the original in Spanish
Evaluation of the accomplishment of the social responsibility in the cattle genetic enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos"
Evaluación del cumplimiento de la responsabilidad social en la empresa pecuaria genética "Camilo Cienfuegos"
Osvell García Valido1, Alvaro Celestino Alonso Vázquez2, Osvaldo Domínguez Junco3
1Poder Popular Municipal. Consolación del Sur. Cuba. Email: pdl.cs@gobpr.co.cu
2Empresa Pecuaria Genética "Camilo Cienfuegos". Consolación del Sur. Cuba. Email: alonsoalvaroc@gmail.com
3Centro de Estudios de Dirección, Desarrollo
Local, Turismo y Cooperativismo (CE-GESTA). Universidad de Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes
de Oca". Pinar del Río. Cuba. Email: osvaldodj@upr.edu.cu
Received: September 3rd, 2019.
Accepted: October 4th, 2019.
ABSTRACT
Amid the growing prevailing globalization, an important part of the managerial union in many countries, it has recognized the more and more excellent paper of their companies in the economic, environmental and social transformation of the geographical areas where they act, because of the impact that you/they generate and they reach. These behaviors or ways of assuming aware commitments of contributing with the sustainable development and the improvement of the quality of the workers' life, their families, the community and the society in general, on the base of efficient and effective economic processes, it contains the acting of the Managerial Social Responsibility. The present work has as objective to evaluate the practices in Managerial Social Responsibility of the Genetic Cattle Company Camilo Cienfuegos. For the realization of this, the following methods were used: the historical-logical, systemic and statistical with their different ones technical. As a result an evaluation is obtained on the part of the surrounding population to the entity, as well as of its workers, technicians and specialists of like they perceive the Managerial Social Responsibility carried out by the study entity, starting from excellent aspects related with five fundamental environments: organizational environment, economic and financial environment, environmental environment, environment of programs and projects and innovative and technological environment, which allowed to classify as positive the acting of the Managerial Social Responsibility in this entity.
Keywords: scope; sustainable development; enterprises; enterprise social responsibility; system
RESUMEN
En medio de la creciente globalización imperante, una parte importante del gremio empresarial en muchos países, ha reconocido el papel cada vez más relevante de sus empresas en la transformación económica, ambiental y social de las zonas geográficas donde actúan a causa del impacto que generan y alcanzan. Estos comportamientos o modos de asumir compromisos conscientes de contribuir con el desarrollo sostenible y el mejoramiento de la calidad de vida de los trabajadores, sus familias, la comunidad y la sociedad en general, sobre la base de procesos económicos eficientes y eficaces, encierra el desempeño de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar los resultados del diagnóstico de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial de la Empresa Pecuaria Genética "Camilo Cienfuegos". Para la realización de este, se emplearon los siguientes métodos: el histórico-lógico, el sistémico y el estadístico con sus diferentes técnicas. Como resultado, se obtiene una evaluación por parte de la población circundante a la entidad, así como de sus trabajadores, técnicos y especialistas de cómo perciben la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial llevada a cabo por la entidad de estudio, a partir de aspectos relevantes, relacionados con cinco ámbitos fundamentales: ámbito organizacional, ámbito económico y financiero, ámbito ambiental, ámbito de programas y proyectos y ámbito innovador y tecnológico, los cuales permitieron catalogar como positivo el desempeño de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial en dicha entidad.
Palabras claves: ámbitos; desarrollo sostenible; empresas; responsabilidad social empresarial; sistema
INTRODUCTION
The present times, marked by neoliberal globalization, increasing social inequalities, wars for the domination of existing natural wealth and, with them, the acceleration of alterations caused by climate change, place the planet in a complex situation. Topics such as local development, enterprise social responsibility (ESR) and sustainable project management are marking an era within contemporary social sciences (García & Alonso, 2018).
Most of the enterprises that have undertaken ESR actions have seen benefits in their relationship with customers, workers and suppliers. Being socially responsible, they have registered an increase in productivity, in stakeholder satisfaction, a decrease in staff turnover and in costs, coinciding with what was expressed by Zadek (2005) and by Ahuja Sánchez and others (2007).
According to Betancourt (2016), Cuba, due to its socialist social system, in force for more than six decades, conceives as implicit, within its state forms of production, a socially responsible performance in its forms of management, which is reflected in practices over time, such as: attention to man, collective work spirit, voluntary work, solidarity, social investment and support to the community. This author himself maintains that many Cuban academics and politicians consider that the "socialist economy" implies and surpasses the Enterprise Social Responsibility of capitalism for the collective effort it develops, cumulative and at the macro level, beyond the enterprise itself.
In the specific case of Cuba, although the "good practices" in Enterprise Social Responsibility are consubstantial with the Cuban social model, they do not form part of the management philosophy of the majority of Cuban business in any sector and, of course, they are not conceived from the three spheres: social, economic and environmental in their integral development strategies.
However, Betancourt (2016) argues that ESR has been implicit throughout the Cuban socialist stage as part of the humanist essence of the process, which, from its beginnings, led the business system to assume responsibility with society in different spheres of economic and social life, which is appreciable through the commitment and contributions made systematically with the State and society itself. ESR can be considered as a driving force for positive social transformation and closely linked to the enterprise's social purpose.
According to Ferrales y Roldán (2017), ESR has framed its efforts in the fight for a sustainable and responsible development, characterized by the care and conscious use of resources, with the aim of ensuring that they last and are used by future generations and thereby achieve a type of economic growth less aggressive to the environment.
On the other hand, Soto (2016), argues that the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution, approved in 2017 in Cuba, declare that the state-owned enterprise is the fundamental link in the economy; several numerals expressly allude to their social responsibility and to the necessary link between enterprise-territory-society.
Likewise, it considers that the current regulatory framework, more than half a century after the Socialist State was established, continues to be quite scarce and dispersed in other normative instruments in which, at times, explicitly or implicitly, some of the areas of ESR are dealt with indistinctly, which also presupposes the scarce supervision of these practices. This leads to an analysis of the institution from the country's own economic and social context and its link with the municipality as a niche of relevant actors for the achievement of the development to which it aspires. It also maintains that there is a dilemma for those who argue that ESR is the response to the failure of state regulation in environmental, social, and labor issues, and that a mandatory framework would reduce the social behavior of companies to strict compliance with legal norms, without going beyond what is established in law.
In view of the foregoing, the socialist state enterprise must work in accordance with the fulfilment of the social object assigned to it; but this cannot be achieved at the expense of the non-fulfilment of the social responsibility that corresponds to it, in accordance with local development. In this direction, it is necessary for the enterprise to systematically evaluate how it is managed in order to comply with its enterprise purpose and with what is regulated by the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution, among which the following stand out: 99, 104 and 161 (PCC, 2017).
Genetic-livestock activity in the province of Pinar del Río has been aimed at encouraging and developing 9 genetic projects, with special interest for the development of the Siboney breed from Cuba. To this end, the entity's management systems have been progressively consolidated; however, the results to be achieved by virtue of the provisions of ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems are still considered insufficient, since it is not possible to visualize enterprise social responsibility as an entity that plays a decisive role by extending itself as a value to be shared in all of the organization's functional subsystems.
The above-mentioned limitations attempt with the axiological implementation of the enterprise social responsibility of the livestock entity, in its link with interest groups, in order to favor the fulfillment of its business objectives. Based on the above, it is defined as the objective of the work: to analyze the results of the diagnosis carried out to evaluate Enterprise Social Responsibility in the Genetic Livestock Enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos".
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In order to comply with the objective of the work, three questionnaires were designed as a measurement instrument, in correspondence with indicators that would allow the evaluation of ESR within the demarcation where the Genetic livestock enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos" is developed. The instruments had closed dichotomous questions and several alternative answers, collected in 83 items, made to the different interest groups to confirm the importance of the subject and its theoretical enrichment.
To validate the functionality of the instrument designed, it was applied to a representative sample of the population that constitute the most important interest groups for the enterprise: Workers, members of the community "Camilo Cienfuegos", customers, suppliers, government, local media, which allowed to determine if the practices of the organization in ESR are part of its development strategy and if they are aimed at avoiding damage and/or produce benefits for all stakeholders in the activity of the enterprise, producing benefits in general, both for the enterprise and for the local community.
The diagnosis was aimed at interrelating five key areas: through Research-Action-Participation, aimed at the areas, organizational, economic and financial, environmental, programs and projects and innovative and technological, which are listed in table 1.
Table 1 - Spheres of enterprise social responsibility with number of items diagnosed in the Genetic livestock enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos"
Source: Own elaboration
The answers were organized in a database, in Microsoft Excel, following the following pattern of conversion from qualitative to quantitative (Good =2 Regular=1 Bad=0).
In addition, theoretical and empirical methods were used. Among the theoretical methods used are:
For their part, the empirical methods that were specified are:
In cases where differences were obtained (P<0.05, P<0.01 and P<0.001), Duncan's multiple comparison test was applied. The statistical software Infostat Version 1.1 (Di Rienzo et al., 2012) was used to process the information.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of the diagnosis made to the "Camilo Cienfuegos" community, located in the areas where the Genetic livestock enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos" (EPGCC) is located, to evaluate the knowledge and criteria that the inhabitants possess regarding how the enterprise social responsibility developed by the entity is visualized, are described in table 2.
Table 2 - Frequency of the items diagnosed to the surrounding population to measure the level of compliance with social responsibility of the Genetic livestock enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos"
a, b, c, d (different letters in the same row differ P<0.05)
(* P<0,05; ** P<0,01; *** P<0,001)
Source: Own elaboration
As can be observed, 52.94% of the responses of the interest groups (P<0.05), when asked about the carrying out of social activities aimed at the benefit of the community's quality of life and leisure, were positive. This is based on the realization of 3 annual editions of national exhibition and competitive fairs (Cuba Siboney Fair, Horse Fair and Reproduction Fair) where recreational and cultural activities are combined with sports.
As part of its organizational management, it develops actions that respond to the interest groups of the labor collective in the enterprise, with full recognition of them.
In addition, the community perceives the support to the recreation of the workers and the families in the summer stage with vacation plans and passages in different tourist places of the province that the enterprise offers, united to political-cultural and educational activities in the population settlements of the Popular Council.
Other evidences of the commitment of the entity with the population where it is located lie in the support to the service of drinking water supply, the transport of the inhabitants and ambulance services in the necessary cases, together with the construction and repair of houses to workers and retired inhabitants and with treatment of the social security, besides the constructive maintenance to social works (agricultural markets, sale of industrial products, funerary, schools and infantile house of care of children, among others). The rest of the answers found percentages lower than 52.94%.
Regarding the support that the enterprise provides with agricultural resources to the social needs of the community, the total responses were (P<0.001), with differences (P<0.05) between them. 41.18% of those surveyed rated positively the enterprise's compliance with its responsibility in this regard. This is based on the delivery of quantities planned by the Base Enterprise Unit (UEB) Loma de Candelaria, such as food, vegetables and grains to the agricultural market of the community, complying with the per capita per inhabitant, approved by the enterprise to ensure food security and nutrition of the inhabitants of that community.
On the other hand, 64.71% of the answers given (P<0.05) consider that it is not known whether the enterprise publicly communicates the expenses incurred in the social activities it carries out in its community, while 23.53% of the answers (P<0.01) think that it does so on certain occasions, which can be verified in the accountability meetings of the Chairman of the People's Council, where enterprise executives participate.
On the other hand, 41.18% of the responses (P<0.05) agree that the enterprise, as part of its management, guarantees young graduates of middle and higher levels optional courses for professional advancement, in its training center and in the teaching unit that they own, where pre-professional internships are carried out by university students linked to careers with an agricultural profile. In the same way, they support the improvement of their workers and the rest of the inhabitants of the community.
It was found that 64.71% of those surveyed stated that they had not received any damages for the production processes carried out by the enterprise. Only 17.65% of those surveyed stated that they have sometimes perceived some damage or harm, results that differ from each other (P<0.05).
The level of satisfaction with the claims for damages that could have been caused to the community, due to the productive and non-productive activities carried out by the entity, 11.76% of the answers given (P<0.001) expressed dissatisfaction.
Among the causes alluded to by the residents of the community are the spraying by airplane and specialized herbicide equipment and treatment of the pastures adjacent to the community, deficiencies in the cycle of water supply to the population by programmed irrigations to crops of titonia and moringa, high decibels for music on days of fairs.
There is 100% satisfaction with the responses and treatment received by these 121 residents who said they had received some damage by the enterprise, which has a plan of measures to protect the community to significantly reduce the damage to its residents.
The enterprise actively participates with ESR actions in the development and social life of the surrounding community, which are identified and highlighted by the vast majority of the inhabitants.
When evaluating the vision that workers, specialists and technicians have of the organization's enterprise management regarding ESR actions, a favorable condition could be observed, results that are shown in table 3.
As a process, planning captures information, data (inputs) and transforms them into structured and useful information (outputs) for decision making and implementation; 96.88% of the responses (P<0.05), referring to whether the Enterprise establishes within its planning policies to support the community is positive, which is felt in its strategic planning until 2030 with approved lines, which give solution to community approaches. This process "coordinates and integrates the productive, economic-financial and social aspects, promoting initiative and efforts..." for the fulfillment of functions and objectives with maximum efficiency in accordance with the stipulated in Resolution No. 276/03 (2003, p. 8) (Fornesi Ferreira, 2017).
Table 3 - Frequency of items diagnosed to workers, specialists and technicians on the perception of enterprise social responsibility of the Genetic Livestock Enterprise "Camilo Cienfuegos"
a, b, c, d (different letters in the same row differ P<0.05)
(* P<0,05; ** P<0,01; *** P<0,001)
Source: Own elaboration
There are alliances between the enterprise and other organizations in the territory which represent 87.50% of the responses. An example of this can be seen in the road repairs (Viales enterprise), the slope veneer on highways and roads, the change and repair of drinking water pipes to supply the inhabitants (Aqueduct enterprise), works of the brigade of constructors in social works, painting and embellishment (Government), with the provision of premises to support the activities of the Popular Council during the election process developed in the country (Municipal Electoral Commission).
When evaluating the communication strategy of the enterprise, 81.25% of the answers consider that it fulfills the functions, to have the entity with institutional video, journalistic work to disseminate productive achievements and good livestock practices, carried out with the leading producers (cowboys), accountability of the social actions of the UEB in the boards of directors of the enterprise, participation in international fairs and events that contribute to irradiate the institutional achievements before the scientific and productive community of the country as Institute of Animal Science (ICA), Institute of Pasture and Forages (IIPF), University of Pinar del Río (UPR) and the Agrarian of Havana (UNAH) among others, besides the associates to the ACPA (Cuban Association of Animal Production) and the Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forest Technicians (ACTAF) as well as to other enterprises of the livestock branch.
In the case of the participation of enterprise managers in support activities for social organizations, 75% of those surveyed responded positively. An example of this is the development of clubs and cultural activities in coordination with the Municipal Directorate of Culture, the collection and transportation of raw materials to support the work of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), logistical insurance in the country's celebrations for holidays and commemorative days (May 1, July 26, January 1, September 28) with the Organ of Work in the studies conducted and social visits.
Community work days are generally established on Saturdays where workers of the enterprise participate voluntarily, hence 71.88% of those surveyed emphasize that there are multiple tasks, from veneering and cleaning against vectors, community sanitation activities, painting, masonry, repairs in primary schools, planting gardens and reforestation of the community, among others.
With its performance, it seeks for the livestock business guild to recognize ESR as a necessity when creating value for all stakeholders and not as compliance with an established norm or requirement. Both the enterprise's social leadership and its participation in government social and local development projects are key elements of a responsible stance towards society and the state, which corresponds to what was proposed by Vives (2007).
As far as the environmental management system is concerned, the enterprise is at the forefront within the province in the use of renewable energy sources, which are in operation in its dairies. An example of this is its 11 biodigesters that receive the load of manure from livestock, eliminating carbon dioxide emissions, 34 windmills that supply drinking water to livestock drinkers, 31 photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, 28 solar heaters used to disinfect the mechanized milking system and 2 submersible pumps powered by solar panels for irrigation and water supply.
The performance shown in the care and protection of the environment, which complies with the environmental management strategy with which the entity works, is consolidated through the strong work undertaken in its productive UEB, with the use of renewable energy sources, thereby mitigating carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and shows respect for the environment.
There is unanimity among the workers of the entity that live within the border area of the enterprise and in other population settlements of the municipality, in addition, that the entity causes a low percentage of damages to the community where it is located and this is strengthened with the implementation of a risk prevention plan which minimizes the potential damage that could be caused in productive activities.
At the same time, they have a commission represented by specialists from the organization itself that provides immediate response to all claims or demands of the population or state entities that are presented, in addition to having established days for attention to the population, by the different functional directions.
REFERENCES
Ahuja Sánchez, L., Magaña Placencia, M., & Pedroza Zapata, Á. R. (2007). Diagnóstico exploratorio del nivel de responsabilidad social empresarial percibido por las empresas involucradas en el biocluster de occidente. Presentado en XI Congreso Anual de la Academia de Ciencias Administrativas A.C., Guadalajara: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Oriente (ITESO).
Betancourt Abio, R. (2016). La responsabilidad social empresarial en Cuba. Estudios del Desarrollo Social: Cuba y América Latina, 4(2), 34-43.
Di Rienzo, J. A., Balzarini, M., Casanoves, F., Gonzáles, L., Tablado, M., Guzmán, W., & Robledo, C. W. (2012). Software estadístico infostat (Versión 1.1). Universidad Nacional de Córdoba: Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias.
Ferrales Arias, Y., & Roldán Ruenes, A. (2017). La Responsabilidad Social Empresarial: un enfoque para el desarrollo de las empresas cubanas. Santiago, (143), 264-275.
Fornesi Ferreira, F. M. (2017). Estrategia para el desarrollo de la cadena de valor de la carne vacuna en el municipio Consolación del Sur (Maestría en Dirección). Universidad de Pinar del Río «Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca», Pinar del Río. Recuperado a partir de https://rc.upr.edu.cu/jspui/handle/DICT/3155
García, O., & Alonso, A. C. (2018). La gestión de políticas públicas en alianza con el sector empresarial ganadero y su rol socialmente responsable para el desarrollo local. Presentado en VI Congreso Internacional de Producción Animal Tropical, La Habana.
Ministerio de Economía y Planificación. (2003). Resolución 276/03. Planificación Empresarial.
PCC. (2017). Lineamientos de la Política Económica y Social del Partido y la Revolución para el período 2016-2021. UEB Gráfica. Empresa de periódicos. Recuperado a partir de http://www.granma.cu/file/pdf/gaceta/%C3%BAltimo%20PDF%2032.pdf
Soto, L. (2016). Responsabilidad social empresarial en Cuba: Una visión desde el conocimiento jurídico en pos del desarrollo local. Dereito: revista xurídica da Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.15304/dereito.25.1.2876
Vives, A. (2007). El argumento empresarial de la RSE: 9 casos de América Latina y el Caribe. Washington, D.C: INCAE.
Zadek, S. (2005). El camino hacia la responsabilidad corporativa. Harvard Business Review, 83(8), 60-69.
