Recommended actions to foster the adoption of Corporate Social ...

CSR area significancesupply chain management, compliance, qualityassurance, good corporate governance, andmanagement capacities may affect theircompetitiveness in the mid- to long-term. However,many SMEs still believe that ethical behaviors are notlinked to profitability. In general, most of the SMEsthat embrace CSR are in exporting sectors. Inparticular they think that CSR issues affect SMEs’competitiveness when SMEs are part of a supplychain, which fosters better management capacitiesand may lead to increased exports if the supplychain is international.maxminCSR actual positioning in ColombiaminWPCMPECSR actions implementationmaxAccording to Vives, Corral and Isusi, (2005)Colombian SMEs, in contrast with large firms, lackeconomic resources, governance capacity,management culture, expertise and awareness aboutmanagerial tools (i.e. social balances, CSR indicators,voluntary management systems and ISO standards).On the other hand, foreign enterprises and investorsoperating in Colombia demand CSR activities andassurances as prerequisites for the formation ofalliances. The 2005 ISO Survey shows that there are4,926 ISO 9001 certified enterprises in the country.Several entities have created programs for fightingcorruption in the marketplace. Among these are: (i) thePresidential program for the fight against corruption,which is made up of four sectors – Inter-institutionalCoordination, Legality Culture, Social and Citizencontrol, and Regional strategy, (ii) the Chambers ofCommerce, which promote items of business ethicsand anti-corruption, and provide training services toassociated enterprises, (iii) Universities, which havecreated departments of Corporate Social Responsibilityand business ethics - in particular Javeriana Universitycreated ethics indicators for the implementation ofCSR in SMEs, (iv) the Transparency Internationalchapter in Colombia (Transparencia por Colombia),which implemented a program for Business Ethics inSMEs, titled Towards Integral and Transparent SMEs 60(Rumbo Pymes Integras y Trasparentes) has beenimplemented through participative actions and hasabout 140 SMEs involved.MPWPCESMEs country positionin the Marketplace areaSMEs country positionin the Workplace areaSMEs country positionin the Community areaSMEs country positionin the Environment areaColombia has an important number of CSR bestpractices. For example, in the coffee industry, coffeegrowers have united for purposes of exporting goods,consequently, the state created the National CoffeeFund, by which all members contribute to thedevelopment of infrastructure in the coffee region. Inaddition, the ice cream company Meals de Colombiapromotes an extensive scholastic program thatincludes public institutions in rural areas with highrates of indigenous and Afro-Colombian population.Its aim is to match businesses with schools.60 The program presents 10 modules: Guide to the program implementation, Measurement of internal ethic environment (through theuse of a specific software), ethic compromise, principles for the prevention of bribe, ethic leadership, training in business ethic,Strengthening of communication channel, administration of family companies, ethic solution of conflict, and Decision taking throughan ethic sense.Colombia69