Companies are well aware that in a free market system, they depend on consumer choice in order to sell their products and services.

If a business doesn’t sell, it’s not going to last long!

That’s why companies have been carrying out the strategy of customer analysis for some time. They want to know about customer needs, preferences, ways of thinking, etc. etc.; everything that helps to get customers’ attention and, ultimately, their business. Companies try to meet the needs of customers by investing in surveys, management systems and by doing whatever else they can in order to achieve this goal, in accordance with business logic.

Capitalism, liberalism and free market competition work reasonably well because they reflect and interpret reality.

They are not perfect systems but rather perfectible systems, to the extent that they can actually improve reality (in regards to ethical values).

Experience has shown us that when regulations are increased to a certain level, everything starts to fall apart, regardless of the good intentions behind it. Trying to adapt reality to our needs and desires distorts things and creates consequences.

However, we can modify reality with our behaviors.  

If I demand as a consumer that the products and services I consume are made in ethical and sustainable ways, then the market will react immediately and produce them in that way.

If I don’t make use of this right, then I’m left to the good intentions and possible actions of businessowners (and for the record, this applies to the public in a similar way, but that’s another story) and, like with anything, there are good ones and bad ones.

So, why not award the good ones with my business?

If I choose to pay less without caring whether my supplier causes contamination, human rights abuses, etc., then I have to assume that I am the same or worse.

And if I buy something at the same price without taking into consideration the way the goods were produced, then I’m going against logic and common sense.

If I’m not a responsible citizen, then I am a hypocrite to demand things that I’m incapable of doing myself.

I just saw on the news that several international retailers have suppliers in Turkey that allegedly employ undocumented Syrian refugees, some of them underage (BBC UK, 24 October 2016). According to the BBC’s “Panorama” investigation,  the British brands Marks & Spencer, Next and Asos use suppliers that allegedly employ underage Syrian immigrants in Turkey or pay extremely low wages to adults, taking advantage of their situation.

Personally, I make sure not to buy any products from these businesses unless they can prove their innocence.

For example, I decided never to buy another vehicle from Volkswagen ever since it came out that their senior management orchestrated organized fraud against consumers while hypocritically presenting themselves as champions for the environment.

Thanks to the court judgments and attitudes of many consumers, VW is receiving a harsh punishment (although not as harsh as I would like in order for it to set an example for the industry; I haven’t even seen one person go to jail for this conspiracy to pollute and deceive!).

 “On Friday, VW released their financial statements from last year and reported a net loss of 5.5 billion euros (about 6.2 billion dollars). They reported that they have reserved around 16.2 billion euros (18.2 billion dollars) in order to cover the costs of the scandal.”

I haven’t bought any Japanese products for years – not until they stop their whaling industry, which is administered  by the Japanese government, a huge bureaucracy of research budgets, annual plans, promotions and pensions.

And so it goes.

Now I rely on the ability to access real-time information in order to make more informed decisions.  

We have to make businesses understand that it’s more difficult to mislead consumers now and that it’s going to end up being more costly to do things badly than to do them well.  

And we should give our business to responsible businessowners that comply with their duties as citizens and that are leaders in social and economic development in their communities.

Responsible citizenship and corporate social responsibility are the true paths to improving our world.

The post Sustainable capitalism depends on me, on you, on all of us appeared first on BizzNews.

A model for CSR in Latin America

By: Jorge Emilio Sierra Montoya (*)

A personal commitment

The Instituto Ethos (Ethos Institute) was created in 1988 by a group of Brazilian businessmen who wanted to confirm their personal commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), not just the commitment from the companies they were in charge of.

Moreover, their board is in the hands of people representing themselves as individuals rather than a specific company, so that when a board member retires, they aren’t replaced by the individual taking over as president of their company.

It’s a personal commitment in its truest sense, which shows what CSR really means: business owners must be socially responsible if they want their companies to be. Business owners being socially responsible ahead of businesses, one could say.

Therefore, their objective from the beginning has been to commit more and more business owners/executives to this new culture of doing business while being responsible to society, or rather, by being sustainable.

How? It’s very simple: They evaluate the social impact of a company’s different activities so that if they have negative effects, they must be reduced, and if they are positive because they are beneficial to the community, they must be increased.

This doesn’t simply mean complying with existing laws, as some would say. No. You have to go above and beyond legal requirements in order to ensure that every business is sustainable – through their economic, social and environmental impact – and truly achieve social sustainability.

The future of humanity ultimately depends a great deal on our businesses.

A guide to being sustainable

But how can you make businesses become sustainable? It obviously requires changes and that’s precisely what the Instituto Ethos is for – to make those changes happen, explains the Instituto’s president, Paulo Itacarambi.

That goal – adds the director, who has been connected to this organization for a long time – is achieved through various workstreams, related projects, and above all,  through motivational activities at conferences, forums, seminars, etc. that create working groups in companies to advance the learning process.

To this end, they have management indicators and guidelines for developing the value chain containing techniques and methodologies which are extremely useful for making a business sustainable, regardless of its type. 

They have been independently developed by the Instituto, mostly in partnership with similar organizations, such as the United Nations Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), among others, in the spirit of solidarity that is – or should be – characteristic of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Incidentally, these materials are available on their website: www.ethos.org.br, along with several other specialist publications, and can be used with one simple requirement: credit must be given to the Institute as respect for their intellectual property.

“The materials can be adapted to meet the particular needs of each country”, Itacarambi points out. He stresses that the task of teaching values is didactic in nature, which is why “Uniethos” – the educational arm of the Instituto, in partnership with universities and other academic centers – was created several years ago in order to give training courses.

“These are partnerships specifically with business studies departments”, he explains.

Supportive leadership

It’s supportive work, he insists. For example, they support different media outlets, which – he states – have an enormous level of social responsibility. How do they do this? Again, through partnerships that have enabled them to hold debates on this responsibility of the press; through creating a network of journalists who are committed to this regard (nearly one thousand in Brazil!) and receive regular training; and by awarding an annual journalism prize in CSR – all of which is clearly appropriate.

They clearly support universities, too. An example is the strategy they developed to encourage CSR amongst students; those who address this issue in their thesis can take part in a competition whose results speak for themselves: some of the winning entries were made into course texts for their respective universities!

And they support businesses, as one would expect. How? By inviting them to participate in the aforementioned working groups – particularly the value chain group – which enables large businesses to meet with SMEs. They work on projects like the one underway with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); everyone working together to find their sustainability or, in effect, being socially responsible, which – he points out –  is a similar goal to the one set forth several years ago for total quality.

It’s no wonder, then, that from the initial eleven companies associated with the Instituto Ethos they have grown to more than a thousand, without asking for any help from the State, since their funds only come from the private sector.

Understandably, Ethos has become the model for CSR in Latin America, commanding an undisputable authority in the region. “Which we were never looking for”, he clarifies.

Equitable globalization

According to Itacarambi, CSR is justified in light of the growing social divide in the world which has been further accentuated by the processes of globalization and economic openness – processes which Latin American countries are not exempt from.

Therefore, the  challenge is how to reduce this gap, especially when it’s well known that technological development wasn’t designed with this in mind but rather to lower costs and increase productivity and competition.

It requires, in short, equitable globalization. And in order to do this – he states – it’s absolutely necessary for companies to be sustainable and have the social responsibility that these circumstances require.

In fact, he acknowledges that the upsurge in CSR/sustainability is similar to the total quality movement that came to the forefront years ago and still hasn’t gone away.

However, he warns that this isn’t just a passing fad. Quite the contrary – it’s a logical consequence of the unsustainability in the world shown through the social divide, of the social problems caused by climate change, and the values crisis caused by self-interest, lack of cooperation and corruption, which in turn caused a loss of confidence in the markets. 

For their part, the State is incapable of resolving these problems, making it necessary for private companies to get involved – he insists – as an exercise in social responsibility.

Moral values are fundamental, from his point of view. Or ethics, to be exact.

However, this doesn’t mean it’s a theoretical, abstract subject – he affirms. Instead it must be translated into concrete actions in practical terms, such as the mechanisms established in companies to prevent corruption among their employees up to the highest levels, or in the State’s contract bidding process, where bribes usually take place in our countries. 

Concrete actions like those in Brazil, where he points out that many companies subscribe to a national pact along these lines, explicitly committing themselves to confronting corruption and guaranteeing their integrity as an expression of their CSR.

Beyond philanthropy

Lastly, Itacarambi notes that the fight against poverty to reduce the social divide cannot be confused with mere philanthropy. Therefore – he warns – productive activities must be put into place in our communities and be promoted from the base of the pyramid – the lowest income bracket – as part of companies’ strategic plans, and include integration with different links in the supply chain.

This – he says – is true Corporate Social Responsibility, and it shouldn’t put environmental considerations to the side by making sure to create an impact in this regard as well and to adopt clean technologies.

Take careful note, business owners!

(*) Director of “Desarrollo Indoamericano” (Indoamerican Development) Magazine, University of Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla (Colombia) – jesierram@gmail.com

The post A model for CSR in Latin America appeared first on BizzNews.

Las empresas tienen claro que en un sistema libre de competencia, dependen de la elección de los consumidores para la venta de sus productos y servicios.

¡Si una empresa no vende poco ha de durar!

Por eso las empresas han venido aplicando la estrategia del análisis de stakeholders con sus clientes desde hace tiempo. Se preocupan por conocer sus necesidades, gustos, psicología, etc, etc. Todo aquello que ayude a captar su atención y en definitiva su elección. Las empresas tratan de satisfacer al cliente e invierten en encuestas, sistemas de gestión y cuanto puedan para lograr este objetivo acorde a la lógica del negocio.

El capitalismo, el liberalismo, la libre competencia funcionan razonablemente bien pues reflejan e interpretan la realidad.

No son sistemas perfectos sino perfectibles, en la medida que mejore la realidad, (hablando de acuerdo a valores éticos).

La experiencia nos ha venido demostrando que cuando las regulaciones aumentan hasta cierto nivel todo empieza a desmoronarse por más buenas intenciones que haya detrás. Tratar de adaptar la realidad a nuestros deseos va acumulando distorsiones y consecuencias.

Pero podemos ir modificando la realidad con nuestras actitudes.

Si como consumidor exijo que los productos y servicios que consumo sean realizados en forma ética y sostenible entonces el mercado reaccionará inmediatamente y los producirá en esa forma.

Si no hago uso de ese derecho entonces quedo librado a las buenas intenciones y posibilidades de los empresarios (y conste que esto se aplica en forma similar a lo público, pero eso es otra historia). Y empresarios hay como en todo, buenos y malos.

Así que, ¿por qué no premiar a los buenos con mi elección?

Si prefiero pagar barato sin importarme que mi proveedor contamine, abuse de derechos humanos, etc., entonces debo asumir que soy igual o peor.

Y si a precio igual compro sin considerar la forma en que se producen los bienes, entonces no rsiste la lógica ni el sentido común.

Si no soy un ciudadano responsable, basta de hipocresías y de exigir cosas que soy incapaz de hacer.

Acabo de ver la noticia de que varias firmas de moda internacionales tienen proveedores en Turquía que presuntamente emplean a refugiados sirios en situación irregular, en algunos casos menores de edad, (BBC británica, 24 de octubre 2016). De acuerdo con este reportaje, del espacio de investigación “Panorama”, las británicas Marks & Spencer, Next y Asos, de venta por internet, cuentan con proveedores que presuntamente emplean a menores sirios en ese país o pagan salarios abusivos a los adultos, aprovechando su necesidad.

En lo personal pienso estar atento a no comprar ningún producto proveniente de esas empresas salvo que demuestren su inocencia.

Con respecto a Volkswagen, decidí no comprar nunca más un vehículo de esa empresa desde que su dirección llevó adelante un fraude organizado contra los consumidores mientras hipócritamente se presentaban como adalides de la ecología.

Gracias a los juicios y a la actitud de muchos consumidores, VW está recibiendo un duro castigo, (aunque no tanto como desearía como para que fuera ejemplificador para toda la industria, no he visto aun que alguien haya ido a la cárcel por esta conspiración para contaminar y engañar!).

“VW dio a conocer el viernes los estados financieros del año pasado y reportó pérdidas netas por 5,5 mil millones de euros (unos 6 mil 200 millones de dólares). Reportó que ha reservado unos 16 mil 200 millones de euros (18 mil 200 millones de dólares), para hacer frente al coste del escándalo.” 

Productos japoneses no compro ninguno desde hace años, hasta que no terminen con la cacería de ballenas que en Japón está manejada por el gobierno, una enorme burocracia con presupuestos para investigación, planes anuales, promociones y pensiones.

Y así con todo.

Hoy cuento con la posibilidad de acceder a información en tiempo real que me permite tomar decisiones con más criterio.

Hay que hacer saber a las empresas que hoy es más difícil engañar sostenidamente a los consumidores y que les va costar más caro hacer las cosas mal que bien.

Y hay que premiar con nuestra elección, a todos los empresarios responsables que cumplen con su deber de ciudadanos y que son líderes del desarrollo económico y social en sus comunidades.

La ciudadanía responsable y la responsabilidad social empresarial son los caminos reales para mejorar nuestro mundo.

The post El Capitalismo sostenible depende de mí, de usted, de nosotros. appeared first on BizzNews.

Un modelo de RSE para América Latina

Por: Jorge Emilio Sierra Montoya (*)

El compromiso personal

El Instituto Ethos fue creado en 1988 por un grupo de empresarios brasileños, quienes ratificaban así su compromiso personal con la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE), no solo el de las compañías a su cargo.

Más aún, su junta directiva está en manos de personas que se representan a sí mismas, no a tal o cual empresa, por lo cual cuando uno de sus miembros se retira no es reemplazado por quien lo suceda en la presidencia de la firma respectiva.

Es un compromiso personal en sentido estricto. Que demuestra, a su vez, en qué consiste la auténtica RSE: los empresarios deben ser socialmente responsables si aspiran a que sus firmas lo sean. Responsabilidad social de los empresarios antes que de las empresas, mejor dicho.

Por ello, desde entonces tiene como objetivo comprometer a más y más empresarios o ejecutivos con esta nueva cultura de hacer negocios en el sentido de ser responsables con la sociedad o, si se quiere, de ser sostenibles.

¿Cómo? Muy simple: evaluar las distintas actividades de las empresas a la luz de sus impactos sociales, de manera que, si son negativos, hay que reducirlos, y si son positivos, de beneficio para la comunidad, hay que ampliarlos.

De otra parte, no se trata solo de cumplir con la ley, como alguien diría. No. Hay que ir más allá de las normas legales, garantizando que cada negocio sea sostenible –por su impacto económico, social y ambiental- para alcanzar finalmente la sostenibilidad de la sociedad.

El futuro de la humanidad depende en gran medida de nuestras empresas, en definitiva.

Guía para ser sostenible

Pero, ¿cómo hacer para que las empresas sean sostenibles? Se requieren cambios, como es obvio. Y para llevarlos a cabo está precisamente el Instituto Ethos, según explica su presidente, Paulo Itacarambi.

Ese propósito –agrega el directivo, vinculado de tiempo atrás a la organización- lo cumple por medio de varias líneas de trabajo, los proyectos respectivos y, sobre todo, las actividades de motivación a través de congresos, foros, seminarios, etc., creando grupos de trabajo en las empresas para adelantar dicho proceso de aprendizaje.

Para ello, dispone de indicadores de gestión, de guías para desarrollar la cadena de valor, de técnicas y metodologías muy útiles cuando se trata de hacer sostenible a la empresa, cualquiera sea.

Son, sí, desarrollos propios del Instituto, casi siempre en alianza con centros similares, como el Pacto Global de Naciones Unidas y el Global Reporting Initiative –GRI-, entre otros, dentro de un espíritu solidario que es o debe ser propio de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial.

Un material que por cierto está disponible, así como numerosas publicaciones especializadas, en su páginas web: www.ethos.org.br, con un simple requisito: dar el crédito correspondiente a la institución, en cabal respeto por la propiedad intelectual.

“El material se puede adaptar a las circunstancias particulares de cada país”, precisa Itacarambi, quien subraya a propósito que la tarea en cuestión es de carácter didáctico, de formación en valores, la cual dio origen hace varios años a “Uniethos”, brazo educativo del Instituto en alianza con universidades y otros centros académicos para dar cursos de capacitación.

“Son alianzas particularmente con facultades de negocios”, explica.

Liderazgo en solidaridad

Un trabajo solidario, insiste. Por ejemplo, con los distintos medios de comunicación, cuya responsabilidad social –afirma- es enorme. ¿Cómo? De nuevo, por medio de alianzas que han permitido realizar debates sobre esa responsabilidad de la prensa; crear una red de periodistas comprometidos en tal sentido (¡cerca de mil en Brasil!), a quienes se capacita en forma permanente, y conceder un premio anual de periodismo en RSE, conveniente a todas luces.

Con las universidades, claro está. Como la estrategia orientada a estimular la RSE entre los alumnos, quienes pueden abordar ese tema en sus tesis de grado y participar también en un concurso cuyos resultados hablan por sí solos: ¡algunos trabajos ganadores se convirtieron en textos de estudio para las mismas universidades!

Y con las empresas, como es lógico. ¿Cómo? Que participen en los mencionados grupos de trabajo, en especial dentro de la cadena de valor que permite reunir a las grandes con las Pymes, según proyectos como el que se adelanta con el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo –BID-, todos a una en busca de su sostenibilidad o de ser, en fin, socialmente responsables, un objetivo comparable –señala- al que hace varios años se impulsó en torno a la calidad total.

No es de extrañar, entonces, que de las once empresas asociadas al Instituto Ethos en su fundación se haya pasado a más de un millar, sin que haya sido necesario contar con algún apoyo del Estado, pues sus recursos solo provienen del sector privado.

Con razón, Ethos se ha convertido en modelo de la RSE en América Latina, ejerciendo un liderazgo indiscutible en la región. “Que nunca hemos buscado”, aclara.

Globalización con equidad

Según Itacarambi, la RSE se justifica a la luz de la creciente brecha social en el mundo, acentuada incluso por los procesos de globalización y apertura económica, a los que no son ajenos los países latinoamericanos.

El reto es, por consiguiente, reducir esa brecha, más aún cuando el desarrollo tecnológico no está diseñado para dicho propósito sino para bajar los costos y elevar la productividad y la competitividad, como es sabido.

Se requiere, en fin, globalización con equidad. Y para ello –observa-, es indispensable que las empresas sean sostenibles, con la responsabilidad social que exigen tales circunstancias.

De hecho, admite que la ola de RSE o sostenibilidad es similar a la de calidad total que viene de tiempo atrás y todavía no ha desaparecido.

Pero, advierte que tampoco es una moda. Al contrario, es una consecuencia lógica –explica- de la insostenibilidad en el mundo, la cual es evidente a través de la brecha social, de los problemas generados por el cambio climático y de la crisis de valores por el egoísmo, la falta de cooperación y la corrupción, causantes a su vez de la pérdida de confianza en los mercados.

El Estado, por su parte, es incapaz de resolver esos problemas, siendo necesaria la participación de las empresas privadas en ejercicio –insiste- de su responsabilidad social.

Los valores morales son fundamentales, a su modo de ver. O la ética, para ser exactos.

Sólo que no se trata –afirma- de un asunto teórico, abstracto, sino que debe traducirse en acciones concretas, de la vida práctica, como son los mecanismos establecidos en las empresas para prevenir actos de corrupción entre sus empleados, aún los de más alto nivel, o en los procesos de contratación con el Estado, donde suelen ser habituales los sobornos en nuestros países.

Tan concreto es –señala- que en Brasil numerosas empresas suscribieron un pacto nacional en tal sentido, con el compromiso explícito de enfrentar la corrupción, garantizando su integridad como expresión de su RSE.

Más allá de la filantropía

Por último, Itacarambi señala que la lucha contra la pobreza, orientada a reducir la brecha social, no puede confundirse con la mera filantropía, pues hay que desarrollar –advierte- actividades productivas en la comunidad, promoviéndolas desde la base de la pirámide, en los estratos de menores ingresos, como parte de un plan estratégico en las empresas, el cual comprende, en forma integral, a los diferentes eslabones de la cadena de producción.

He ahí –dice- la verdadera Responsabilidad Social Empresarial, la misma que tampoco debe dejar a un lado los aspectos ambientales, estableciendo su impacto en tal sentido y adoptando tecnologías limpias.

¡Tomen atenta nota, señores empresarios!

(*) Director de la Revista “Desarrollo Indoamericano”, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla (Colombia) – jesierram@gmail.com

The post Un modelo de RSE para América Latina appeared first on BizzNews.

1. What does it feel to receive The BIZZ award?

It is indeed an honor to receive such prestigious award and we are proud to see our efforts are recognized internationally as it gives as fuel to continue achieving more in the future.

2. What is your company activity?

Sharakah is an SME supporting organization that was established by a royal decree in 1998 to provide both financial and administrative support to small and medium enterprises.

3. What are the objectives of the company?

We have 5 main objectives as follows:

• Support Oman’s vision to diversify the economy.
• Encourage the creation of SMEs.
• Develop the entrepreneurial capabilities of Omanis.
• Assist in creating sustainable SMEs.
• Create job opportunities for locals.

4. What is the vision of your company?

Our vision is to be the SME supporting organization which everyone is proud to be associated with.

5. What do you think is the differential value of your company?

What makes Sharakah different from other organizations is the fact we combine both administrative and financial support under one roof. In addition, our financial support reaches up to OMR 200,000 (approximately $518,134.7) per project along with 9 different administrative services to ensure the sustainability of each SME.

6. What benefits do you think that your business reach as a WORLDCOB associate?

Several benefits can be resulted from obtaining such prestigious award. Firstly, it adds to the organization’s brand images and would change the perception of potential clients about the organization. Secondly, the business network of the organization can be further expanded as we get to know more about the winners of this awards. Thirdly, our organization will inspire ambitious organizations within our local community to know more about the award and provide their worth of it, leading to the positive change that we always aim for.

7. Who are your successful role models?

We believe His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, The Sultan of Oman is our first and foremost role model as the organization was established by a royal decree and he was the first to give the generous donation of OMR 1,000,000 to get the organization started. Alternatively, every SME who has strived and overcome challenges and made a success. Examples of these are many, we invite you to check it at our website link: http://www.sharakah.om/Index.aspx

8. What has been the most difficult moment happened and how the company overcame?

Ensuring the sustainability of SMEs that we have supported has always been the most difficult challenge. Earlier we use to provide ad-hoc post-financial services. We now have clear mechanism and tools that we have developed internally to monitor the performance of these SMEs and guide them towards achieving more positive results.

9. What major achievements has reached the company since its inception? Some of the achievements can be listed as follows:

• We have supported more than 80 projects, with an average investment of OMR 62,578 (approximately $162,119)
• We have invested OMR 5.17 million in SMEs, which is an equivalant of 97% of the initial captial.
• Over the last 5 years, we had more than 3,220 inquiries about the organization.
• Our presence in social media is much more lively and responsive than ever before.
• We have been awarded “Best Enterprise” at the European Business Assembly, Oxford, UK, 2015.
• We have been awarded “The Bizz 2016 Business Excellence Award”, Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2016.
• We have been awarded “Special SME Product” – The Mediterranean Awards for Global Excellence in Islamic finance, Malta, 2011

10. What message would you give to WORLDCOB entrepreneurs network?

First of all it is a privilege for us to be networking with WORLDCOB entrepreneurs and we as an ambitious organization would like to thank all entrepreneurs for being the great examples and success stories that contribute to the communities at large. We would like to show our appreciation by collaborating with them to further enrich this vital sector.

Mohamed Al Lawati

Marketing Speciaist

Sharakah

http://sharakah.om/

The post Elite Interview with Sharakah appeared first on BizzNews.

1. ¿Cómo se siente recibir el premio The BIZZ?

Es un verdadero honor recibir este galardón tan prestigioso y estamos orgullosos de ver que nuestros esfuerzos sean reconocidos mundialmente ya que nos aviva para seguir logrando más en el futuro.

2. ¿A qué rubro pertenece su empresa?

Sharakah es una organización que apoya a las PYME que fue fundada en 1998 por decreto real para proveer ayuda a las pequeñas y medianas empresas, tanto financiera como administrativa.

3. ¿Cuáles son los objetivos de la empresa? Tenemos los siguientes 5 objetivos principales:

• Apoyar la visión de Omán para diversificar la economía.
• Fomentar la creación de las PYME.
• Desarrollar la capacidad empresarial de los omaníes.
• Ayudar en la creación de las PYME sostenibles.
• Crear las oportunidades de empleo para la gente local.

4. ¿Cuál es la visión de su empresa?

Nuestra visión es ser la organización que apoya a las PYME con la cual todo el mundo está orgulloso de asociarse.

5. ¿Qué cree Ud. es el valor diferencial de su empresa?

Lo que distingue Shakarah de las otras organizaciones es el hecho de que combinamos el apoyo administrativo y financiero, bajo el mismo techo. Además, alcanza nuestro apoyo financiero hasta OMR 200,000 (aproximadamente $518, 134.70 USD) por proyecto junto con 9 servicios administrativos diferentes para asegurar la sostenibilidad de cada PYME.

6. ¿Cuáles son los beneficios que alcance su empresa como socio de WORLDCOB?

Pueden resultar muchos beneficios de obtener un galardón tan prestigioso. Primeramente, aumenta la imagen de la marca de la organización y cambia la percepción de la organización para las clientes potenciales. En segundo lugar, se puede ampliar la red de negocios de la organización mientras conocemos a los ganadores de estos premios. En tercer lugar, motivaremos a otras organizaciones ambiciosas dentro de nuestra comunidad local para descubrir más acerca del galardón y demostrar que sean dignas de recibirlo, por lo cual resulta en el cambio positivo que siempre tenemos como nuestro objetivo.

7. ¿Quiénes son sus modelos de éxito a seguir?

Creemos que Su Majestad Sultán Qaboos bin Said, El Sultán de Omán, es nuestro modelo de éxito a seguir primero que nada porque la organización fue establecida por un decreto real y él fue primero en donar generosamente OMR 1,000,000 para empezar las actividades de la organización. También, todas las PYME que han luchado y superado los retos y alcanzar el éxito. Hay muchos ejemplos, les invitamos que echen un vistazo a nuestra página web: http://www.sharakah.om/Index.aspx

8. ¿Cuál fue el momento más difícil para su empresa y cómo lo superó?

Siempre ha sido el reto más difícil asegurar la sostenibilidad de las PYME que hemos apoyado. Antes proveíamos los servicios pos-financieros ad hoc. Ahora tenemos un mecanismo claro y herramientas que hemos desarrollado para monitorear el estado de estas PYME y les aconsejamos para que realicen resultados más positivos.

9. ¿Cuáles son los logros principales que ha alcanzado su empresa desde sus inicios?

Algunos ejemplos de nuestros logros a continuación:

• Hemos apoyado más de 80 proyectos, con una inversión promedia de OMR 62,578 (aproximadamente $162,119 USD).
• Hemos invertido OMR 5.17 millones en las PYME, lo cual equivale a 97% de la capital inicial.
• Durante los últimos 5 años, contamos con más de 3,220 consultas sobre la organización.
• Nuestra presencia en las redes sociales está mucho más animada y receptiva que nunca.
• Fuimos galardonado “Mejor Empresa” en el Asamblea de Negocios Europeos (European Business Assembly), Oxford, Reino Unido, 2015.
• Fuimos galardonado “The Bizz 2016 Premio de la Excelencia Empresarial”, Monte Carlo, Mónaco, 2016.
• Fuimos galardonado “Producto PYME Especial” – Los Premios Mediterráneos de la Excelencia Global en las Finanzas Islámicas (The Mediterranean Awards for Global Excellence in Islamic finance), Malta, 2011.

10. ¿Qué mensaje brindaría Ud. a la red WORLDCOB de empresarios?

En primer lugar, es un honor para nosotros contactar con los empresariales WORLDCOB y, como una organización ambiciosa, les agradecemos a todos los empresariales por ser los gran ejemplos y las historias de éxito que contribuyen a las comunidades en general. Nos gustaría demostrar nuestra agradecimiento por colaborar con ellos para enriquecer aún más este sector fundamental.

Mohamed Al Lawati

Especialista de Marketing

Sharakah

http://sharakah.om/

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How to do business without damaging the environment

By: Jorge Emilio Sierra Montoya (*)

The New Corporate Social Responsibility

 “We are now in the presence of a new Corporate Social Responsibility”, asserts Gunter Pauli, one of the most highly regarded experts in environmental issues, due to having received the United Nations’ (UN) Environmental Award the past several years.

He explains: before, the environment was of no interest to business owners, who were only interested in making products at a good price and to a high standard, without taking into consideration that this had something to do with the environment.

If  – he adds, with an authority that’s recognized throughout the world – they did ever take into consideration that they had some environmental responsibility, they took care of it by making some sort of donation from their profits.

The environment, in short, was something external to business. “That was the traditional form of CSR”, he says while he recalls his successful business past, from which the Zeri Institute was created, with headquarters in Japan.

In its most basic concept, this new CSR has emerged from people seeing the environment as an essential part of any business and, above all, finding opportunities to do business within nature itself – obviously without causing issues, such as environmental contamination, that would put man’s and the rest of the Earth’s living creatures at serious risk.

 “Yes, the environment is good business”, he assures us, while he has his weapons at the ready to fight that old type of business activity that has destroyed the environment for many years instead of protecting it for future generations.

 “That cannot be”, he proclaims.

An abundance of examples

According to Pauli, the ignorance of business owners explains their misguided actions, which they successfully changed once they understood, for example, that conducting environmentally-friendly business made them rather profitable and even resulted in lower costs and investments.

So for this reason – he explains, in a rather teacherly tone – when the owners of Varela Soap in Cali (Colombia), found out that their synthetic soap was contaminating the water, they decided to change their products to become biodegradable, with good economic results. Or the leather company which began tanning with natural oils, making themselves very financially competitive in the process.

Or the clever use of coffee byproducts, which used to be considered an unsolvable problem but in recent years using these has provided a great opportunity for thousands of farmers who produce edible mushrooms (white and field mushrooms) sold in large supermarkets.

Or, also in the coffee-growing zone, the sale of bamboo to different external markets, where demand is high and so are the prices. Or the possibility of using natural colors in textile-making instead of imported heavy metals, utilizing a process similar to that of butterflies, as a Japanese factory is doing.

Or what Speedo did with their swimsuits – one of the biggest attractions during the Olympic Games in China – basically creating them to imitate sharkskin which was key to their quick movement in the water.

Or what could be done through George Reynolds’ (inventor of the pacemaker) renowned investigations of whale circulation and respiration, which greatly interested an organization in the United States that wanted to see how this could benefit sports activities in general, possibly across the board.

 “This is the new CSR”, he asserts.

Thousands of projects

In Zimbabwe, the Zeri Institute helped to design a building with air flows constructed like the kind termites make, which allow cold air to be kept inside them, in the middle of the desert, or can contain heat in areas of intense humidity, which replaces the need for air conditioning.

And of course, this means: lower investment costs – estimated to be 15% less; less space between floors, which meant more floors could be built as a result; lower operational costs for electricity and maintenance; greater oxygen production in the building and the corresponding health benefits for its inhabitants.

It’s essential therefore to understand and apply a model that makes it possible to use this technology in construction, which also means, in turn, huge employment opportunities for mathematicians graduating from college.

There are more than two thousand projects like these in the world – according to Pauli – but in Colombia there are about a hundred that have been formulated, like using horse manure to cultivate mushrooms. Or using algae, taking advantage of the two oceans that surround the national territory, to tackle serious human health problems that are currently only fought with the use of antibiotics.

Why – he wonders – don’t we copy the microcondensation system that some types of cockroaches use to create potable water, which would solve water shortages in the most deprived areas of the planet? A similar project is under development in Iraq by the British navy.

He believes, on the other hand, that these types of initiatives are the real solutions for the Third World, not only for the majority of inhabitants’ social needs but also because of the aforementioned lower costs they require compared to the scarcity of economic resources that everyone worries about.

“This is the new Corporate Social Responsibility”, he never tires of saying.

The call to invest

In addition, CSR can’t be simply reduced to making mere donations, with whatever plausible philanthropic spirit they may be made with, but instead it means investing in CSR projects which are dependent on real solutions, like the scourge of poverty in our villages.

And he comes back to his original point that causes so much criticism in certain environmental circles: “The best way to protect the environment is to use the technologies it offers”, claims Pauli, who clarifies his point further by saying nature has taken millions of years – as if it were trying to make the best feasibility studies – to give us the formulas to become different, competitive species.

In fact – he adds – that’s where profitable businesses emerge, among whose many benefits include receiving environmental certificates or bonds for lowering CO2 to tackle global warming, which include large payments from organizations like the World Bank.

“There’s a new business model”, he states while criticizing the previously-mentioned model, “from Harvard”, that is wrong in its most basic concept because it bases itself on scarcity, instead of abundance – particularly the abundance of natural resources in tropical countries like Colombia, one of the richest countries on the planet in terms of biodiversity.

He sees, then, huge investment potential in these types of projects, including foreign investment, which has become clear to him during his constant trips throughout the five continents, where his voice is recognized as one of the most authoritative in the world for environmental issues.

 “Colombia has enormous opportunities here, even moreso due to the advances it’s made in security for investors”, he concludes.

 (*) Director of “Indoamerican Development” magazine, Simon Bolivar University Barranquilla (Colombia) – jesierram@gmail.com

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Cómo hacer empresa sin dañar el medio ambiente

Por: Jorge Emilio Sierra Montoya (*)

Nueva Responsabilidad Social Empresarial

“Estamos ante la nueva Responsabilidad Social Empresarial”, afirma Gunter Pauli, una de las máximas autoridades en temas ambientales, como que hace varios años recibió el Premio Mundial de Medio Ambiente, otorgado por la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU).

Y explica: antes, lo ambiental no era de interés para los empresarios, a quienes sólo les importaba producir a buen precio y con buena calidad, sin considerar que ésta tuviera algo que ver con el medio ambiente.

Si mucho -agrega, con la autoridad que se le reconoce a lo largo y ancho del planeta-, consideraban que, si algo tenían de responsabilidad ambiental, la satisfacían con alguna donación salida de sus utilidades.

Lo ambiental, en fin, era algo externo al negocio. “Esa era la RSE tradicional”, dice mientras recuerda su exitoso pasado empresarial, del que saltó a la creación del Instituto Zeri, con sede en Japón.

En su concepto, la nueva RSE surge de ver lo ambiental como algo esencial a cualquier empresa y, sobre todo, encontrar en la naturaleza las oportunidades para hacer negocios, obviamente sin causar fenómenos como la contaminación ambiental (o sea, cero emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero) que pone en grave riesgo la supervivencia del hombre y de los demás seres vivos en la Tierra.

“Sí, el medio ambiente es un buen negocio”, asegura al tiempo que se va lanza en ristre contra aquella actividad empresarial que durante muchas décadas ha destruido el medio ambiente en lugar de protegerlo para las futuras generaciones.

“Eso no se puede”, sentencia.

Casos a granel

Según Pauli, la ignorancia de los empresarios explica tan errado modo de actuar, el cual se logra modificar cuando entienden, por ejemplo, que hacer negocios ambientales les resulta bastante rentable, hasta con menores costos e inversiones a los que ahora tienen.

Así -explica, en tono didáctico-, cuando los propietarios de Jabones Varela, en Cali (Colombia), supieron que el jabón sintético contaminaba el agua, decidieron cambiar sus productos por jabones biodegradables, con buenos resultados económicos. O la empresa de cuero que empezó a utilizar aceites naturales preservados, siendo muy competitiva.

O el cabal aprovechamiento de los desechos de café, antes considerados como problema insoluble pero que en los últimos años se transformaron en gran oportunidad para miles de campesinos dedicados a la producción de hongos comestibles (setas o champiñones) que se venden en los principales supermercados.

O la venta de guadua, también en la zona cafetera, a distintos mercados externos, donde la demanda es elevada, con altos precios. O la posibilidad de emplear colores naturales para los textiles, no con metales pesados que se importan, a partir de un proceso similar al de las mariposas, como ya lo viene haciendo una fábrica japonesa.

O lo que se hizo con el traje de natación Speedo, una de las máximas atracciones de los Juegos Olímpicos en China, que en la práctica es una imitación de la piel de tiburón, clave de su rápido desplazamiento en el agua.

O lo que podría hacerse a partir de las célebres investigaciones de Jorge Reynolds (inventor del marcapasos) en torno a la circulación y la respiración de las ballenas, las cuales interesaron a una firma de Estados Unidos para ver cómo favorece con ello a las actividades deportivas en general, acaso sin excepción.

“He ahí la nueva RSE”, insiste.

Miles de proyectos

En Zimbabwe, el Instituto Zeri ayudó a diseñar un edificio cuyos flujos de aire imitan a los de las termitas que permiten conservar el frío en su interior, en medio del desierto, o el calor en zonas de intensa humedad, lo cual permite reemplazar el aire acondicionado.

Y claro, ello significa menores costos de inversión, estimados en 15%; menos espacio entre los pisos, cuyo número se amplía en consecuencia; menores costos operacionales, por concepto de electricidad y mantenimiento, y más productividad por la oxigenación en el edificio y los correspondientes beneficios para la salud de quienes habitan allí.

Es preciso, entonces, conocer y aplicar ese modelo que hace posible dicha tecnología en la construcción, lo cual representa a su vez enormes oportunidades laborales para los matemáticos egresados de nuestras universidades.

Proyectos como estos -según Pauli- hay más de dos mil en el mundo, pero para Colombia se han planteado alrededor de cien, como la utilización del estiércol de caballo para el cultivo de champiñones. O de las algas, aprovechando los dos mares que envuelven al territorio nacional, para atacar graves problemas de salud humana que hoy se combaten a punto de antibióticos.

¿Cómo no copiar -se pregunta- el sistema de microcondensación que emplean algunas cucarachas para generar agua potable, lo cual resolvería la falta de ésta en las zonas más deprimidas del planeta? Un proyecto semejante se viene desarrollando en Irak, por parte de la armada inglesa.

Cree, de otro lado, que tales iniciativas son las verdaderas soluciones para los países del Tercer Mundo, no sólo por las necesidades sociales de la mayor parte de sus gentes sino por los citados menores costos ante la escasez de recursos económicos que padecemos.

“He ahí la nueva Responsabilidad Social Empresarial”, no se cansa de decir.

Llamado a invertir

La RSE, además, no se reduce a simples donaciones, con un espíritu filantrópico por muy plausible que sea, sino que implica invertir en tales proyectos, de los cuales sí dependen soluciones reales a flagelos como la pobreza en nuestros pueblos.

Y vuelve sobre su tesis central, que tantas críticas provoca en determinados círculos ecologistas: “La mejor forma de proteger el medio ambiente es con el uso de las tecnologías que nos ofrece”, asegura Pauli, quien aclara a propósito que la naturaleza ha tardado millones de años, como si se tratara de los mejores estudios de factibilidad, para darnos sus fórmulas de ser competitivas las distintas especies.

De hecho -agrega-, ahí surgen negocios rentables, entre cuyos múltiples beneficios se destacan los certificados o bonos ambientales, por la captura de CO2 para enfrentar el calentamiento global, que representa pagos cuantiosos de organismos como el Banco Mundial.

“Hay un nuevo modelo de negocios”, asegura mientras ataca el modelo anterior, “de Harvard”, que en su concepto es errado por basarse en la escasez, no en la abundancia, en especial la abundancia de recursos naturales de los países tropicales como Colombia, uno de los más ricos del planeta en materia de biodiversidad.

Ve, pues, grandes posibilidades de inversión en aquellos proyectos, aún de inversión extranjera, según le consta en sus continuos viajes por los cinco continentes, donde su voz es reconocida entre las más autorizadas del mundo en cuestiones ambientales.

“Colombia tiene ahí enormes oportunidades, más aún por sus avances en materia de seguridad para los inversionistas”, concluye.

(*) Director de la Revista “Desarrollo Indoamericano”, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla (Colombia) – jesierram@gmail.com

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The standard is intended for companies and although their requirements are quite general, there are some differences between CSR and RSU.

Somehow they are issues that are still under philosophical discussion and that means that as an organization we must fix a position. But sometimes more interesting than the final position is the process and questions that arise:

Is it possible to consider any kind of corporate or institutional responsibility if it is not based on people with responsibility?

    Who are those responsible for the formation of people and their development as conscious and critical citizens?

1. a) Family?
2. b) Religion?
3. c) School, academy…university?
4. d) All the above

Should a particular ethics be transmitted? A package of ​​turnkey values ready to use? Or should a critical thinking space be generated for each individual to develop its own personal values? And of course ensure the framework of respect and tolerance.

But as the topic is very broad and universities are the basis of analysis today, we can focus the questions to them.

Do our universities, in their daily functioning, train really professional responsible citizens, aware of their role and able to lead positive changes in their country or rather egocentric professionals, accustomed to hierarchical relationships and who understand the common life in terms of struggle and ambition?

But the RSU also implies a space for reflection, analysis and innovation within the university, questioning its role towards society.

The axes of the social commitment of universities were traditionally structured in the discursive aspect in the “professionalizing” teaching, professional and social research and extension oriented to transfer knowledge to the population not covered by the university. This commitment is reinforced in the autonomic logic and public financing that facilitated a critical awareness and a political – social role of its various strata.

From our point of view, we can say that the University acts according to CSR if its activities as an organization take into account the requirements of the standard.

By common sense we can also find a point of great interest that is the formation of socially responsible professionals. Professionals who enter the labor market with training in sustainability and as responsible citizens, aware of their privilege, role and responsibility.

WORLDCOB supports the United Nations Global Compact  and promotes the “Principles for Responsible Management Education ” ( PRME ) that provide a framework for academic institutions to widely promote the cause of corporate social responsibility and incorporate universal values ​​into curricula and research .

PRME is a voluntary participation platform for business schools and institutions related to management education. By adhering to the PRME, the Educational Institution expresses its commitment and conviction to integrate universal values ​​into the curriculum and research, with the aim of contributing to the global market and creation of more prosperous societies.

In my personal experience I remember that in my years of education I had just a couple of academic years Philosophy as course and one of Civics and citizenship.

Today I think there is very little time dedicated to think the real big issues that make the human being … that and physics, but that is another issue.

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“Sustainability is the basis for the new industrial revolution”

By: Jorge Emilio Sierra Montoya (*)

According to Ernst Ligteringen, former director of GRI, never before, throughout its long history, the man had reached such high levels of welfare with impressive economic growth thanks to scientific and technological development. But there are also no precedents for so much misery in the world.

Worse yet:  the form of production we have, although quite advanced, is not very efficient from an environmental point of view because it destroys natural resources instead of conserving them, seriously jeopardizing the survival of humanity, whose population also has increased in recent decades.

Such terrible statements are confirmed, at the same time, in several indicators that show how the planet cannot hold more traditional practices of production and even consumption, given both environmental and strictly social damages.

Thus, climate change generated by the use of fossil fuels such as oil and the corresponding generation of greenhouse gases, causes water shortages, surprising and drastic weather changes converted into floods and droughts and food crisis, among other phenomena that strike rigorously millions of people

It is really a critical situation. And thus, being at stake the survival of man on earth, it is necessary to change course, with structural and substantive reforms, that allow talking of a new industrial revolution based on principles of sustainability.

“We are at the beginning of said revolution” he said.

Other Industrial Revolution

He insists that substantive changes are required at the global level putting aside the current model of development through industrialization and therefore in our business, whatever they are.

In the first case, about industrialization, his statement is strong, too explicit: “We must stop our addiction to oil”, this call is justified immediately by remembering that 90 % of the world economy works based on that fuel, the so-called “black gold ” , whose price changes always cause huge impact on the different economies .

In his view, oil is a finite resource close to exhaustion , and generates said climate change that forces, he repeats, to take emergency measures , considering the economic, market and social and environmental aspects , that is, sustainability in its three dimensions (economic, social and environmental).

To replace oil imply, therefore, changes in the production processes, transport means, energy generation and, ultimately, in social life in general, changes for which none of us can remain indifferent.

“It will be another big industrial revolution”, he says enthusiastically

However he does not fall into pessimism. On the contrary, he has confidence that scientific advances will allow us to develop the new technologies needed and therefore resolve such serious social problems.

The solution will be economic, environmental and social, with a starring role on the part of the companies, whether large, medium or small.

The solution is in sustainability, to put it bluntly.

Sustainability and CSR

What is the difference between sustainability and corporate social responsibility that are considered by some experts as synonyms?

According to Ligteringen, both concepts have a lot in common; although the first aims primarily at a saying of a friend, whose definition was adopted as his own “living, producing and sharing this world in such a way as if we were to stay here for several generations”.

In fact, sustainability, based on the aforementioned reports from GRI, includes the triple results of enterprises: economic, environmental and social, far from being reduced to the traditional financial balance over the income statement, that in his opinion has a vision of the past, as a rear view mirror.

He explains that the report is like radar that allows seeing the opportunities and risks of the company, beyond the strictly financial aspects and accounting profits or losses.

And of course, he adds, another feature of reports is the dialogue with the various stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and community, NGOs …) to measure the environmental and social impact of the company, identifying topics that become essential for positioning in the market and society.

A key issue in this dialogue is to determine to what extent the company helps solve problems such as climate change or, on the contrary, stresses them. “If it is part of the solution or part of the problem,” he says.

For Ligteringen, sustainability of the company and the world, globally, are closely related. “one has to do with the other,” he explains while argues that no company can succeed in an environment and a society with serious problems, even when it generates them rather than help resolve them.
However he adds, when the company, for example, offers solutions to environmental problems through its products and services, the way they operate, etc., this becomes an opportunity for the acceptance its performance has among customers, investors and other stakeholders.

“That is already a major challenge for the company” he says.

Changes in the companies

There will be, therefore, changes in the companies and in the same business men, that is, at the microeconomic level not only at the macroeconomic or global level.

Why? The reason is obvious: the company must be prepared to face this new industrial revolution in the production, distribution and consumption, determining the implications it will have in the coming years.

Ultimately, you have to prepare. And if not, if you leave things for later, it is likely that when the total transformation occurs, when global changes take place, it will be too late.

And as mentioned, how do we have to prepare in a complex and changing environment? The answer is obvious: the Sustainability Report prepared based on the GRI methodology helps the company to prepare in that sense.

It is what made by the Swedish government by ordering their companies to give annual reports based on the GRI, ensuring the full implementation of its good business practices.

On the other hand, Chinese authorities decided something similar, knowing that there are numerous state companies by the prevailing communist regime; Wal Mart, the powerful US retail chain begins to require its suppliers the compliance with the environmental standards, and the same happens with General Electric and several firms in Brazil, right and left.

“We’re just beginning, but more and more companies apply it in almost all countries,” he says while pointing that it is better to prepare in time rather than wait until it’s too late and some of its competitors have taken advantage.

New Opportunities

Finally, Ligteringen goes back to the social responsibility of all people, especially entrepreneurs, in solving problems such as global warming and poverty that coexists with high levels of welfare, never seen before.

“What are we doing?” Is the question that in his opinion we should make every moment, naturally questioning our social responsibility, or in terms of GRI, global and corporate sustainability.

He comments that when this is done, problems can become opportunities, those that arise everywhere with structural changes in society, the process of industrialization and the same businesses, including small and medium enterprises whose size allows them to be more flexible to adapt to new circumstances.

Similarly he adds with the confidence of an expert , that many SMEs are integrated into chains of providers of large companies that require them standards appropriate for the described conditions , or anticipate at least that in the near future such requirements will be imposed for which they make the  ​​changes due .

“There is no other choice”, he said

(*) Director of the magazine “Desarrollo Indoamericano”, Universidad Simón Bolívar (Barranquilla, Colombia) – jesierram@gmail.com

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