Browsing by Author "Afonso, Sandra Cristina"
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- An empirical analysis of the dimensions of corporate social responsibility in PortugalPublication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana PaulaThis paper investigates factors that can explain the motivations of Portuguese companies to a social performance. The study was based on a sample of nineteen large Portuguese companies, listed on the PSI 20 index, for a period of five year, since 2005 to 2009. A Factorial Analysis was applied to identify the dimensions of Portuguese Corporate Social Responsibility using variables reference on the Green Book of European Community Commission (ECC, 2001). The results produced two dimensions that may explain Portuguese corporate motivation social performance: (1) Standards and Legal Requirements and (2) Ethic and social conduct. Further research may be done to find correlations with these dimensions and financial and economic corporate performance.
- Comparison of methodologies of CSR index: application to the PSI 20 companiesPublication . Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana Paula; Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Pimenta, RuiCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has assumed increasing importance over the past several decades, globally resulting from companies’ response to the demands of markets and society for responsible growth, both social and environmentally. At a European level, the CSR was initially boosted in 1993 by the former President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, who called for more socially responsible action from companies, and culminated in 2001 with the publication of the Green Paper on CSR, by the European Commission in which the areas and guidelines for desirable social responsibility practices were defined. The measurement of social or CSR performance has not been consensual, which accounts for the existence of several methods. These use a variety of criteria ranging from expert evaluation to the analysis of reports and other documents or considerations of performance measures of pollution control. Each of these criteria is not exempt from criticism and limitations, as they are one-dimensional or do not reflect all aspects of CSR. Based on these measures, some evaluation CSR indices were developed, having been used in decision-making and positioning of the companies in their social and environmental performance. The most commonly used indices are those provided by the rating agency Kinder, Lindenberg and Domini index or reputation index of Fortune. This paper aims to compare the application of two methods in defining the levels of CSR from a CSR index, constructed for 19 of the 20 companies comprising the PSI-20, the Portuguese stock market index, the Euronext Lisbon. One of the methodologies defines five intervals of CSR using the cut-point method; the other considers a scale of 5 points (5 grades) with constant intervals. In order to construct the index, 247 items were considered, comprising the different dimensions of social responsibility suggested by the European Commission Green Paper on CRS of 2001 and the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative. We analyzed the contents of sustainability reports and financial reports of companies under research in order to assign a score (which will be 0 if the item is not observed, 0.5 if is only partially observed or 1 whether it is observed) for measurement of each item of responsibility, since there are no quantifiable and objective social responsibility indicators. The CSR index of a company, at any given time, is the sum of the scores across all 247 items. The categorization of companies in the CSR levels depends on the referred methodology to the definition of intervals. In brief, by using the two approaches, we found that the Portuguese companies which were analyzed denote a growing sensitivity in the adhesion and dissemination of their social responsibility practices, investing in a more specific and detailed disclosure and, in particular, complying with the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative.
- Construção de um índice de responsabilidade social empresarial para as empresas cotadas na EURONEXT Lisbon pertencentes ao PSI20Publication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana Paula; Pimenta, RuiCom o presente trabalho pretendeu-se construir um Índice de Responsabilidade Social Empresarial para as empresas cotadas na EURONEXT Lisbon, pertencentes ao PSI-20. O estudo incidiu sobre 19 empresas portuguesas de referência para um horizonte temporal de 2005 a 2009. Para a construção do índice teve-se em consideração 247 itens que compõem as diferentes dimensões da Responsabilidade Social Empresarial (RSE) sugeridos pelo Livro Verde da Comissão Europeia. Estes itens encontram-se agrupados nas seguintes categorias: Gestão Responsável; Gestão dos Recursos Humanos; Saúde e Segurança no Trabalho; Gestão do Impacto Ambiental e dos Recursos Naturais; Ética Empresarial; Comunidades Locais; Stakeholders; Direitos Humanos; Preocupações Ambientais e Filantrópicas Globais; Instrumentos de RSE. Para tal, procedeu-se a uma análise documental dos relatórios de sustentabilidade das empresas para o período em estudo. A mensuração das dez dimensões definidas para a RSE permitiu a definição e teste do Índice RSE e a categorização as empresas em cinco Níveis de RSE. Os nossos resultados permitem verificar que, no período em análise, se assistiu a uma evolução positiva na adopção e divulgação das práticas de responsabilidade social das empresas analisadas.
- Corporate social responsibility for the PSI 20 portuguese companiesPublication . Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana Paula; Afonso, Sandra CristinaIn Europe, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issue was boosted by Jacques Delors in the Green Paper on social responsibility. Two dimensions were defined, the internal and the external ones, which include several aspects of what should be considered in the CSR performance assessment. Following the global market trend, Portuguese companies are also aware of these issues and report their social responsibility activities, although currently there are no social and sustainable indicators to assess the Portuguese CRS performance. The purpose of this paper is to present a multivariate analysis and to verify homogenous groups of companies with identical social responsibility. The study focused on 19 of companies in the Portuguese Stock Index PSI 20 and the analysis covered a period of five years, between 2005 and 2009. The results showed that 3 clusters were identified.
- CSR of portuguese companies listed on Euronext Lisbon : a multivariate analysisPublication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana PaulaThe purpose of this paper is to present a cluster analysis applied to group companies by their social performance and to compare the results. The results indicate that companies with better social performance are not the ones with better economic performance, and it suggests that the middle path might provide a good relation CSR Economic performance, as a basis to sustainable development. The results indicated that three clusters were classified in CSR Low, CSR Medium and CSR High. According to the cross validated classification based on discriminant analysis, the results reveal that 94.7% of the cases were classified correctly.
- CSR of portuguese companies listed on Euronext Lisbon: a multivariate analysisPublication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana PaulaThe purpose of this paper is to present a cluster analysis applied to group companies by their social performance and to compare the results. The results indicate that companies with better social performance are not the ones with better economic performance, and it suggests that the middle path might provide a good relation CSR-Economic performance, as a basis to sustainable development. The study focused on 19 quoted Portuguese companies and the analysis covered a period of five years, between 2005 and 2009. The results indicated that three clusters were classified in CSR Low (3 companies), CSR Medium (12 companies) and CSR High (4 companies). According to the cross validated classification based on discriminant analysis, the results reveal that 94.7% of the cases were classified correctly.
- CSR of top portuguese companies: relation between social performance and economic performancePublication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana PaulaModern times call organizations to have an active role in the social arena, through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that there is a positive relation between social performance and economic performance, and if there is a positive correlation between social performance and financial-economic performance. To test these theories a measure of social performance, based on the Green Book of Commission of the European Community, was used in a group of nineteen Portuguese top companies, listed on the PSI 20 index, through a period of five years, since 2005 to 2009. A clusters analysis was applied to group companies by their social performance and to compare and correlate their economic performance. Results indicate that companies that had a better social performance are not the ones who had a better economic performance, and suggest that the middle path might provide a good relation CSR-Economic performance, as a basis to a sustainable development.
- Dimensions of portuguese corporate social responsibility: a multivariate analysis.Publication . Fernandes, Paula Odete; Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Monte, Ana PaulaThis paper investigates factors that can explain the motivations of Portuguese companies to a social performance. The study was based on a sample of nineteen large Portuguese companies, listed on the PSI 20 index, for a period of five year, since 2005 to 2009. A Factorial Analysis was applied to identify the dimensions of Portuguese Corporate Social Responsibility using variables reference on the Green Book of European Community Commission (ECC, 2001). The results produced two dimensions that may explain Portuguese corporate motivation social performance: (1) Standards and Legal Requirements and (2) Ethic and social conduct. Further research may be done to find correlations with these dimensions and financial and economic corporate performance.
- Práticas de responsabilidade social nas organizações: o caminho para o desenvolvimento sustentávelPublication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana PaulaA Responsabilidade Social Empresarial (RSE) tem assumido uma relevância crescente a nível global. Relativamente ao contexto Europeu, a Comissão Europeia tem desenvolvido diversas iniciativas no sentido de promover a RSE. Assim, as organizações têm hoje um poder e uma influência crescente na economia e deverão assumir responsabilidades pela correta geração de riqueza e pela sua distribuição equitativa, o que contribuirá para a sua sustentabilidade. Seguindo esta linha de raciocínio pretendeu-se identificar grupos homogéneos de empresas cotadas na EURONEXT pertencentes ao PSI-20, de acordo com a atuação socialmente responsável, tendo por base a análise de clusters. Para tal, utilizaram-se as seguintes variáveis: Gestão Responsável; Gestão dos Recursos Humanos; Saúde e Segurança no Trabalho; Gestão do Impacto Ambiental e dos Recursos Naturais; Ética Empresarial; Comunidades Locais; Stakeholders; Direitos Humanos; Preocupações Ambientais e Filantrópicas Globais; Instrumentos de RSE. O estudo incidiu sobre 19 empresas de referência e abrangeu um período de análise de cinco anos (2005-2009). Esta escolha deveu-se ao facto das empresas cotadas na EURONEXT LISBON serem obrigadas desde 2005 a relatar as suas contas de acordo com as Normas Internacionais de Contabilidade, encontrando-se predispostas a adotar práticas de RSE. Os resultados indicaram três clusters que se classificaram em RSE Baixa (incluiu 3 empresas), RSE Média (incluiu 12 empresas) e RSE Elevada (incluiu 4 empresas).
- A ranking on corporate social responsability for the PSI20 companiesPublication . Afonso, Sandra Cristina; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Monte, Ana Paula; Pimenta, RuiThis paper aims to propose a CSR index constructed for 19 of the 20 companies comprising the PSI-20, from the Euronext Lisbon, and to analyse if the companies are more oriented towards the internal dimension or external dimension suggested by the European Commission Green Paper of 2001, for the 2005 - 2009 period. According to the results, one can observe that the companies under analysis give greater emphasis to the internal dimension since they showed higher values for the CRS index when compared with the analysis of external dimension.