Artículos

Corporate Social Responsibility as a Determinant of Competitiveness in Supermarkets

Responsabilidad Social Empresarial como determinante de la competitividad en supermercados

Yelly Yamparli Pardo Rozo
Universidad de la Amazonia, Colombia
Gabriela Carvajal Valderrama
Universidad de la Amazonia, Colombia
Alexandra Perdomo Carvajal
Universidad de la Amazonia, Colombia

Corporate Social Responsibility as a Determinant of Competitiveness in Supermarkets

Mercados y Negocios, núm. 51, pp. 31-52, 2024

Universidad de Guadalajara

Recepción: 15 Agosto 2023

Aprobación: 28 Diciembre 2023

Abstract: The research aimed to analyze the contribution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the competitiveness of supermarkets in Florencia, Caquetá in southern Colombia. In a sample of six supermarkets, a self-assessment survey of CSR and competitiveness variables was carried out for 2021 to 2022, consisting of six dimensions: values and ethical principles, responsible marketing, economy and finance, social commitment, quality of working life, and environment. The tool makes it possible to measure the commitment of the organization's CSR activities to competitiveness. The environment is the dimension with the lowest score and contribution to competitiveness in the dimensions evaluated in the supermarkets (2.0 on a scale of 0.0 - 3.0). According to the correlation analysis, there is a relationship between CSR and competitive position. Awareness-raising and training actions aimed at stakeholders are proposed.

JEL code: M14

Keywords: sustainable development, environmental management, stakeholders, environmental policy.

Resumen: La investigación buscó analizar la contribución de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE) en la competitividad de los supermercados en Florencia, Caquetá al sur de Colombia. En una muestra de seis supermercados se realizó una encuesta de autoevaluación de la RSE y variables de la competitividad en el periodo de 2021 a 2022, que constó de seis dimensiones: valores y principios éticos, mercadeo responsable, economía y finanzas, compromiso social, calidad de vida laboral y medio ambiente. La herramienta permite medir el compromiso de las actividades de la RSE de la organización hacia la competitividad. El medio ambiente es la dimensión con más baja puntuación y aportes hacia la competitividad en las dimensiones evaluadas en los supermercados (2,0 en escala de 0,0 – 3,0). Según el análisis de correlación existe una relación entre la RSE y la posición competitiva. Se proponen acciones de sensibilización y capacitación dirigida a los grupos de interés.

Código JEL: M14.

Palabras clave: Desarrollo sostenible, gestión ambiental, grupos de interés, política ambiental.

INTRODUCTION

Marketing processes are links in the supply chain of goods and services for households, where "the moment of truth" is incurred between the organization, the product, and the customer; it is essential time to induce the consumer on the rational use and disposal of by-products derived from the purchase process.

In this sense, from the perspective of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), trading centers must try to induce and guide both internal and external customers on the use of products and the reduction of the impact on the environment due to the premise of the conservation of the ecosystemic balance and the quality of the environment, as an argument for human welfare and competitiveness of companies.

Because Florencia, Caquetá, in Colombia, about 17% of GDP is attributed to the commerce sector (Mincomercio, Industria y Turismo, 2023) and considering that supermarkets are the places of preference for the acquisition of essential household goods, such as food, beverages, toiletries, stationery, varieties, liquors, clothing, toys, kitchen items, and appliances, among others, these places of commerce should adopt environmental management policies with their stakeholders - partners, suppliers, customers, workers, the community in general - as well as with the community in general, clothing, toys, kitchenware, and household appliances, among others, these places of commerce should adopt environmental management policies with their stakeholders - partners, suppliers, customers, workers and the community in general, as proposed by the CSR approach, to seek a differential element among their competitors (Terán et al., 2017).

Supermarkets are places that, within the urban idiosyncrasy in Colombia have a significant cultural influence on the forms and habits of consumption of the different products of the family basket, as well as the daily decisions on the disposal of by-products such as packaging and waste from the family support activity (Ortíz-Coronado & Páramos-Morales, 2021), so that the orientations or practices that are induced from there can generate an impact on consumers, as one of the benefits of CSR (Jaimes-Valdez et al., 2021). CSR generates a competitive advantage that can translate into increased sales, customer loyalty, and a positive image from the consumer's perspective.

CSR is a valuable tool for the construction of business management models that facilitates the creation of value and fosters inter-institutional and social relationships that are profitable in economic, social, and environmental terms, improving business conditions in terms of competitiveness (Hernández et al., 2020).

Following the approach of Cañizares and Arévalo (2020) on the proper fulfillment of CSR in companies, the following research question was posed: How to evaluate the corporate social responsibility programs applied in supermarkets in Florencia-Caquetá and their contribution to the competitiveness of companies? Therefore, the objective of this research project was to evaluate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the city of Florencia - Caquetá and its impact on competitiveness from the management systems, environmental policy, methods, or tools used in the most representative supermarkets of commerce in the region, their contribution and there propose solutions to improve the impact on competitiveness.

The results will make it possible to propose actions that impact stakeholders such as workers, customers, and suppliers since CSR benefits are evident in organizations' internal and external conditions (Camacho-Parra & Soaza-Forero, 2016).

The topic is framed within the themes of business, environment, and competitiveness, relevant to the global policy agenda considered in the projected development goals for 2030 (United Nations, 2015) related to sustainable production and consumption. The resulting information will make it possible to design guidelines for decision-makers in managing the sector's companies to comply with Colombian policies to strengthen competitiveness and sustainable development.

COMPETITIVENESS AS A BUSINESS APPROACH

Competitiveness is an approach that dates back to the 1960s and is defined as the ability of companies to position and maintain themselves in the market with a performance that exceeds the average performance of the sector's industries (Porter, 1998).

Competitiveness integrates markets between countries and economic sectors based on the openness processes between highly productive companies and organizations (Porter, 2008). According to the author, competitiveness in organizations requires the design of strategies that are classified into three categories: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategy.

Competitiveness requires efficient companies, sectors, or countries to use their technologies, productivity, and administrative and financial efficiency. Competitiveness, therefore, implies efficient and globalized production systems. Productivity refers to optimization or the optimum ratio between input and output, and although it does not necessarily require insertion in global markets, it is essential for competitiveness.

It is also related to technological, operational, or physical efficiency. On the other hand, allocative or economic efficiency is a concept of linear programming that aims to optimize the variables of production, sales, costs, and profitability. Both operational and administrative efficiency are critical factors in the search for competitive companies and sectors.

A country's competitiveness is related to the development capacity of its industrial sectors, which in turn depends on the level of human capital and technological investment available. Another essential concept linked to competitiveness and its development is innovation. Innovation, which goes beyond mere invention, creativity, mass application, and the capacity to commercialize, transforms the collective mentality of the agents of change in the social system. Innovation for companies allows them to have the capacity to improve the well-being of stakeholders through substantial changes in the quality of life.

The competitive company innovates and forces competitors and the sector to surpass themselves and thus improve financial and technological performance and strengthen human talent (Porter, 2021). Porter clarifies that while comparative advantages are usually external variables to organizations, competitive advantages are created, which is why the former is static.

The latter has a dynamic nature that only depends on human capital. In the last two decades, the competitive diamond approach proposed by Porter included the environmental and sustainable component in response to the industry's impact on the environment and given the ethical sense that this entails.

The competitiveness reports and studies carried out in the country have as fundamental aspects: the efficiency of the state, justice, infrastructure, digital economy, education, health, labor market, pensions, as well as foreign trade, tax system, business financing, science, technology, and innovation, green growth and productivity (CPC, 2022).

The four areas of competitiveness studied in the economic sectors present the following levels: microeconomic (the creation of competitive advantages of the company, which evaluates its management capacity, strategies, and innovation); macroeconomic, which refers to the environment, the factor market, physical and institutional infrastructure and specific policies in science, technology, environment, and innovation, at the regional level.

The macroeconomic level corresponds to fiscal, monetary, trade, exchange, and budgetary policies. The metaeconomic level is oriented toward developing the strategic vision and compliance with development plans for international trade (Peña-Torres et al., 2021).

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY CSR

CSR is considered a strategy that seeks to achieve high standards at the corporate level while contributing to the improvement of internal and external processes of the organization to reduce the impact of decisions on society and the environment (Gutiérrez-Calderón et al., 2018). It is a concept that has become important in organizations in recent years (Cardona, 2016).

Other authors define CSR as a commitment made by an organization to contribute to sustainable development and, in turn, to the well-being of employees, families, the local community, and society in general (Severino-González et al., 2022). However, Toca-Torres (2017) mentions that part of the morale vis-à-vis the concept of CSR is precisely not seeking purposes other than selfless service. After the mandatory isolation due to the pandemic caused by the appearance of SarszCov-2, CSR is a management model that has become much more relevant (Valencia & Esquivel, 2022).

The origin of CSR dates back to the 19th century, when large corporations sought to strengthen their ties with democracy and the people's standard of living, promoting the idea that the economic progress of business would bring about a general improvement for the people.

Among the well-known examples of CSR are Henry Ford's initiative in 1936 to create the Ford Foundation and contribute ideas for his employees to improve their performance and environment and Starbucks' decision to ban straws in all its stores (2018).

In China, it is a primary movement to adopt social and/or environmental practices that make them more competitive. "Between 1999 and 2005, only 22 CSR reports were published. That number between 2006 and 2009 grew to 1,600 sustainability reports in China" (Lazovska, 2017).

The context of CSR in the Colombian context CSR is not explicitly contemplated in the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia or Law 99 of 1993 (Colombian environmental law). However, some sections mention it secondarily: "Article 333: Economic activity and private initiative are free, within the limits of the common good.

For its exercise, no one may demand prior permits or requirements, without authorization by law"; "The company, as the basis of development, has a social function that implies obligations; "The State shall strengthen solidarity organizations and stimulate business development." These fragments of the Constitution could be described as a proper legal framework in which CSR could find solid bases for implementing actual corporate responsibility policies. Figure 1 summarizes the evolution of CSR in the country.

Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility CSR in Colombia
Figure 1
Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility CSR in Colombia
Own elaboration with information from Gutiérrez-Calderón et al. (2018) and Valencia (2018).

In Colombia, the companies that adopt these corporate social responsibility policies have yet to determine their impact on valuation and likewise have yet to identify CSR as a source that generates benefits for stakeholders (Petro-Ramos et al., 2020).

There is a debate on whether CSR should be considered in light of generating benefits or only in the ethical work of not affecting and if it generates such welfare (Ospina-Rivera & Sotelo-Bula, 2013). Law 668 of 2016 regulates the use of plastic bags in supermarkets to reduce the impact caused by these on water sources that threaten aquatic animal species and water quality (Pardo Rozo et al., 2016).

Due to the relevance of CSR for the management and management in companies, and because supermarkets are the most critical distribution points and constitute one of the first moments of truth between the consumer and the companies that supply goods and products of primary necessity. For example, the study by Parra-Báez et al. (2019) discusses the importance of incorporating into CSR the inclusion policy regarding the right to link people with disabilities.

Variables associated with competitiveness and CSR in companies can be considered as follows: i. Internal factors: Human talent capabilities (perception of stakeholders (employees, direct customers, suppliers) on CSR, financial capabilities (direct relationship between CSR program costs and profitability, customer loyalty), technological capabilities (productivity from the reduction of waste, time, effort); operational capacity (increased productivity). ii. External factors. Market capabilities (positioning, market capture, customer growth), human talent capabilities (external, perception of suppliers, competitors, potential customers, communities), economic and political capabilities (compliance with the global sustainable development agenda, government plans, and regulations), context capabilities (environmental impacts, relationship with competitors). In summary, one mechanism for assessing sustainability in a context, a sector, or a community is to observe improvements in the quality of life, efficiency, productivity, competitiveness, respect for the balance, and conservation of ecosystem services of the communities.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPETITIVENESS AND CSR

There are two approaches to CSR, according to its fundamental objectives. The first, and historically the initial one, was the philanthropic stage, where CSR is an intrinsic value in each of the company's operations, where the cost was assumed without seeking any retribution or recognition, which was discussed until 1950. The second contemplates CSR as an advantage in generating value where resources are allocated to develop this concept, compatible with the theory of competitive advantage (Ramirez, 2018). Recent research on the positive effects of CSR on competitiveness is cited below (Table 1).

Table 1
CSR and competitiveness studies in the Latin American region and Colombia
AuthorsPrincipal conclusion
Lara-Manjarrez and Sánchez-Gutiérrez (2020)Increased competitiveness and profitability of companies in Mexico.
Castro-Alfaro (2017), Morgestein-Sánchez (2019)Economic, social, and environmental benefits for Colombian companies.
Caro & Salazar (2019), Ramírez (2018)Environmental activities contribute to the competitiveness of MSMEs in Peru.
Andrade Restrepo and Andrade Restrepo (2022)Construction of reciprocal benefits between the company and the community.
León and others (2019)Contributions of CSR in universities, companies, and communities in Latin American countries.
Severino-González and others (2022a, 2022b), Severino-González and others (2020), Acuña Moraga and Severino González (2019).Increased efficiency in Chilean companies in the health sector, supermarkets, and the wine trade. Need to improve CSR in the community of mining companies in Chile.
Own elaboration

From these studies, it can be summarized that CSR is considered a new method within business management that positively affects companies, evidenced in their financial statements, sustainability, and position in the medium and long term, generating a more strategic vision of the environment and the business organization itself.

These studies document the contributions to financial performance and internal and external social and environmental indicators, which are variables associated with competitiveness. Other authors, such as Scarpellini et al. (2020), document the relationship between competitiveness, social responsibility, accounting, and environmental management in the dynamics of the circular economy.

METHODOLOGY

The research was conducted in the urban area of Florencia, Caquetá, and the unit of analysis was supermarkets. Although different, the supermarkets surveyed had similar characteristics, such as their organizational structure, and the popular and crowded ones were surveyed. The research has a mixed approach because of its analysis methods and because qualitative and quantitative methods were used. It is also descriptive and propositional because it characterizes a phenomenon and formulates actions for improvement or changes.

The study population consisted of chain supermarkets registered in the Chamber of Commerce of Florencia for Caquetá (2023). According to the records, 695 businesses were found within merchandise, neighborhood stores, and specialized stores. There are 19 chain supermarkets (100%), of which six (6) have greater recognition by Florencian households: Éxito (2 branches), D1 (3), Justo & Bueno (4), Surtiplaza (2), Supermio (4), Frutas y Verduras El Primo (4). The sample represents 30%. Therefore, the type of sampling used in the research was non-probabilistic or convenience sampling following Severino-González, et al. (2022), since the chain supermarkets of most excellent recall for the client were selected instead of random selection.

The research had primary information sources for which the survey and interview technique was applied from the use of the CSR Evaluation Manual developed by Yepes (2016), which is based on a conventional process of strategic planning and continuous improvement, such as diagnosis, design of actions, implementation, evaluation, and monitoring (Nova et al., 2020).

The instrument is aimed at managers or supervisors. It uses the ERSOS structure (Yepes, 2016) (Evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility) where six dimensions are established: i) Values and Ethical Principles, ii) Economy and Finance, iii) Quality of Working Life, iv) Commitment to the Community, v) Responsible Marketing and vi) Environment. Secondary information sources such as reports, literature reviews, and previous studies, according to Puente-López & Lis-Gutiérrez (2018), were also used. A diagnosis of corporate social responsibility was made based on factors such as work environment, responsible marketing, environmental protection, community support, values, and ethical principles to determine the company's performance in the different areas.

Likert scales with numerical ratings facilitated the measurement and interpretation of data. For example, YES (Always): 3; Sometimes: 2; No (Never): 1; with options of Not applicable or No answer. The averages obtained in each area should be transferred to the axes of the Hexagon (marked with a dot) to visualize the result individually. The figure resulting from joining the points already marked is intended to illustrate the overall situation of the company in terms of CSR: the closer the figure obtained is to the Hexagon, the greater the development of the company's CSR" (Universidad del Externado - CSR tools) (Figure 2).

CSR Assessment Manual Graphic
Figure 2
CSR Assessment Manual Graphic
Own elaboration

The hexagon shape determines how the organization is doing regarding CSR, so the closer the shape draws to the Hexagon, the more CSR is being developed.

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF ANALYSIS

In the diagnostic phase of the supermarkets, surveys were used for the human talent linked to the company and interviews for managers and administrators. The information analysis phase in the supermarkets used descriptive statistics, evaluation according to Yepes' manual (2016), and sequential explanatory analysis.

The phase of identifying actions to improve CSR practices used a SWOT analysis (weaknesses, opportunities, strengths, and threats) according to David & David (2017) in the strategic direction processes. A correlation matrix was performed as proposed in Caro & Salazar (2018) to determine the degree of linear association between the variables of competitiveness (market positioning) and the CSR evaluation score of supermarkets.

RESULTS. EVALUATION OF CSR IN SUPERMARKETS IN FLORENCIA, CAQUETÁ

These were the results for the six dimensions of CSR (Table 2).

Table 2
Average results for each dimension for supermarkets in Florencia Caquetá
Supermarket Ethics and valueFinanceQuality of workCommunityResponsible marketEnvironment
Justo y Bueno2,62,42,51,92,72,0
El primo3,02,72,72,52,92,4
Supermío3,02,72,73,03,02,8
Éxito3,02,72,83,03,02,7
Surtiplaza2,82,62,82,02,91,8
El D12,92,22,71,52,31,9
Total2,92,62,72,32,82,2
Own elaboration

Values and ethical principles

Assessed aspects associated with the inclusion of CSR policy in the company's mission, vision, and philosophy; the degree of awareness of these policies and CSR among the company's human resources; the criteria for ethics and values in internal and external relations in the company for both workers and management; the existence of rules to prevent corrupt practices and mechanisms for complaints; procedures for possible corruption, sanctions; and the management of benefits and donations.

Eighty-seven percent of supermarkets have effective management of these aspects, and the remaining 13% have management that is considered acceptable. The average for the dimensions for the six companies was 2.9. This rank places the dimension in high compliance with the standards proposed by the CSR assessment manual. In other words, the most representative supermarkets in Florencia, Caquetá, adhere to ethical principles and value the philosophy managed within the working environment.

Economics and Finance

This dimension asked about the existence of orderly accounting and operational records; budgeting; financial projections; compliance with corporate, tax, and legal obligations; implementation of auditing processes (internal and external); assurance of cash flows, and sufficiency of own resources.

Questions were also asked about continuous improvement processes (in planning, execution, monitoring, and control); whether there are legal processes and mechanisms for handling donations in cash and in-kind; and information to employees on the financial status of the company. In this regard, 79% of companies meet all these requirements. 100% of the supermarkets surveyed keep accounting records of their operations and comply with their tax obligations as required by law. The average for the companies was 2.5 which places this dimension in a high range.

Quality of working life

A harmonization is sought between the interests of human talent and the company's objectives regarding human rights and quality of life. Here, we inquired about the existence and application of programs for the prevention of accidents, occupational diseases, and disasters by the law; improvement of working conditions beyond the regulations; the existence of sanctions and rules prohibiting discrimination, harassment at work, and psychological harassment; clarity about the form of payment within the legality for employees, their hiring in general.

It was also verified whether the companies promote human, labor, and environmental rights and training and encourage the participation of internal human talent or collaborators. It was found that 90% of the companies offer training before employment and are involved in a communication roundtable where employees are taught about their rights and aspects of interest to be managed within each supermarket. The average score across the six supermarkets was 2.7.

Commitment to the community

In this section, we can find additional actions that the companies carry out under specific parameters and conditions, totally aimed at the beneficiaries, to make themselves known and collaborate with their stakeholders, thus achieving an impact on responsible projects with the community.

We inquired about aspects related to the knowledge of the impacts generated by business activities on the community's life in social, economic, or environmental matters and the action plans to reduce these impacts and their due follow-up. Only 58% of companies implement these activities. There are 18% of supermarkets do this; sometimes, 14% have managed very little of these aspects mentioned towards community engagement, and 10% have yet to manage these aspects. The overall average for the community engagement dimension of the supermarkets surveyed in Florencia-Caqueta was 2.3, which is low.

Environment

In this dimension, supermarkets were asked about their commitment to sustainable development and actions that reflect respect for the environment by producing and marketing their products and services. The survey asked if the company was aware of the environmental impacts of its activities, knowledge of environmental regulations on the use of public spaces, the existence of ecological policies for selecting suppliers and products, the actions that companies implement to protect the environment, waste management, paper, energy, water, environmental education, and environmental complaints.

Only 48% of the supermarkets apply the items to be evaluated, 21% do so occasionally, 21% have never applied them, and 9% have never applied them. This dimension was the lowest-scoring dimension for the majority of supermarkets. Table 3 presents the summary results that will feed into the CSR Hexagon.

Table 3
Assessment of the CSR dimensions of supermarkets in Florencia
DimensionPromedioMas altoMas bajo
Values and ethical principles2,9Éxito, El Primo, SupermíoJusto & Bueno
Responsible market2,8Éxito, SupermioEL D1
Quality of working life2,7Éxito, SurtiplazaJusto & Bueno
Economy and finance2,5Éxito, El Primo, SupermíoEl D1
Community engagement2,3Éxito, SupermíoEl D1
Environment2,2SupermíoSurtiplaza
Own elaboration

CSR evaluation hexagon in supermarkets in Florencia, Caquetá
Figure 3
CSR evaluation hexagon in supermarkets in Florencia, Caquetá
Own elaboration.

Figure 3 presents the average scores on the Hexagon to assess CSR according to Yepes' (2016) methodology. It shows that the supermarkets in Florencia, Caquetá, have CSR policies embedded in their values and ethical principles (2.9), with a high incidence in the responsible market dimension (2.5). The dimension with the lowest score was the environment, followed by Community Engagement. Therefore, the improvement actions to be proposed will concentrate on these two dimensions.

Responsible market

All actions involve the integrity of the services offered, product quality, advertising, transparency, and respect for the consumer concerning environmental policies. Here, we asked about quality policies in contracts, agreements, advertising, research on markets, clients, and products, complete information on products, and training for human talent. The results obtained in the Responsible Market dimension indicate that 86% comply with the standards, 7% eventually comply, and 7% are aspects that have yet to be considered.

As relevant data, it is admitted that all supermarkets apply fair purchasing policies and honesty in advertising to consumers. They justified that all customers are provided with the same information on product specifications, price, marketing, and care of the product, but market research and studies are rare.

All supermarkets state that they train internal and external human talent within the company to take preventative and corrective action quickly and efficiently. Therefore, these supermarkets feel they have a good image with their workers, customers, and suppliers. The overall average for the responsible marketing dimension was 2.8.

Correlation analysis between the CSR evaluation score and the supermarket's competitive position

When the correlation matrix was run on the data in Table 4, r obtained a value of -0.86.

Table 4
Evaluation of Corporate Social Responsible CSR dimensions of supermarkets in Florencia Caquetá
SupermarketCSRRankingSupermarketCSRRanking
12,86142,802
22,70452,205
32,48362,306
Own elaboration

The hypothesis test obtained a value of the t-estimator = -2.92, which, when compared to the value in the standardized table (t = 2.35 with 3 degrees of freedom and a significance level of 5%), indicates that the value is statistically valid for the relationship between the two variables.

It indicates a proportional relationship (-0.86) between the CSR evaluation score and the company's ranking or position in terms of the level of competitiveness, taken as the positioning in the local market and its financial performance. In the survey, only 38% of employees surveyed in the supermarkets believe that CSR can increase the company's competitiveness, compared to 55% who believe that cultural and economic factors determine regional competitiveness. The remaining percentage considered that the relationship between CSR and competitiveness is low. Therefore, it was proposed to identify improvement actions toward CSR in the companies under study based on the SWOT analysis.

Swot analysis

The analysis is approached according to environmental aspects: relationship in water, soil, air, energy, flora, fauna, and ecosystem dynamics.

Strengths

Discharges to water (meat section has water management and grease traps in 84% of supermarkets) F1. ii. Energy emitted and used: energy-saving light bulbs and equipment (in 84% of supermarkets) F2; iii. Management of solid resources (bagless day management in 86%) F3; iv. Human talent. Favorable working environment F4.

Weaknesses

Air emissions (100% of the companies are unaware of their carbon footprint) D1; ii. Local environment (No programs towards environmental conservation in 84% of supermarkets) D2; iii. Community Engagement (Customer treatment on site, only associated with purchasing processes) D3; iv. Human Resources (no training in environmental education for stakeholders in 100% of supermarkets) D4; iii. Waste and by-products (50% of supermarkets have no signage for solid waste management routes) D5.

Opportunities.

Community engagement (regional, national, and international policy focuses on sustainable development, Amazonianism, responsible production, and consumption) O1; ii. Commitment to the Community (There is a high level of persuasion among customers in the information offered by the chain stores and supermarkets) O2. Likewise, a promise of price, fashion, variety, design, quality, and sophistication must be delivered to the consumer in a short time.

Threats

Community Engagement (Congestion of public space due to customer parking) A1; ii. Human Talent (Rising prices of goods in the family basket that may reduce demand) A2; iii. Energy emitted and used (Increase in energy costs from 2022) A3. With the above information, the following SWOT matrix is presented (Table 5).

Table 5
SWOT matrix for the identification of environmentally and communityfriendly activities by supermarkets
WOOpportunities
WeaknessesAir emissions: Measure the carbon footprint of supermarkets and generate a reduction and dissemination plan for customers and suppliers. DIO1.
Commitment to the community / Waste and by-products / Energy emitted and used / Local environment. Environmental information campaign aimed at supermarket customers on responsible consumption, recycling, reuse, water, and energy saving. D3O2.
Human talent: Training on environmental policy, CSR and environmental education of the supermarket and its stakeholders. D4O1O2.
STThreats
StrengthsCommitment to the Community / Signage for parking in areas surrounding the supermarket, avoiding noise and visual pollution and safety schemes for customers and their vehicles. A1F4.

Source: Own elaboration

The activities identified can be condensed into an Environmental Education program for supermarkets that wish to undertake it. After formulating the values and business principles oriented towards corporate social responsibility and sustainable development criteria, an environmental education project with these aims should have five stages: 1. Awareness raising of stakeholders about the environmental impacts of the organization and ways to mitigate them; 2) Diagnosis of the current impacts of the organization for the measurement of impact indicators of the company on the environmental aspects addressed (Emissions to air, water, solid waste management, energy emitted and used, noise and visual pollution, use of paper, recycling, and forms of reuse, use of public space, safety conditions for staff); 3) environmental management plan in the supermarket to reduce the impacts and monitoring.

CONCLUSION

Florencia is classified as an intermediate city (around 160,000 inhabitants. In the last decade, it has experienced significant changes in its economic growth (especially in the construction sector), urban growth, and the arrival of new companies in the region (Cuellar, 2020), among other changes.

It impacts the increase in demand for consumer goods and, therefore, the need for warehouses and supermarkets to supply necessities, where populations with a high degree of diversity and economic vulnerability are observed, but who in turn are looking for an economy, recognized brands, and quality. Although the financial situation and competitive position between a multinational such as Almacenes Éxito and other regional competitors in a small market such as Florencia Caquetá are not comparable, there are features of a monopolistic competition market (Pardo-Rozo et al., 2016).

The evaluation of CSR in supermarkets in Florencia found that the dimensions of ethical values and principles and responsible marketing are well conceived in the CSR policy. These results were like the study by Zegarra Reyes and Cortegana Salazar (2021), who found that the ethical and social dimensions positively impact consumers and enhance corporate image. However, paradoxically, the weakest scores for supermarkets in Florencia were recorded for the environmental and community engagement dimensions, which could explain their relationship with competitive market position as suggested by Andrade Restrepo & Andrade Restrepo (2022), who state that the relationship between CSR and competitiveness is direct. Therefore, the SWOT analysis focused on activities aimed at strengthening these necessary aspects, according to the study by Caro and Salazar (2019).

The supermarket assessment found that all six companies have implemented CSR approaches in recent years, which have led to positive benefits for the organization's bottom line. However, the companies implement these strategies but do not quantify them, nor do they carry out studies of the impact of the investment and efforts or the returns in terms of profits and other benefits, i.e., CSR acts as a positive externality as Belso-Martínez et al. (2020) refers. Regarding the role of CSR, as stated by Vergara-Romero et al. (2020), it is possible to identify whether the practices in organizations are authentic or just for show.

However, there is a clear need to strengthen the design, implementation, and subsequent evaluation of direct actions towards CSR by stakeholders external to supermarkets (actual and potential customers, community, government, and competitors) to achieve recognition of the impacts of these supermarkets on the environment and the problems that arise from these commercial activities, as suggested in the studies by León et al. (2019).

Supermarkets have great potential for building a social fabric with greater environmental awareness, as they can help to promote responsible consumption by guiding customers' consumption habits and frequency, advertising management that guides the sustainable use of products and goods, the reuse and efficiency of the cycle of use of products, by-products, and waste, as well as the implementation of technological and communication processes and systems that at the same time strengthen the credibility and good name of these commercial centers, which form part of the daily life of both households and industrial sectors (González-Peralta, 2021).

REFERENCES

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