O cooperativismo como instrumento de concretização de responsabilidade social: um estudo de caso em uma Cooperativa de Crédito no município de Erechim/RS e associados (stakeholders)

Abstract

Social responsibility is the central theme of this work. The discussion about social responsibility in companies comes to the fore, given the seriousness of social problems and the emergence of alternatives to face this reality. Cooperatives, including credit unions, are increasingly recognizing the importance of social responsibility as an integral part of their operations. This dissertation sought to analyze the theme and respond to the theoretical research gap, namely: how can cooperatives contribute to social inclusion and contribute through social responsibility? And to this end, the general objective was presented as: To analyze the elements inherent to cooperative principles that contribute to the practices of social responsibility in a Credit Union, from the perspective of employees and associates (stakeholders). And the specific objectives classified as: i) To understand the relationship between Social Responsibility and the Cooperative System; ii) To characterize the prevalence of elements linked to the economic, social and environmental dimensions in a Credit Union and associates (stakeholders); iii) Analyze the effective practices of social responsibility applied in the Credit Unions analyzed and by some of their associates; iv) Point out the contributions of CSR to the organization studied. The data collected were through semi-structured interviews, documentary research and participant observation and occurred with quantitative and qualitative analysis and presentation of the research. The study addressed the relationship between Social Responsibility and Credit Unions, highlighting that the cooperative in question integrates social responsibility into its practices aligned with cooperative principles. This promotes sustainable and inclusive development of the communities served. The contributions of CSR include strengthening reputation, attracting talent and creating shared value. Limitations of the study were recognized, such as possible response bias and dependence on self-reporting. Suggestions for future research include expanding the study to other cooperatives and analyzing financial data for a quantitative view of the commitment to social responsibility. In short, the research concludes that the cooperative studied plays a significant role in promoting social responsibility and sustainability, aligning itself with cooperative principles.