Abstract
Peru is a Latin American country with one of the most powerful and dynamic emerging economies in the world; however, it reveals considerable inconsistencies and socioeconomic inequalities. This research demonstrates that business ethics and corporate social responsibility are closely related with the welfare state of the country/region where a company is incorporated. Research work has been carried out on the case of the product “Pura Vida”, of the Gloria Company, implementing a mixed research method (documentary, quan and qual) in which a descriptive collection of data from different sources, in relation to the company and the crisis with Pura Vida milk, has been used; additionally, an ad hoc survey has been conducted on a sample of Peruvian citizens to know their insight in relation to the relevant aspects of business ethics and corporate responsibility and their opinion regarding the specific case being investigated; finally, in-depth interviews were held with the company’s management staff. It is shown that without a certain degree of welfare state, it is difficult to implement ethics and social responsibility in companies and in society as a whole. In addition, the main concerns of Peruvians regarding ethics and social responsibility can be observed.
Highlights
Peru is one of the countries with the most dynamic emerging economies in Latin America, and this has been the case during the last ten years
The obtained results are analyzed following a scheme including a descriptive collection of the relevant data in relation to the Gloria company and the “Pura Vida” case, a basic statistical analysis of the survey content and an intuitive hermeneutic interpretation by the researchers of the interviews held with those responsible for the company
In 2017, the company was reported in relation to one of its main products, consumed by millions of Peruvians, called “Pura Vida” milk, bearing a label with the name “milk”
Summary
Peru is one of the countries with the most dynamic emerging economies in Latin America, and this has been the case during the last ten years. The social policies the government implemented to combat poverty and inequality are not efficient, mostly based on “orthodox” policies promoting foreign investment in the primary export sector (mining, oil, fishing, soybean cultivation, etc.), which was considered the main driver of growth, and conservative fiscal and monetary policies that created a climate of confidence for investors and led to stable exchange rates and prices [2] This circumstance is paired with problems of various kinds, economic and cultural, educational and regarding the empowerment of citizens, and of inhabitants and potential consumers. CSR can either be regarded as pursuing objectives similar to the welfare state (reducing the negative effects of market forces) or as antagonistic to these objectives (furthering of market forces) [8,9] In this context, the ethical business commitment is really difficult, and the CSR strategies and policies applied by companies are limited, there are certain exceptions worth being described and investigated [10]. CSR is applied differently depending on the countries, welfare states and cultural and political environments, accentuating how the nuanced forms of CSR in the developing world are invariably contextualized and locally shaped by multilevel factors and actors embedded within wider formal and informal governance systems [12]
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