RISULTATI RICERCA

Ethics and Economics: the Nemetria Conventions ABSTRACT: Since 1992 Nemetria, active as Training Centre, currently organises conferences held annually on a theme such as the relationship between Ethics and Economics. In these years Nobel prizes, entrepreneurs, politicians and prelates haven given their contribution identifying those values set as the base of a correct interpretation and right development of the relationship between Ethics and Economis. We start on the principle of ethic intended as ethics of the responsibility, being self responsible and extending our responsibility in the world we live. A responsibility connected with the concept of development not only as the ultimate aim but a sort of recognition of the man as promoter and subject of this development. A responsibility connected with the risk which is not uncertainty but rather part of the economic rationality and, finally, the competition not seen as fight to prevail but way of renovation. Solidarity is another element set as priority or better as engine of the behaviour of singles inside the society. A value which should not be intended as organising general charity programs, but rather firm determination to be strongly committed to the common interest. Cinzia Sechi, Sindnova (ed.)

Social Corporate Responsibility: themes and prospects ABSTRACT: The deep-rooted and complex economic and social transformations that have characterized our planet in the last decade have forced companies, as the leading actors in civil society, to evaluate their choices beyond an exclusively economic and financial point of view. In the context of the global development of capitalism, where the sole arbiter of the situation is the market, there is at last a full realization of the necessity to draw business peoples’ attention to their social responsibilities, and above all to place companies in a new context of relations and values with respect to the area where they work. Naturally banks are not exempt from all this. As credit agencies they simply cannot function without taking into consideration the principles and values that are strictly linked to Social Corporate Responsibility. The savings banks sector has always, from the beginning, addressed the issue of social responsibility: by providing incentives to create saving as a presupposition for well-being. From there began the building of social values which reflect the historical role that savings banks have played in society and in local development. It’s clear that Social Corporate Responsibility must be at the basis of the economic behaviour of bank and companies, but it’s also essential not to force on businesses conditions which do not take into consideration the specific geographic and economic circumstances of the area where they work. There is a very strong element of subjectiveness in the definition of socially responsibile behaviour. At this point it must also be emphasized that small and medium-sized companies cannot be excluded from all this because they represent the keystone of our country’s economy. The aim must be for the involvement of a diversity of people who work in the area in question: a culture of social corporate responsibility cannot exist without the widespread involvement of the business community. A final consideration: we currently live in a climate of fast economic development, ever-increasing interdependence among companies and a culture that tends to ascribe responsibility to the law, or at least to collective organizations. All of this leaves individual responsibility too much to one side. On this note it is important not to forget that the categorical imperatives and the abstract definitions of ethical values must bow down before the individual’s sense of moral and civil responsibility, because at the end of the day it is still the individual, protagonist of history, who chooses his or her future and in this way conditions the world.

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility ABSTRACT: For some time now there has been a strong need to define ethical conduct in the business world. This necessity is a manifestation of the loss of certainties which has characterized economic and social life in the last 50 years. The need arises for new rules, adapted to the new course of human history in all of its aspects; rules with universal value for a global world. The important thing to understand, however, is that it is not sufficient that these rules be listed in codes and manuals, necessary those these may be. Such ethical rules must be deeply rooted in the human conscience. This is crucial because it is people, with all their complexity and imperfection who determine the course of history and form the society in which they live. Inevitably, therefore, the central role of people is also the fundamental reference point in the conduct of a business, which must be conceived as a community of individuals united in the pursuit of common, shared objectives. The starting point of this essential way of considering a business lies in recognising the value of the people who operate within the business, regardless of the pressures of productivity and market competition. Particular attention should also be paid to the consequences that the production process has on the natural environment. This issue also brings us back to the principle of the central role of people: the environment is our home and its protection is a very real moral obligation.

La Responsabilità Sociale di impresa in una intervista ad Alessandro Benetton ABSTRACT: Corporate Social Responsibility Social and environmental pressures enormously influence companies’ management decisions. That is why there has been an affirmation of the awareness that apart from the economic dimension a business also has an ethical dimension. It is precisely in relation to this dimension that a profound change has taken place: that of the disintegration of the opposition between the shareholder’s view and the stockholder’s view. Obviously satisfying the interests of investors remains the central and indispensable element of a company’s activity, but now the quest to reach that objective is increasingly linked to a commitment, on the part of managers and business people, to favouring a sustainable development of the area in which the business operates. It is undeniable that the market is the best judge and it is precisely the dynamic nature of the market which lends such complexity to all the variables that characterize the life of a business. The theme of social corporate responsibility is now at the centre of many debates but perhaps, despite this, there is not yet sufficient clarity in the definition of ‘social corporate responsibility’. There is also a certain amount of confusion between issues such as sustainable development, social equity and business ethics: all terms pertaining to Social Corporate Responsibility, but which certainly do not exhaust its meaning. Social responsibility is a guiding principle which transversally concerns all aspects of the life of a company. It is first and foremost a question of moral responsibility, even before legal responsibility. This is sufficient to suggest that the behaviour of financial institutions, such as 21 Investimenti, is not at all neutral with regard to all those who are influenced to a greater or lesser extent by their business activities. It is enough to consider the connection between financial activity and local development, the battle against unemployment or protecting the environment. It is indisputable, then, that financial activity is very closely linked with the huge debate about social corporate responsibility. The important thing in this type of evaluation is the awareness that the value of a company does not depend only on numbers. In the face of definitions and declarations of objectives, it therefore becomes necessary to ask oneself what social responsibility means for a company in its daily business in order to make this the essence of the commitment and the duty that are at the core of the activity and of the development of the company.

Ethics and Social Corporate Responsibility ABSTRACT: Voluntary integration of companies social and ecological issues in their activities and relationship with third parties involved. This is the issue Adolfo Guzzini identifies and indicates as one of the main objectives companies may have. A company Social Responsibility as part of its identity to be shown to its employees and to the society in which the company operates. It is now clear that companies need to integrate with their behaviour the existing European and international legislation of Companies Social Responsibility. A set of values dictated not only by government or international rules but also intentional expression of companies behaviour which will have a positive, direct or indirect, repercussions on their productivity, being this the mission of every enterprise.

Corporate Responsibility: social or political? ABSTRACT: The question of responsibility is certainly a topical matter. Here Dr. Piero Bassetti sets out to explain why this is, attempting at the same time to avoid the usual, conventional responses. Contrary to what it might appear, the central problem is not moral but pragmatic. We should not therefore ask whether a business should respond to social problems with a sense of social responsibility, but rather concern ourselves with the ability of a business to respond to changes which are necessary to provide punctual, efficient and effective responses for its position. Getting to the bottom of this problem is not simple because its premises are complex, both in content and in terminology. Certainly real social responsibility lies in the ability to responsibly fulfil the task of pursuing socially valid objectives rather than ‘coexisting with stakeholders while carrying out worthy, socially acceptable actions’. It is precisely the choice of objectives, therefore, which is at the centre of our discussion and which inevitably raises the issue of innovation: that is, knowledge combined with capital. The world is changing, and it is changing by the process of innovation, which is to say the developing alliance of knowledge with capital. Knowledge is assuming ever-increasing importance in business, and businesses, sharing a leading role in innovation, have inevitably met with politics. The role of a business, therefore, is no longer politically subordinate but equal. As such, a business must take on responsibility much greater than that of ‘worthy actions’. A business cannot define itself as neutral, but must rather recognise the fact that it has played a part in guiding the processes of innovation. In short, a business must admit to having taken part in, and continuing to take part in, politics. The business person must therefore assume responsibility for the morals or, better, the ethical values of these actions. Modern politics is not only a battle of wills and of power but also of knowledge and when these are intertwined in a decision everyone involved must recognise the ethical imperative.

Corporate Social Responsibility ABSTRACT: It is popular opinion in Italy that economic and business thinking represent a minor component of the national culture. This is a decidedly anomalous way of thinking compared with that met in other European countries, the USA and the Far East. This situation derives from various factors and conditions linked to ideological and religious considerations. Although removed from the protestant and Calvinist context Italy has attempted to respond to the expectations of social responsibility that supporters of laissez-faire assign to the economic system. So began a powerful process characterized by the forming of public economic corporations and of companies with state participation: a very atypical situation compared with the systems of other democratic regimes. Only recently does this process seem to have changed direction in Italy, moving towards a comforting, if gradual, reversal of trend. There are three factors which support this turnabout. First of all attention should be drawn to the evolution which has challenged the concept of the economy and the concept of business. The progressive internationalization and interdependence of markets and increasing globalization have made it very obvious just to what extent economic growth is a vital condition for social, civil, cultural and political growth. The second element is none other than the negative aspect of these same circumstances and is connected with the free circulation of people, goods and capital. This has, in fact, also demonstrated and made us appreciate the negative social effects which arise in cases of poor management. The third factor is linked to the commitment, capability and initiative of business people who have been among the first to try to create a relationship of continuous dialogue and active involvement with the community which they are part of. It is certainly evident that from the beginning the process of assimilation has been the fruit of acts of imitation more than of autonomous initiatives consciously adhering to the concepts of social responsibility. It is also true, however, that imitation is, in itself, a positive mechanism of diffusion and a powerful tool for co-optation. Clear and notable steps forward have been recorded where business people have proved themselves more sensitive to the deeper issues, seeking to respect the virtuous dual concept that guarantees not only the well-being of the company but also that of the entire social body. It is in this way that the search for profit assumes an ethical dimension. In a context such as this it is important to understand that there are no techniques, models or processes of a specific ethical mould that ensure greater earnings. Anyone can, and must, understand that the bottom line of the best results are people. Ethics are a part of the best people and they make them even more capable. It is the heads of companies and their excellent human resources that can take firms to the top. A clear and important example can surely be found in the media. The most common conviction is that the media are as the name itself suggests simply means of transmission; vehicles. This concept is linked to another traditional concept, according to which their level of correctness depends exclusively on the use one makes of it. In reality no medium is only a tool or a technical phenomenon. Telephone, newspapers, radio, television and internet to all effects connect people to the world through their description and representation of the facts, as they happen or as they decide to report them. They are not, therefore, simply methods of transmission; they produce modifications and shape their users. Consequently, for the media, it is the acknowledgement of this fact that leads to the equation of rights and duties which holds the resolution to every ethical issue.

Ethical Business and the Development of Civil Society: one introduction ABSTRACT: The great changes taking place in our complex society have inevitably called for businesses to act decisively to modify their role, a role that finds its strength in the growing interdependence which exists between businesses and society on the whole. The business objective must combine competitiveness and sustainability and in this context Corporate Social Responsibility becomes one of the most important governing objectives of a business. Corporate Social Responsibility is not some unreal, utopian ideal: on the contrary, it represents a real strategic component of business management, capable of ensuring long-term advantages for the business. Alongside actual codes of conduct which have institutionalized Corporate Social Responsibility, a new business culture has emerged: a culture which combines the factors of production and management with those of ethics. In this way, along with their economic responsibility, businesses have also assumed a social and political responsibility in the process of change and development which our society is living through.