A survey showed that the sectors that contribute the most to common good are services, universities and technology.

Empresas Conscientes and the consulting firm Visión Humana developed the first study Tendencias 2016, with the goal of learning what Chileans expect from companies that operate in the country, and helping in the generation of constructive relationships between companies and people.

The survey was based on interviews, developed from Mayo to July 2016 to a sample of 2,300 people from 15 to 80 years old, who in Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepcion, as well as in the 13 main cities of the country.

Participants were asked about four topics:

• General relationship with companies
• Relationship between companies and common good
• Enterprises and damage to the environment
• OECD questions

Patricio Polizzi, general director of Visión Humana, points out that the survey shows that the demand society makes to companies have changed. People want a more transparent, participatory and transcending relationship with firms.

“As a citizen, I do not want to see a company just involved in making a good deal, but also on having a positive impact on society and contributing to the common good, particularly among large companies, those that seem powerful in terms of resources and action capacities”, he says.

Jorge Bianchi, president of Empresas Conscientes (EC), explained that this survey is a mean to understand the relationship there is between society and business groups. Therefore, he expects it to become a “working tool to implement effective strategies that co-create value”.

The most valued attributes

The survey respondents were asked what the three attributes that would define a “good company” are and the answers were: compliance (46%), honest (42%) and socially responsible (37%).

According to Bianchi, this shows that expectations on firms go beyond their products.

“People want companies to comply with what they deliver, but also be honest, to act in a positive way and to avoid generating an unbalance of information”, he states.

As regards the goals that a “good company should have”, people agree on the fact that it should “grow and be profitable” (55%), “promote the well-being of the employees” (51%) and “satisfying the consumers’ needs” (38%).

According to Bianchi, this demonstrates the awareness of people regarding the needs a healthy company has in order to exist.

Contributions to the common good

Survey respondents were asked about to assess, in a scale from 1 to 5, the degree in which different sectors contribute to common good. On top of the list, we can find Potable Water (68%), followed by Universities (65%), Gas (62%), Technology (60%), Food (59%) and Electricity (57%).

Chileans expect firms to help society increase its potential. The sectors where they would like to see companies contributing more to the greater good are Healthcare (62%), Education and Culture (51%), Security (42%), Environment (40%) and Economic Development (37%).

Source: Diario Financiero