and dimensions addressed in what we believe is a
diverse and unflinching look at this complex topic.
We’re delighted that Bill Gates, the co-founder and
chairman of Microsoft and, with his wife Melinda,
the founder of the world’s largest grantmaking foundation, has agreed to present his vision of Microsoft’s
corporate citizenship for our lead article. Richard
Feinberg, National Security Advisor for Latin America
in former U. S. President Bill Clinton’s administration,
discusses the ways that business, government and
multilateral organizations can deepen the impact of
CSR in Latin America. Patricia Márquez and Michael
Penfold examine the new phenomenon in CSR: the
“bottom of the pyramid,” a concept based on the premise that by selling to the poor, companies can empower the lowest-income earners in a society.
Sylvia Maxfield, reporting on the first-ever comparative study of gender-based practices in companies around the region, takes a look at how CSR is
reflected in internal diversity practices. One fascinating finding: over the past four years women are
increasingly being integrated into middle-manage-ment levels of Latin American companies. Meanwhile, in the landscape of corporate citizenship
practices around the hemisphere, one country stands
out. Regina Scharf explains why Brazilian companies
have become the regional leaders in CSR.
No examination of corporate practices could be
complete without paying due attention to what many
regard as the approaching global environmental catastrophe. Sasha Chavkin, arguing that recent weather disasters are serving as a wake-up call for CEOs,
offers six guidelines that businesses can use to protect
themselves and their profits from this threat.
However you grade the corporate record on CSR,
there is a remarkable and healthy diversity of efforts
throughout the hemisphere. In keeping with AQ’s
principle of going beyond simple paradigms of good
vs. bad, you will find sprinkled throughout this Special Feature case studies of companies that are on the
leading edge of CSR as well as brief analytical pieces
on basic questions about the topic. One early conclusion we can draw: good corporate citizenship isn’t
cheap, but the payoff is enormous, both for the companies and the communities they serve.
icons by natasha tibbott
case studies:
t YPes OF csR iN tHis issue
• cOMMuNitY
Vale (formerly CVRD), Royal
Dutch/Shell and AIG provide
good examples of how to
work closely with the local
community. page 45
• sOcial
By providing credit to low-income earners, CEMEX has
helped to change the lives of
180,000 families over the
past nine years. page 48
• educatiON
Canal Cl@se, launched 12 years
ago by the Cisneros Group, and
Arcor Foundation are improving
access to education. page 48
• legal
For the first time, Latin
American law firms are
committing their lawyers to
improve access to justice
thanks to a coalition of bar
associations and jurists. page 56
• HuMaNitaRiaN
Whenever a natural disaster
hits a region, FedEx is ready to
offer its airplanes and trucks to
deliver supplies to the affected
population. page 61
• eNviRONMeNtal
Barrick, Natura and Wal-Mart,
each in their own way, have
taken the initiative and decided
to improve their companies’
environmental footprints.
page 83
