Management in a Brazilian metal mechanic leading company: social and environmental perspectives

The practices of social responsibility and environmental management are strategies that have become fundamental in helping enable competitive advantage for organisations today, as society is constantly pressuring companies to become more socially responsible. Environmental issues, in Brazil, are in the spotlight and this dimension has thus come to assume ever-greater importance for companies. This study aims to analyse the strategies of social responsibility and environmental management as practiced and developed by a group of eleven companies in the Metal Mechanic Poleat Serra Gaúcha. It presents a qualitative exploration in the form of a multiple case study whose results show that the external factor is perceived as extremely relevant to the group companies. Furthermore, the study shows that the strategies of social responsibility and environmental management encompass: peer pressure; the importance of government regulations, the adequacy of normative standards; heightened competition; and the achievement of competitive advantage.