POSITIVE DEVIANCE AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR): THE EXPERIENCE OF ETHOS IN BRAZIL

This research article analyzes the founding and expansion of the Institut Ethos, a nonprofit organization that has helped to create and develop the necessary infrastructure to promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Brazil. From 1998 to 2008, the Institut Ethos has brought together more than 1200 small, medium and large companies in Brazil to help them manage their businesses in a more socially responsible way. These companies currently represent approximately 35% of Brazil's GDP and employ around 2 million people. The results of this research suggest that Ethos has been able to disseminate CSR by applying a perspective based on the use of positive deviation in the Brazilian business world. The article contributes to debates on CSR based on the identification of a mechanism for disseminating CSR using a positive deviation model.