Propósitos que legitimam as ações filantrópias de famílias controladoras de grandes empresas do sul do Brasil em tempo de pandemia

Abstract

The social involvement of families, with the donation of part of their wealth in social projects through foundations created and managed by the owners of large family businesses, was an important vector for mitigating the problems caused by the global pandemic of COVID-19. Society creates expectations that companies and families are good citizens, which includes active participation in acts or programs to promote social well-being, especially during the global pandemic. The social engagement of families brings benefits to both beneficiaries and donors, responds to the needs of families to legitimize themselves in society and supports intergenerational sustainability in the companies they control. The objective of this research was to describe the purposes, pointed out by those involved in the management of foundations, which would legitimize families, from the south of Brazil, controlling large companies, in the development of their philanthropic actions, in the context of the global pandemic. In this study, a descriptive methodology was used, with 16 individual interviews with philanthropists, advisors and managers and the content analysis of 10 social activity reports released between 2020 and 2021. Reports from family foundations in southern Brazil, analyzed with based on the technique of content analysis. The legitimizing purposes found in the study are (1) willingness to reciprocate and a feeling of gratitude and (2) willingness to minimize the problems caused by the pandemic. Families mainly use communication as a form of social legitimacy.