Evaluación de los proyectos de responsabilidad social corporativa de la estatal petrolera en las comunidades pertenecientes a la zona norte de la Amazonía del Ecuador.

Abstract

The present study focuses on evaluating the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Projects carried out by the State Hydrocarbons Company of Ecuador (Community Relations Management) between the years 2014 and 2020 in the communities of the Northern Zone of the Amazon. The research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, using information collected both by the State and through surveys conducted within the community. In the qualitative part, a thorough analysis of documentary information was carried out, including the review of reports, projects, managerial reports, annual reports, sustainability reports, project records, internal and external communications, corporate publications, and relevant documents related to CSR Projects. This analysis allowed for a detailed examination of the execution of these projects from a historical and descriptive perspective. As for the quantitative aspect, the fuzzy logic tool was employed for evaluation, defining five key study areas: community health, education and training, infrastructure, productive projects, and job creation, where the company conducts its oil extraction operations. Furthermore, a survey was conducted in the Tiputini community to gather the perception and opinion of local residents regarding the CSR Projects executed by the State Company. This feedback provided an important perspective on the effectiveness and real impact of these projects. The findings of this study offer a detailed view of the effectiveness of CSR Projects, based on an objective comparison between the qualitative and quantitative information obtained from the State Oil Company and the qualitative information obtained through the community survey. Graphs of key variables were constructed between 2014 and 2020 using fuzzy logic and Python software, with both the information from the State and the information from the survey conducted in 2023. This comparison, given the limited temporal information of the survey available for only one year, led to the classification of each variable into three categories: efficient, deficient, and unknown. These percentages reflect the level of acceptance and knowledge of the community about the activities of the State and allowed for an adequate and objective evaluation of each variable to obtain the desired conclusions in the study. Projects with a greater impact on community benefit and others with improvement needs were identified, revealing the effectiveness of CSR Projects, their real impact generated, as well as the efficacy of fuzzy logic and the survey as evaluation methods for these projects. This can assist the State Hydrocarbons Company, or similar entities, in better focusing their CSR efforts, identifying areas for improvement, and making decisions in future Social Responsibility initiatives.