The aim of the Ester Project is to verify the existence of a European model of the socially responsible enterprise. The project concerns European multinational companies operating both within and without the territory of the European Union. The criterion for selection of the companies involved in the project is possession of a workforce consisting of at least one thousand employees.

The intention of the project is to determine whether the behaviour of companies in terms of social responsibility is the same whether it operates internally or externally to the European Union, in relation to different legislative frameworks and socio-economic contexts.

The project also assesses whether the EU’s legislation and its efforts in regard to CSR are constraints or incentives for corporate growth in an increasingly globalized market. The aim is therefore also to determine whether social responsibility can feasibly become the distinctive feature of European companies operating worldwide.

Researchers: Paolo Rossi (referent), Silvia Gherardi, Paolo Tomasin, Rino Fasol (in collaborazione con il Dip. Scienze Giuridiche, Università di Trento, coordinator Prof.ssa Scarponi)
Period: 2004-2005
Funding: European Union
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