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Introduction and Aims: Research on corporate behaviour can contribute to the understanding of the possible adverse impacts of alcohol-industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and their potential influence on policymaking. This study explores the association between alcohol-industry CSR activities and selected country features in Latin America and the Caribbean., Design and Methods: Nine health experts evaluated 148 CSR activities using a standardised protocol; activities were classified into the categories risk management CSR (rmCSR), that is, to avoid/rectify externalities (n = 67), and strategic CSR, that is, to fulfill philanthropic responsibilities (n = 81). We evaluated the associations, separately, between the number of rmCSR and of strategic CSR actions in each country with threats from public health measures (specifically, the level of research into alcohol consumption and harms, the existence of an alcohol surveillance system and the number of governmental alcohol policy actions) and per capita alcohol consumption; we adjusted by economic indices (country income level and the gross domestic product) and population size., Results: Multivariate analyses showed that the higher the level of alcohol research within a country and its per capita consumption, the more likely rmSCR activities were to occur, independently of the country's economic development or population., Discussion and Conclusions: Results suggest rmSCR actions could be implemented as a way to preserve markets by counteracting scientific evidence about alcohol related harms. This evidence could serve as a starting point to future research, contributing to the understanding of alcohol industry behaviour and the advancement of effective public policies., (© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

Objectives: The aims of this study were to: (1) describe alcohol industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions conducted across six global geographic regions; (2) identify the benefits accruing to the industry ('doing well'); and (3) estimate the public health impact of the actions ('doing good')., Setting: Actions from six global geographic regions., Participants: A web-based compendium of 3551 industry actions, representing the efforts of the alcohol industry to reduce harmful alcohol use, was issued in 2012. The compendium consisted of short descriptions of each action, plus other information about the sponsorship, content and evaluation of the activities. Public health professionals (n=19) rated a sample (n=1046) of the actions using a reliable content rating procedure., Outcome Measures: WHO Global strategy target area, estimated population reach, risk of harm, advertising potential, policy impact potential and other aspects of the activity., Results: The industry actions were conducted disproportionately in regions with high-income countries (Europe and North America), with lower proportions in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Only 27% conformed to recommended WHO target areas for global action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. The overwhelming majority (96.8%) of industry actions lacked scientific support (p<0.01) and 11.0% had the potential for doing harm. The benefits accruing to the industry ('doing well') included brand marketing and the use of CSR to manage risk and achieve strategic goals., Conclusion: Alcohol industry CSR activities are unlikely to reduce harmful alcohol use but they do provide commercial strategic advantage while at the same time appearing to have a public health purpose., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Aims: The aims were to: (1) identify, monitor and analyse the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices of the alcohol industry in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and (2) examine whether the alcohol industry is using these actions to market their products and brands., Methods: Nine health experts from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay conducted a content analysis of 218 CSR activities using a standardized protocol. A content rating procedure was used to evaluate the marketing potential of CSR activities as well as their probable population reach and effectiveness. The LEAD procedure (longitudinal, expert and all data) was applied to verify the accuracy of industry-reported descriptions., Results: A total of 55.8% of the actions were found to have a marketing potential, based on evidence that they are likely to promote brands and products. Actions with marketing potential were more likely to reach a larger audience than actions classified with no marketing potential. Most actions did not fit into any category recommended by the World Health Organization; 50% of the actions involving classroom and college education for young people were found to have marketing potential; 62.3% were classified as meeting the definition of risk management CSR., Conclusion: Alcohol industry Corporate Social Responsibility activities in Latin America and the Caribbean appear to have a strategic marketing role beyond their stated philanthropic and public health purpose., (© 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Over the last decade, the Brazilian alcohol industry - which for years has ignored alcohol problems - inaugurated responsible drinking programs (RDPs). This paper reports findings from an exploratory study that investigated the RDP-related activities of six leading alcohol companies in Brazil (three national, three transnational) focusing on program goals and components, target populations and evaluation methods. Interviews were conducted from October 2007 to February 2008 with nine key-informants, and 71 corporate documents were collected along with additional web information about the programs. Content analysis of interviews and institutional documents was used to identify the companies' RDP activities. Three types of RDPs were found that focused respectively on institutional action, drinking and driving, and underage drinking. All three transnational firms were involved in RDPs, whereas national firms demonstrated limited involvement. The majority of RDPs were implemented using television. No targeted research appears to have been undertaken by the companies to assess the efficacy of the strategies in terms of changes in drinking behavior. The evidence for both national and transnational firms means that is difficult to confirm that the responsible drinking programs produced so far in Brazil have been undertaken to systematically reduce alcohol problems, or mainly as part of a public relations strategy to reduce criticism and potentially forestall government regulations (Babor, 2006, 2009; Jernigan, 2009)., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)