ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS IN CIVIL CONSTRUCTION:SECTOR STUDY ON CORPORATE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY IN COMPANIES IN BRAZIL, MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Purpose: This study aims to carry out a sectoral field study on corporate socio-environmental responsibility in companies in the civil construction sector operating in Brazil, Mexico and the United States of America. Theoretical framework: The bibliographic review demonstrated the results found from a comparative bias in relation to corporate socio-environmental responsibility. It also points out that companies in the civil construction sector in the three countries analyzed (Brazil, Mexico and the United States) have similar environmental and social practices, verifying the adoption of sustainable construction methods, mitigation of the generation of solid waste, as well as their best destination, reuse of water, improvement of energy efficiency, identifying the main focus on reducing greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions. Method/design/approach: As a methodology, a multicase study was carried out, making use of documentary research, through which a survey of data and information was carried out in a group of companies in the civil construction sector based in three different countries: Brazil, Mexico and the United States. United of America. Results and conclusion: In all analyzed companies there was a concern that their actions are based on international standards in order to obtain certification, highlighting among them ISO and LEED. Research implications: The research makes an effective contribution by demonstrating the potential and the need to adopt sustainable practices in the management of contemporary companies. Originality/value: The results obtained in this study are unprecedented, innovative and relevant to the scientific community, in the context of sustainability in civil construction.


INTRODUCTION
The overall structure of organizations is constantly impacted by changes in society and the environment in which they are inserted, characterizing themselves as dynamic, so the negative environmental impacts caused by man and the awareness of consumers themselves, which have come to demand a socially responsible attitude of companies, have determined changes in their operations. The people who form them are responsible for planning, executing, organizing and controlling their goals, aligning them to promote sustainability.
The environmental impact caused by productive activities has generated climate changes, especially in the 21st century, have promoted significant and far-reaching consequences in the primary production of food, arising from natural and anthropogenic processes, which affect both the productive process and human life (Espíndola e Ribeiro, 2020).
First, to give a vision of "prospective bias", so that one can understand the "current" problem in such a way that one can discuss problems to the satisfaction, as well as innovate in the value construction that one is willing to study, in our case, sustainable development. The importance of the subject is undeniable, since every day environmental problems affect the quality of life of man more intensely.
The Climate Change and Land report of the International Panelon Climate Change (IPCC, 2020) predicts an increase in the Earth's temperature of between 1.8 and 3.6ºC from 2090 to 2099. Climate change is already having an impact now; more frequent natural disasters, flood risks in low-lying areas, drought severity, excessive heat, windstorms, hurricanes and volcanoes.
In view of this, the need to raise awareness about sustainability arose mainly to face the ecological crisis that has been alarming the planet, arising from the impacts that human beings have caused and have been causing on the environment, bringing problems that can affect the balance and survival of the species on our planet. Associated with this is the need to think about collective and sustainable projects that can recognize dimensions that have long been denied and that have ended up contributing to the increase of socio-environmental pathologies (Vieira e Tavares, 2019;Pereira, 2022).
In this sense, development with sustainability perspectives is an urgent demand of society, and the domain of Civil Engineering should be considered to have significant impacts on the environment. In fact, Civil Engineering has been identified as responsible for different negative environmental impacts on the environment, highlighting in its activities the consumption of energy, the emission of CO2 and the depletion of natural resources (Medeiros, Durante and Callejas, 2018).
Companies are sustainable when they include social and environmental priorities in their economic activities (Grejo & Lunkes, 2022) as well as when they consider the rational use of public resources (Guimarães Aragão, Alves Pereira, & Florêncio da Silva, 2022).
With this, alternative solutions have been sought in the last decades to reduce environmental impacts in the construction sector, verifying different approaches, among which are: reduce energy consumption using low-energy materials (eco-materials); develop energyefficient buildings with high thermal insulation, integrations of renewable energies (solar, wind, geothermal), or using the principles of eco-architecture to optimize the energy consumption of buildings (Caldas, Carvalho e Toledo Filho, 2020).
Within this framework, criteria and performance indicators in sustainable construction are needed to assess the performance of a building/facility and measure its impact on the environment. They need to be comprehensive to address specific environmental issues/problems. These are commonly identified as population growth, availability and use of natural resources such as land, water and forests, depletion of non-renewable resources such as mineral reserves and fossil fuels, urbanization, pollution, geopolitical problems, habitat destruction/deterioration (loss of biodiversity), global warming, stratospheric ozone destruction, soil erosion, acid deposition, waste, indoor environment.
These performance indicators are characterized as specific units of measurement used to describe performance criteria both quantitatively and qualitatively. Value parameters provide information about a phenomenon by measuring progress towards sustainability in a simplified and easily understandable way. However, they need to cover relevant environmental impact and other sustainability aspects, as well as being verifiable and measurable, mutually independent of each other and comparable at a reference level.
Based on this, a PhD-level study was conducted with real estate incorporation companies active in Brazil, Mexico and the United States (USA), with a view to investigating the adoption of the corporate social responsibility management system and socio-environmental sustainability practices (mandatory and voluntary).

THEORETICAL FRAME
Below we will present a detailed analysis based on a systematic set of publications and practices carried out in the construction companies of the three countries.

Brazilian companies
To analyze the environmental practices carried out by the companies, it began with a check-list of the publications, considering what was published by the companies in their environmental reports, assuming the publicity of the acts as a way of attracting investors. Table  1 presents the results found: From the check-list it was found that MRV presented 36 points out of 40 total, thus there was a concern of the company to present its environmental practices in the annual reports.

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EzTec found that the company does not produce sustainability report publications, but demonstrates clear concerns about the environmental area and the quality sector, according to the practices listed in Table 2, collected from information disclosed in news (https://www.eztec.com.br/blog-resultados-de-busca/?termo=sustentabilidade) and in its blog (https://www.eztec.com.br/blog/). In addition, the company makes this concern clear in its corporate governance policy.

LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) seal of sustainable construction. The achievement of LEED was made possible by the sustainable practices that guided the construction process of the enterprise. Emission control is done by specific software, automatically integrated every month to the MRV computerized management system. The process allowed for improved information flow and accounting of built units and helped reduce errors, which impacted the database and the outcome in relation to the target.
Solutions based on home automation technology for efficient use of water and energy. Waste management in works Application of standards 9000 and 9001 Life-cycle assessment with tools for more informed decisions Application of Standard 14001 Photovoltaic energy saving plans -Reducing water consumption and reuse -Source: Prepared by the author (2021). Table 2, both companies are concerned about the adoption of sustainable constructive methods. Concern has been observed with the reduction of carbon emissions, water and energy consumption. In addition, practices have been identified for the management of solid waste generated in the works, a problem that has been presented as a global emergency, given the impacts generated to the environment. EzTec highlights the adoption of standards 9000, 9001 and 14001, in addition to obtaining the LEED Gold certification seal.

As shown in
Regarding the social practices adopted by the companies, they were also analyzed on the basis of a check list to raise an index of disclosure, considering at this stage the results verified in the Brazilian companies analyzed in this study. The results presented by MRV Engenharia and EzTec are presented in Table 2. With regard to social practices, it was found that MRV has a greater adoption of disclosure of its activities in this area, with 100% of the check-list identified, while EzTec recalls that the company does not make sustainability report publications, but demonstrates clear concerns with the social question, having been again raised social practices performed and more highlighted by companies and presented in Table 2.  Table 2 it is possible to verify that the social practices of EzTec are very scarce, being highlighted only the concern of the company with the accessibility in its buildings.

United States
In order to verify the environmental practices performed by the US construction companies analyzed in this study, the initial check-list was considered as the basis for identifying the basic behavior of these companies, and the results were verified in Table 3.  Table 3, both companies meet 100% of the environmental practice checklists, which indicates a concern to register and present to their stakeholders the environmental practices carried out, believing that this is part of the corporate image strategy. In order to better understand the practices adopted by the companies, a mapping of the environmental practices disclosed by them was also carried out and those considered as main ones are presented in Table 3. At Skanska, we take care of life. That means making sure our employees come home to their friends and family every day unharmed. It means supporting a healthy work environment that attracts talented people and helps raise standards in our industry. Businesses and communities cannot prosper for generations if they cannot keep people safe and healthy.

As shown in
In April, we published our first company Climate Action Plan committing to 100% renewable energy for our operations in 2020, net zero carbon for our operations and business trips in 2020, and negative carbon for our operations and business trips by 2030. We have reached the net zero carbon according to the global standard PAS 2060: 2014. In addition to meeting our 2020 targets, we have developed science-based carbon reduction targets for our direct and indirect emissions and have been approved by ScienceBased Targets. In FY20, we saw a 33% reduction in total calculated carbon emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and a part of Scope 3) to 116,466 tCO2e, as well as a 50% reduction in our travel-related carbon emissions2 -both from a FY19 Baseline. From working with customers to help them design and build sustainable facilities to our own ISO 14001 certification, we have a responsibility to help improve the environment in the communities where we work.
We are renewing our PlanBeyond sustainability strategy and updating our materiality assessment.

La Guardia Terminal B is awarded Envision
Platinum v3 (the world's first airport certified to this standard). The Bank of America Tower of Skanska Commercial Development is the first building in the United States -and the third in the world -to obtain LEED® v4 Platinum Core and Shell certification.
With our evolve,drive digital technology tool, the U.N. Sustainability Goals and a database of over 700 sustainability commitments and indicators combine to help projects of all sizes, at every stage of the project lifecycle, identify, implement and track metrics to build a better, more sustainable tomorrow.
The group-wide carbon reduction target is announced: net zero emissions by 2045 with a 50% reduction by 2030. Skanska joins the Exponential Roadmap, supporting the development of the Business Playbook 1.5ºC. Skanska launches two tools to empower energy-efficient building choices: Insight -which identifies and classifies potential operating carbon -and the EC3  Table 3 it is possible to verify that the practices involve everything from the search to maintain a quality work environment to the compliance with ISO 14001 standards. The climate agreement is also the focus of both companies, with the reduction of carbon emissions being sought in their activities. LEED certification is also mentioned by Skanska. Companies highlight the use of their own tools as a means to achieve results in sustainability.
The social practices of companies in the construction sector were also analyzed on the basis of the check list verifying how companies have considered the different social themes in their reports. Verified results are shown in Table 4. Looking at the results described in Table 4, it is possible to see that companies exhibit similar behavior in relation to social sustainable practices, identifying a score of 35 for both, which indicates that they publish 87.5% of the listed practices. In order to gain a better understanding of the practices of American companies, the main ones have been compiled into a table and are presented below. Table 4. Social practices of U.S. companies Skanska Jacobs We must work hard to ensure that our workforce reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate, combining it with a true culture of inclusion that invites new ideas and different approaches.
We are building an inclusive culture where all employees feel they belong. Our culture is the basis for selecting, developing and retaining Jacobs' best and brightest minds. Skanska is a big company, which means a significant ability to make a difference in the communities where we work. From volunteering time to support local causes to dedication to helping small businesses learn how to do business with us, we can help support the social and economic aspects of the triple bottom line.

100% of Jacobs' Senior Leadership Team trained in Mental
Health. More than 36,000 hours of volunteer work He donated over $300,000 in corporate and employee funds to Water for People. More than $9 million donated to local charity initiatives Our 11-year-old Joseph Jacobs fellowship program added 20 new students and renovated the fellowship for 43 students, awarding $184,500 in total in fiscal year 2020 Named to Forbes 2021 List of Best Employers for Diversity Bringing technical capacity to our communities: We are testing a U.S. program to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in community wastewater streams. Eight Jacobs volunteers traveled to Sierra Leone to help relocate more than 2,000 people from 62 slums in Freetown. Published a Socioeconomic Inclusion Policy for the whole company We launch a new global and integrated wellness strategy (physical, mental, financial, social and workplace) for Jacobs employees and their families. We joined the Business Coalition in supporting passage of the Equality Act in the United States. This group of over 270 leading employers in the U.S. -including many of our clients -support passage of federal legislation that would provide the same basic protections for LGBTI+ people as those afforded to other groups protected under U.S. federal law Looking ahead, our aspirational goal is to create a 40-40-20 gender-balanced workforce worldwide (40% men, 40% women and 20% open to any gender) over the next five years Source: Prepared by the author (2021).

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As can be seen in Table 4, companies present practices aimed both at the internal public and the external public, with actions of balance of diversity in their environment and support to the community.

Mexico
As well as in the analysis conducted with the companies in Brazil and the United States, the environmental sustainability practices performed by the organizations of the construction sector in Mexico selected for this study were also verified, and the results found presented in Table 5.
From Table 5 it is observed that the Mexico ICA Group meets 100% of the checklist requirements, while Carso meets 90% of the researched list, not attending partnerships, councils, environmental forums, participation in environmental organizations, evaluation including independent opinion and development of ecological products. In order to better verify the environmental practices carried out by the Mexican companies under study, these have been surveyed and the main ones are listed in Table 5. The waste generated is sent for recycling We support a healthy work environment that attracts talented people and helps raise standards in our industry. Businesses and communities cannot prosper for generations if they cannot keep people safe and healthy. During 2018 and 2019, CICSA obtained for the eighth and ninth consecutive years, the distinction of Socially Responsible Company (ESR), which is awarded by the Mexican Center of Philanthropy (Cemefi) for outstanding in the application of actions in favor of caring for and protecting the environment, the contribution to society and its collaborators with business ethics From working with customers to help them design and build sustainable facilities to our own ISO 14001 certification, we have a responsibility to help improve the environment in the communities where we work.
Throughout 2018, two battery collection events were held in corporate offices; bringing together a total of 1,300 used alkaline batteries, which are sent to a lockdown, preventing water and soil contamination.
LaGuardia Terminal B is awarded Envision Platinum v3 (the world's first airport certified to this standard).
The Bank of America Tower of Skanska Commercial Development is the first building in the United States -and the third in the world -to obtain LEED® v4 Platinum Core and Shell certification.
During 2018, in the North Arc II projects, a total of 3,636 individuals were reforested in an area of 30.95 ha, representing an estimated capture of 43,632 kg of CO2.
The group-wide carbon reduction target is announced: net zero emissions by 2045 with a 50% reduction by 2030. Skanska joins the Exponential Roadmap, supporting the development of the Business Playbook 1.5ºC. Skanska launches two tools to empower energy-efficient building choices: Insight -which identifies and classifies potential operating carbon -and the EC3 tool -which captures the embedded carbon of a building. In the Oil Pipeline Sector, during 2019, an area of 8.12 ha was reforested in the Samalayuca-Sásaber Project, with a total of 8,007 individuals planted, action that allowed an estimated capture of 96,084 kgC02 -Planting 296 trees of various species that help to preserve aquifers and prevent soil erosion.  The results indicate environmental practices directed towards the management of solid waste, the planting of trees for reforestation, and the reduction of deforestation based on this, hope to improve carbon emission in the environment.
Analyzing Mexico's companies through the check list of topics to be considered in sustainable social practices, it was possible to verify lower adherence of Carso in relation to the We take into account the social, economic, and environmental concerns of our engagement audiences. The company holds the EFR certificate and the Charter Diversidad seal 2021-2023.
Our commitment to sustainable development is not limited to our operations. Instead, we seek to strengthen it and expand its reach through active participation in different associations and initiatives related to the principles and values of the Mexico Group. In this way, it is possible to generate the necessary synergies between the public sector, private initiative and civil society so that all those involved benefit from the joint effort and thus improve the social, economic and environmental conditions in our areas of influence. Source: Prepared by the author (2021).
In the light of the above, the Mexico ICA Group has achieved positive results in its practices, highlighting among its main social practices the care of the internal public with a view to balancing the diversity of the company, the training of its employees, occupational safety and health and investments for the community.
By checking the results found from Table 7, it was possible to verify that environmental and social practices have been shown to be of significant relevance among countries. Considering the environmental practices it was found that of the 14 listed, only 3 are not carried out by the three countries and of the social practices, of the 12 listed, only one was not carried out by the three countries.
In this way, it is possible to say that in the Americas, sustainable practices in the construction sector have presented themselves as universal, being able to be justified by the needs and demands of the environment itself and of society, considering that the activities are similar and impact in a similar way. In environmental practices, the differences were seen in Brazil with the practice of forest management and/or reforestation, which is not divulged by the companies of the United States and Mexico, probably because the Brazilian forest territory is much larger.
Between 2012 and 2013, the TCU developed a coordinated audit in the Amazon, being observed the criterion of representativeness in three categories of UCs, Extractive Reserves (Resex), Forests and Parks (Costa et al, 2018). The diagnosis was made from two main fronts: Conservation Units (UC) and the Preservation of the Amazonian Natural Heritage; and the Management of the Conservation Units in the Amazon and the Socio-environmental Development with the objetive of guiding the creation of conservation units. The study showed that 94% of the deforestation that occurred in the Amazon took place outside areas protected by UCs, and a direct consequence of the fall in the rates of deforestation is the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases. It is also found that in most of the states where the Amazon is present the average carbon emission within UCs was negative (Costa et al, 2018).
In turn, Mexico differentiated itself by disclosing information about its environmental investments and environmental costs and/or expenditures, no motivations were found for the United States and Brazil not practicing that would make it possible to expand discussions on the subject.
The United States has not presented additional environmental practices to Brazil and Mexico. It was found that Brazil could be an example to others as regards forest management and reforestation actions, with environmental legislation that penalizes those who commit crimes against the environment, being reforestation and other actions of environmental recovery, which has made companies anticipate this, in spite of the still high rate of deforestation in the country.
Mexico can be taken as an example in relation to the disclosure of information about its environmental investments and environmental costs and/or expenditures, since information such as this promotes the transparency of its actions. It can bring society closer together, with a preserved image, as well as attract investors to its business.
Regarding social practices, it was found that only the practice of non-discrimination of minorities is not carried out by Mexico, all the others are in common among the three countries. No reason was identified for the absence of information such as this or if it is due to the absence of this practice in the country, leaving as an example of social practice the observance of this practice, considering that it is one of the main social ills that plagues the world.
It should also be noted that the companies analyzed in the three countries have as their concern that their actions are based on international standards with a view to obtaining certification, among them ISO and LEED, it is believed that this is due to the image of their company vis-à-vis the stakeholders, since certifications such as this validate their environmental and social actions and practices.