Preliminary analysis of social responsibility inside Chilean universities

The article describes initiatives concerning social responsibility carried out by Chilean universities and the way these initiatives are incorporated into their strategic processes. The main goal is to determine opportunities and limitations wherein a university could take advantages of its role as social developer to impel sustainable development in the community it is inserted in. In this context, to face the huge competition existing in the Chilean higher education system, education institution have had to discover the role played by social responsibility as a powerful source of competitive advantage allowing them to keep a determined viability and to generate value in the “market”. This work is the result of an exploratory research built on the basis of literature and experience, through observation and participation in the Chilean system of higher education. The present document is limited regarding experimental data. Future research must examine exploration factors and correlation among them for experimental research. Results show competitive advantages for universities by maximizing their contributions to social causes, thus expressing greater commitments towards the community, which yields by providing better visibility throughout time.   Key words: Social responsibility, ethics, competitive advantages, higher education, Chile.