Companies are important agents of change whose main function is the generation of value. This manifests itself in different areas and dimensions. One of them is Economic Value, that is, innovation in markets to offer products and services that contribute to the well-being of the population — a fundamental quality in times of crisis.
But the activities of companies are not limited only to the creation of goods, services, jobs and wealth, since they are also a fundamental means to transform the communities where they operate, through the generation of Environmental Value and Social Value, concepts that, together with Economic Value, lead us to achieve Inclusive Prosperity, that is, to live in a Mexico where things go well for all of us.
In this article I want to focus on the generation of Social Value, which has two main purposes: (1) create and enhance the capabilities of society and (2) build enabling environments. All this in order to generate innovation, prosperity and wealth, in an environment of freedom.
Under this vision, companies are great transformers of the social fabric; Therefore, we must understand and promote the close relationship they maintain with society and the government: prosperous companies promote prosperous communities and vice versa, establishing a virtuous spiral that makes us grow.
At Grupo Salinas we perfectly understand this symbiosis and for more than two decades we have had Fundación Azteca—among other projects—an organization through which we implement dozens of initiatives focused on the generation of Social Value.
Through our foundation, we have promoted this powerful synergy by implementing various programs with important social returns. This fills us with pride for the great impact they have had on the lives of millions of people throughout the country, mainly girls, boys and young people — it is our purpose to sow a winning mentality in the next generations.
Among the social initiatives promoted by the foundation are Plantel Azteca, Esperanza Azteca, Limpiemos México, Un Nuevo Bosque, Huella Azteca, Movimiento Azteca, Red Social por México and Agua para Todos. All of them contribute to strengthening the social fabric in the thousands of communities where we are present —not to mention the Environmental Value that is promoted and which I will talk about in another article.
Through different actions we seek a Cultural Change to banish ideas that slow our growth. With this in mind, I decided to create the Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego Center, a space to promote this transformation and ensure that the next generations live in a free, innovative, prosperous and inclusive Mexico.
The Center operates important programs, such as Kybernus, Freedom Paths and Art & Culture, which are a powerful means to build the environments necessary to promote and defend a vision of the country based on freedom, the rule of law, the strengthening of civil society, equal opportunities, the formation of effective leadership, knowledge and the culture of merit – fundamental elements to access a higher level of development.
We are aware that change is not achieved overnight; sometimes it takes entire generations—or it never happens. However, cases such as South Korea or Singapore show us that the cultural change necessary to achieve Inclusive Prosperity can be achieved in one generation.
This entails a notable effort on a national scale and this is where companies have a lot to offer. Evolution will be achieved by generating opportunities for people to acquire and enhance the capabilities that will allow them to transform the reality in which they live, with freedom, talent and effort.
Without a doubt, companies play a fundamental role today more than ever in achieving these objectives, since they exert an important influence on modern society. Therefore, we must build the necessary conditions for companies to last and be sustainable over time, in an environment of freedom and innovation. It is our obligation to imagine a better future and then become agents of change who find a way to get there.
