INNOVATION IN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PRACTICES FOR MARKETING STRATEGY AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The higher education universe had had profound changes in the last years. A considerable number of Higher Education Institutions were authorized in all regions in Brazil. In accordance with the expansion of HEIs, was established competition between institutions, like as companies. Slowly, the institutions understood that they could innovate in social responsibility and use it as a marketing strategy. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of an innovative social responsibility program, established in 2010 by a private Higher Education Institution in the state of Santa Catarina - Brazil, which has served more than 15,000 people, including parents and students of basic education. The research is characterized as qualitative and is method is an action research, which is characterized by the interaction between researchers and the search communities. The results demonstrate that a Higher Education Institution can become competitive adopting social responsibility strategies and clever for own sustainability, improved business performance and fulfillment their role in the society.