Telemig Cellular and the Guarantee of Children’s and Adolescents Rights

Cellular Telemig was a cellular telephone service provider, operating in Brazil’s Minas Gerais State. Its goal was to provide consistent and lasting services to all its end-users across the state. With the purpose of guaranteeing children and youths’ rights, the company created the Telemig Institute, Celular Telemig’s social division. The institute intended to work on the creation and strengthening of the State’s Tutoring Councils and Children and Adolescents’ Rights Municipal Councils. These councils were responsible for guaranteeing children’s rights and for elaborating public policies to serve them according to the Children and Adolescents’ Statute (ECA, for its acronym in Portuguese).

The Justice Attorney General, an agency linked to the Public Ministry, was in charge of enforcing the law that demanded Council creation in all counties. This made it a key partner to achieve Telemig Institute’s objectives. The decision management had to make would determine the Institute’s possibilities to attract and maintain the Justice Attorney General as a partner in the alliance built with the Volunteer Support Groups to create and develop city Councils.

This case elaborates on the strengths and weaknesses of a potential alliance between a private company and the public sector, in terms of effective results and action scope. It also supplies information on the legislation and operation of institutions dedicated to serving the needs and rights of children and teenagers. Moreover, the case allows for the formulation of corporate strategies to approach public agencies in order to enhance the results and minimize the risks entailed by cross-sector alliances.

This case may be used in courses on cross-sector strategic alliances, private social investments, and the role of corporations in society, speeding up decision making processes involving these issues.