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Soccer fields? What for? Effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in the mining industry

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  • Veronica Devenin
  • Constanza Bianchi

Abstract

While there is significant research regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in the mining industry, there is a lack of understanding in terms of the actual effectiveness of CSR initiatives disclosed by these companies. This paper aims to examine the perceptions of stakeholders in the mining industry regarding the intended results of CSR initiatives. Results show three ineffective situations that emerged from empirical contrasts of CSR initiatives declared by mining companies in sustainability reports and the actual impact on beneficiaries in communities: (1) failure of the CSR initiatives to contribute to real community beneficiary needs; (2) failure of the CSR initiatives to adjust to the socio‐cultural characteristics of the beneficiary group; and (3) failure of the CSR initiatives to ensure sustainability in the long run. This study contributes to the literature on CSR initiative effectiveness and provides suggestions for mining managers, government, and policymakers.

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  • Veronica Devenin & Constanza Bianchi, 2018. "Soccer fields? What for? Effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in the mining industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 866-879, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:25:y:2018:i:5:p:866-879
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1503
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    3. Paolo Esposito & Paolo Ricci, 2021. "Cultural organizations, digital Corporate Social Responsibility and stakeholder engagement in virtual museums: a multiple case study. How digitization is influencing the attitude toward CSR," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 953-964, March.
    4. Wilson, Sigismond A., 2022. "Measuring the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in diamond mining areas of Sierra Leone," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    5. Lesnikov, Phyllis & Kunz, Nadja C. & Harris, Leila M., 2023. "Gender and sustainability reporting – Critical analysis of gender approaches in mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Diletta Acuti & Marco Bellucci & Giacomo Manetti, 2024. "Preventive and Remedial Actions in Corporate Reporting Among “Addiction Industries”: Legitimacy, Effectiveness and Hypocrisy Perception," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(3), pages 603-623, January.
    7. Marc‐Antonin Hennebert & Isabelle Roberge‐Maltais & Urwana Coiquaud, 2023. "The effectiveness of international framework agreements as a tool for the protection of workers' rights: A metasynthesis," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 242-260, May.

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