Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)

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    The role of mining companies in achieving the united nations social development goals in Madagascar by 2030
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Babila, Ndasi Moses
    The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) constitute the pillars of policies formulated by the UN member states in 2015 to combat poverty and other forms of deprivation, in order to achieve peace and prosperity for all people and the planet by the year 2030 (the so-called UN Agenda 2030). This research is an exploratory study that undertakes a synthesis of the implementation of the UN SDG policies and the economic contributions made by mining companies to local communities in Madagascar, through their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in order to achieve the UN Agenda 2030. Four of the 17 UN SGDs were selected to assess Madagascar’s level of achievement of the UN SGDs. The UN SGDs selected include one, end poverty in all its forms everywhere; two ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; three Quality education and four, Industry innovation and infrastructure. The Purposive Sampling technique was used to select the Benenitra and Ranobe districts of the Atsimo Andrefana Region as areas of study due to the advantage of prior knowledge of the areas and accessibility. These areas are reflective of artisanal, small and industrial scale mining operations in Madagascar. 22 participants were interviewed to get their perception on Madagascar’s level of achievement of the UN SGDs, and the contribution of mining companies towards this and their livelihood. while mining companies are somewhat engaged, and to some extent, committed in CSR, and showing interest in developing the local communities where they operate, the government of Madagascar is lagging behind with the implementation of appropriate social protection systems to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030. 2 It is envisaged that this research would contribute to the scientific and societal discourse on mining and CSR, particular with regards to the contribution of mining companies to the economy of developing and emerging countries towards achieving the UN Agenda 2030
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    Sustainable business model innovation and ESG performance in the South African mining industry
    (University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Nhlanhla, Khulekani; Mzyece, Mjumo
    The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance on sustainable business model innovation in the South African mining industry. The study is conducted with the aim to understand which of the ESG factors are most influential in driving sustainable business model innovation and how they either support or hinder innovation. Due to its extractive nature, and natural resources and reserves mostly being located in countries of the global south (emerging economies) like South Africa, the mining industry has been known to have high impacts on the environment and society (Krause & Drusche, 2021). The industry therefore has a profound role to play in sustainable development and addressing social and environmental challenges (Krause & Drusche, 2021). The nature and direction of the relationship between ESG and sustainable business models has been researched to a certain extent in industries like finance, but the studies are skewed towards regions such as Europe and generalised to other regions like Africa. In a study by Spoz et al., (2021), the authors claim that the study analysed the results from an international context (Asia, America, Africa, and Europe), but only make mention of Europe and Asia, with an emphasis on Europe in their study. Of the three ESG factors (environment, social and corporate governance), the study showed that there’s a moderately strong relationship for a positive impact between social factors and sustainable business models (SBMs) in Europe (Spoz et al., 2021). In a similar study conducted by Ritala et al., (2018) on United States companies listed in the S&P (Standard and Poor’s) 500 index, the researchers found that a significant number of firms adopted environmentally oriented sustainable business models (SMB) more frequently than those oriented toward society. Available literature does not sufficiently make a link between environmental, social and governance performance and sustainable business model innovation applied in the mining industries of emerging economies like South Africa. Neglecting the link ii between ESG performance and sustainable business model innovation in regions like South Africa and its mining industry poses risks of environment degradation, regulatory setbacks, and missed economic opportunities (Quayson, et al., 2023). This research has examined how ESG performance supports or thwarts sustainable business model innovation in the South African mining industry. Through the collection of data using two approaches, semi-structured interviews, and the examination of publicly available company documentation such annual ESG and sustainability reports, this study found that in the South African mining industry, the governance factor was most influential in decisions regarding innovation and sustainable business model innovation. Within the governance factor, elements such as policy and regulation stood out as elements that drove the governance factor. This came from inefficiencies caused by uncertainty in regulation and policy which in turn cause delays in issuing of licenses and permits for innovations or innovative projects needed by the mining industry. Sustainable development and business model innovation require a systematic approach emphasizing an equal level of importance on all the three factors: social, environmental, and governance within the ESG framework. Active adaptive management can be used to implement proactive monitoring, experimentation, and iterative implementation of actions in pursuit of improved ESG performance that has a positive impact on sustainable business model innovation.
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    Transforming natural resource dimensions of the armed conflict in the Central African Republic
    (2021) Mhlanga, Vonani Aretha
    The transformation of contemporary conflicts poses challenges owing to the complexities of the natural resource dimensions of armed conflict. Yet, it presents opportunities for addressing the root causes of protracted conflicts. This study explores how the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) has sought to address natural resource dimensions of the armed conflict in the country and, based on lessons arising, determine the possibilities of conflict transformation. Drawing from the conflict transformation concept, an analytical framework highlighting the interaction of three key elements (actors, context and institutions) guides a qualitative analysis on the positions and interests of the various actors around natural resources. How natural resources are regulated and managed in the country is also examined. I find that it would be challenging to have a national consensus to transform the conflict due to the plurality of actors competing over control of natural resources while also forming opportunistic alliances