Multinational mining corporations and corporate social responsibility: The case of Anglogold Ashanti in Ghana and South Africa
Date
2014-08-01
Authors
Shadung, Mothepa Evelyn
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Abstract
“Corporate social responsibility”, an unremittingly contested concept since its inception, has
attracted global interest in a progressively integrated world economy. The aim of this study is
to explore and critique recent claims of a move towards corporate social responsibility (CSR)
initiatives by multinational mining corporations (MNMCs). Today, MNMCs are expected to
promote and practice CSR for the socio-economic consequences of their activities in host
countries. The study will also investigate how (if at all) host-country political and regulatory
environments affect CSR initiatives undertaken by MNMCs. Previously, mineral developers
merely insured full compliance with host-country environmental regulations. However, there
is a growing recognition that full legal compliance is insufficient in meeting society’s
demands with regards to mining issues. Thus, mineral developers are increasingly expected to
gain a ‘social license to operate’ (SLO) from local communities in order to avoid potentially
costly conflict and exposure to social risks. In order to achieve the aim of the study, a
comparative-case analysis of the activities of the Anglo-American giant, AngloGold Ashanti
in South Africa and Ghana will be employed. Furthermore, by drawing particular attention to
CSR and SLO, the study will explore how international norms such as CSR evolve, are
appropriated and sometimes operationalized by powerful actors and agents within the
international system.
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Keywords
Corporate Social Responsibility, AngloGold Ashanti, Multinational Mining Corporations, Social Licence to operate