Corporate social responsibility, partnerships, and institutional change The case of mining companies in South Africa英文文献.pdfVIP

278 Ralph Hamann / Natural Resources Forum 28 (2004) 278–290 Natural Resources Forum 28 (2004) 278–290 Corporate social responsibility, partnerships, and institutional change: The case of mining companies in South Africa Ralph Hamann Abstract Internationally and in South Africa, mining companies are increasingly referring to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and partnerships in terms of the business case, or the expectation that being responsible and collaborating with stakeholders is good for profits. Based on a case study of platinum and chrome mining in South Africa, this article argues that the business case is circumscribed by companies’ institutional context. In the past, mining companies’ dominant interpretation of CSR has been in terms of charitable donations and support to good causes. These efforts have not alleviated the contribution of mining companies to growing social problems around the mines, primarily because they have not impacted on core business practices and have not contributed to necessary cross-sectoral collaboration. Recently, however, there has been an important transition involving the broadening of the interpretation of CSR and increasing commitment to these issues amongst corporate leadership. Though market-based incentives have contributed to this, the key driver has been the State’s legislated transformation programme premised on State sovereignty over mineral resources. Hence, while the interrelationship between companies and their institutional context has, in the past, brought about a vicious cycle of irresponsibility and minimal collaboration, this cycle may be reversed