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Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study
Thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master for Philosophy in Community and Development at the University of Stellenbosch
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
2010
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| _version_ | 1867614128461316096 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Marais, Anel |
| author2 | Bekker, S. B. |
| author_browse | Bekker, S. B. Marais, Anel |
| author_facet | Bekker, S. B. Marais, Anel |
| author_sort | Marais, Anel |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | University of Stellenbosch |
| description | Thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master for
Philosophy in Community and Development at the University of Stellenbosch |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4214 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:07.138Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publishDateRange | 2010 |
| publishDateSort | 2010 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4214 Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study Marais, Anel Bekker, S. B. University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Corporate social responsibility -- South Africa Anglo American Dissertations -- Sociology Theses -- Sociology Theses -- Community and development Dissertations -- Community and development Mining -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Sociology and Social Anthropology Thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master for Philosophy in Community and Development at the University of Stellenbosch Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mining industries significantly influence the societies within which they operate. They have been responsible for causing a wide range of negative environmental and social impacts at local, regional and global levels. Disruption of river flows, degradation of land and forest resources, negative impacts on the livelihoods of local communities near mines and disturbance of traditional lifestyles of indigenous people are some examples. Historically, the mining industry has taken a ‘devil may care’ attitude toward the impacts of its operations, inter alia by operating in areas without social legitimacy, by causing local devastation, and by leaving when an area has been exhausted of its economically valuable resources. Cost benefit language has often been used to justify damage caused in one place by arguing that it is outweighed by overall financial benefits. In recent years however the global mining industry has started to address its social and environmental responsibilities, visible in current debates about social and environmental sustainability. As a result, various mining companies have launched corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes that tend to focus on local community initiatives as their impact in economic, social and environmental terms, they believe, is felt most at local level. Yet the question remains, can CSR on its own make a substantial contribution to local sustainable community development? The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) defined CSR as “…the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large...” (WBCSD, 2003). Despite this clear definition, there is still great diversity within the mining sector in perceptions of what CSR constitutes and what its key tenets should be. Without a consistent definition or understanding of CSR and sustainable community development, planned efforts and programmes will do little to contribute to the overall improvement and well-being of the intended beneficiaries. The research focuses on defining sustainable community development and how it relates CSR. It identifies three characteristics of sustainable community development and uses these to assess the CSR programmes of Anglo American Plc, as case study company, to determine whether the company’s programmes have the potential to contribute to the sustainability of the communities associated with its operations. The research results in three main conclusions drawn from the case study – in a phrase that CSR is able under certain conditions to contribute positively to community sustainability. The conclusion also offers a few suggestions regarding ways companies can increase the contribution their CSR programmes make to local sustainable development. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mynbou industrieë het ‘n definitiewe en sigbare impak op die gemeenskappe waar mynbou aktiwiteite bedryf word. Hierdie industieë is verantwoordelik vir ’n groot hoeveelheid negatiewe omgewings- en sosiale impakte op plaaslike, distriks en provinsiale vlak. Die versteuring van tradisionele lewenswyses van inheemse bevolkingsgroepe, natuurlike vloei van riviere, grond en water besoedeling, asook tradisionele bestaans praktyke is almal areas wat negatief deur mynbou industrieë beïvloed is. Die mynbou industrie het deur die geskiedenis nie baie aandag gegee aan die negatiewe impakte wat mynbou aktiwiteite op gemeenskappe het nie. Die positiewe ekonomiese impak is afgespeel en as belangriker en van meer waarde beskou, as die negatiewe sosiale en omgewingsimpakte wat dit veroorsaak. Dit is maar onlangs dat die mynbou industrie begin het om die negatiewe impakte wat mynbou aktiwiteite op gemeenskappe en die omgewing het aan te spreek. Dit is ook ’n onderwerp wat meer prominent geraak het in huidige internasionale debatte rakende volhoubare ontwikkeling en die impak wat mynbou op die volhoubaarheid van die omgewing en sy mense het. Verskeie mynbou maatskappye het korporatiewe sosiale investerings (KSI) programme in plaaslike gemeenskappe begin om as mitigerende aksie vir die negatiewe impakte dien. Die vraag is egter of hierdie programme enigsins sal kan bydrae to die langtermyn volhoubare ontwikkeling in hierdie geaffekteerde gemeenskappe? Die Wêreld Besigheids Forum vir Volhoubare Ontwikkeling beskryf KSI as die voortgesette onderneming deur die besigheidsektor om te alle tye besigheidaktiwiteite op ’n etiese wyse te bedryf om ‘n daadwerklike bydrae tot die ekonomie te lewer en daar deur nie net ’n positiewe impak te hê op die lewens kwaliteit van hul werknemers nie, maar ook die van die plaaslike en ander gemeenskappe. Alhoewel die definisie baie eenvoudig en self-verduidelikend is, is daar nog baie verskillende interpretasies binne die mynbou industrie oor wat presies korporatiewe sosiale investering is en wat die kern aktiwiteite binne die veld moet wees. Sonder ’n konstante definisie en die eenvormige interpretasie daarvan, wat ook die begrip volhoubare gemeenskapsonwikkeling (VGO) insluit, sal initiatiewe en programme wat ten doel het om die lewenskwaliteit van geïdentifiseerde begunstigdes te verbeter, weinig effek hê. Die navorsing fokus op daarop om VGO beter te definieer, asook die verwantskap daarvan met KSI. Dit identifiseer drie kern eienskappe van VGO en gebruik dit as basis om die KSI programme van Anglo American Plc, as gevalle studie maatskappy, te evalueer om te bepaal of die betrokke programme wel ’n bydrae lewer to VGO in die gemeeskappe in en om die maatskappy se myne wat deur die mynbou aktiwiteite beïnvloed word. Die navorsing lewer drie kern gevolgtrekkings vanuit die gevalle studie – KSI onder seker omstandighede kan wel ’n positiewe bydra lewer tot VGO. Die gevolgtrekking word verder toegelig met ’n paar aanbevelings aan maatskappy rakende moontlike aksies om die impak van KSI programme op VGO te vergroot. Masters 2010-02-23T14:03:56Z 2010-08-13T15:00:14Z 2010-02-23T14:03:56Z 2010-08-13T15:00:14Z 2010-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/4214 en University of Stellenbosch 116 p. application/pdf Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| spellingShingle | Corporate social responsibility -- South Africa Anglo American Dissertations -- Sociology Theses -- Sociology Theses -- Community and development Dissertations -- Community and development Mining -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Sociology and Social Anthropology Marais, Anel Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study |
| title | Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study |
| title_full | Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study |
| title_fullStr | Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study |
| title_short | Assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development : Anglo American PLC programmes as case study |
| title_sort | assessing corporate social responsibility in terms of its impact on sustainable community development anglo american plc programmes as case study |
| topic | Corporate social responsibility -- South Africa Anglo American Dissertations -- Sociology Theses -- Sociology Theses -- Community and development Dissertations -- Community and development Mining -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Sociology and Social Anthropology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/4214 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maraisanel assessingcorporatesocialresponsibilityintermsofitsimpactonsustainablecommunitydevelopmentangloamericanplcprogrammesascasestudy |