Community involvement and development in Swedish mining

Abstract

Community involvement and development is a major component of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It can be achieved through philanthropy, as well as development projects and social investments. The mining industry is at the cutting edge when it comes to CSR. However, research in this area has largely focused on the strategic level and corporate intentions, rather than practical implementation, and mostly from a non-European and community-focused perspective. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to reflect critically on why and how a Swedish mining company and their representatives are committed to community involvement and development and how this can be furthered. A case study method was selected, with data being collected via interviews and documentation. The results show that the mining industry needs to develop an improved understanding of the community’s expectations and allow citizens to become more involved in decision-making processes. The use of objectives and key performance indicators to monitor and continuously improve these efforts is of great importance, for example by evaluating donations and sponsorships. Community involvement and development can be improved by paying attention to research on the social licence to operate and by adopting a more proactive approach.