The industrial ethic, corporate refusal and the demise of the social function in mining

Abstract

Abstract The social function in mining is in a state of decline. Recent changes among the world's major mining companies suggest that corporations are responding to the dual pressure of profit maximization and sustainable development by cutting back on the social function of their business. Our approach draws on two conceptual platforms to describe and analyse the development and the subsequent demise of the “social function” in the global mining industry. This approach captures the various exchanges that occur within and across place defining boundaries of “company” and “community”, and importantly, as a means for explaining the significance of changes to the industry's organizational configurations. We argue that mining companies are places of refusal and resistance. A redirection of organizational flows of capital, information and other resources is required for mining companies to meet the increasing demand for social performance capability, and avoid creating costly legacies for the future.