Authors: Dimitris Fragkoulis, Maria Koemtzi
Title: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Greek mining companies
Abstract
Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the diffusion of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the degree of implementation of CSR practices among the Greek Mining and Quarrying Companies. Mining and Quarrying industry’s activities affect both the national and, more importantly, the local economy and they usually have a negative environmental impact on the area surrounding their operations. By definition the mining business cannot be global but it must operate where resources are located and due to the long-term nature of their activities, the mining companies may develop strong interactions with local workers, unions or government. CSR within the mining industry means to gain a balance among the community requirements, the imperative to protect the environment and the need to be profitable and by applying the CSR principles, a mining company enhances its ability to manage its activities in a sustainable way. The purpose of this paper is to portray the degree of CSR awareness of the Greek mining companies in order to assess the application of CSR practices within the Greek mining sector and also to quantify the implementation of CSR principles of quality-oriented organizations.
Methodology/ Approach: A research study was conducted through a structured questionnaire among the ISO 9001 certified Greek Mining and Quarrying Companies. The selection of the ISO certified companies was made so as to ensure that respondents were aware of quality-related principles which form the appropriate background for the adoption of the CSR principles. The questionnaire includes questions which investigate the company’s ethics and administration, the approach to environmental issues, the relationship with the society, and also health and safety concerns. Completed questionnaires were collected and statistically analyzed and the results were compared with the results of similar surveys.
Findings: CSR appears to be very important for large companies which are able to allocate resources for the required CSR actions. The data indicate that SMEs are trying to hold on to their spending and are not interested in CSR as much as they should. Results show that most of the financial resources available for CSR actions are related to the environment and that respondents expect that through CSR actions they gain better relationships with the local community and the general business environment, they achieve improved employee performance, and they attract and maintain high-potential employees. Participants in the research consider bureaucracy, lack of knoweldge, the small size of business and the implementation costs as the main inhibitors for the achievement of the CSR principles.
Research limitations/ Future research suggestions: The research of this work was limited to the Greek mining companies that are certified according to ISO 9001. Future research could be conducted on the CSR awareness of the non-certified companies as well. Also, comparative studies between certified and non-certified companies could be carried out in order to have a clear view of the impact of quality culture on CSR activities. Finally, at the time of the research none of the participating companies was certified according to ISO 26000. A longitudinal study regarding CSR in the Greek mining industry may reveal a growth of ISO 26000 certifications with consequent changes in CSR awareness.
Practical implementation: This work demonstrates the degree of application of the principles of CSR by certified Mining and Quarry enterprises in Greece, while highlighting the importance of penetrating the concept of CSR in the industry. The study may help managers of the mining companies to focus on specific CSR elements when they decide to follow CSR principles.
Originality/ Value: Adopting a CSR attitude can bring benefits to the business, the environment, the employees and the society. The implementation of the CSR principles in the mining industry has attracted considerable attention in the CSR literature and this study is an attempt to assess the concept and the benefits of CSR within Greek mining sector.
