Indigenous Human Resource Practices in Australian Mining Companies: Towards an Ethical Model

Mining companies in Australia are increasingly required to interact with Indigenous groups as stakeholders following Native Title legislation in the early 1990s. A study of five mining companies in Australia reveals that they now undertake a range of programs involving Indigenous communities, to assist with access to land, and to enhance their public profile. However, most of these initiatives emanate from carefully quarantined sections of mining companies. Drawing upon cross-cultural and diversity research in particular, this paper contends that only initiatives that strive towards power sharing with Indigenous groups and strategies for broadening the organizational interface with Indigenous groups, will contribute to more ethical practices in mining and other companies.     

Multinational Corporations and Local Communities: A Critical Analysis of Conflict

As conflict between multinational corporations and local communities escalates, scholars, executives, activists, and community leaders are calling for companies to become more accountable for the impact of their activities on external stakeholders. In order for business to do so, managers must first understand the causes of conflict with local communities, and communities must understand what courses of action are available to challenge activities they deem harmful to their interests. In this article, I present a framework for examining the factors that contribute to multinational and community conflict including stakeholder power inequality, stakeholder perception gaps and cultural context. Moreover, I describe some of the ways that communities can increase their leverage in conflict situations.     

That Which Doesn’t Break Us: Identity Work by Local Indigenous ‘Stakeholders’

This article describes a case study on the Machiguenga, a remote Indigenous tribe affected by the Camisea Gas Project in the Peru. We introduce the anthropological concept of ‘glocalization’ and integrate this with organizational knowledge of ‘identity work’. Our findings demonstrate that identity work is a multi-faceted and boundary spanning process that significantly affects stakeholder relations and contributes to conflict between local communities and oil and gas companies. Indigenous identity can be both threatened and strengthened in response to natural gas development and is related to how individuals, communities and the Machiguenga (as a collective) engage in identity work. We also discuss broader implications for management ethics, including a discussion of how Indigenous self-identify processes create a challenge for stakeholder theory.     

Cannot Manage without The ‚Significant Other’: Mining,Corporate Social Responsibility and Local Communities in Papua New Guinea

The increasing pressure from different facets of society exerted on multinational companies (MNCs) to become more philanthropic and claim ownership of their impacts is now becoming a standard practice. Although research in corporate social responsibility (CSR) has arguably been recent (see subsequent section), the application of activities taking a voluntary form from MNCs seem to vary reflecting a plethora of factors, particularly one obvious being the backwater local communities of developing countries where most of the natural extraction projects are located. This chapter examines views of two Papua New Guinea (PNG) local communities hosting large-scale mining operations and explains the demands arising from situational relativities, which are becoming too conspicuous for mine developers not to ignore. The research undertaken with several assertions highlights the perceived imperativeness allowing companies to integrate the CSR into the essential management pursuits of running mines in PNG. The author is grateful to the University of Western Sydney and the Oceania Development Network for seed grants which facilitated the fieldwork for this paper. On the same token, two field assistants and a colleague who aided with the statistical analysis of this work are also acknowledged. However, any failings of the paper remain the responsibility of the author.     

跨国公司在华经营策略分析——百安居并购、欧倍德退出案例对比研究

本文以欧倍德从中国市场退出以及百安居的相对成功为例，分析跨国公司在华经营策略，从而说明如果不根据当地市场需求适时地调整战略决策，即使拥有较高的资本优势和优秀的管理经验也不免经营失败。跨国公司在处理母公司管理模式转移与海外子公司经营管理创新的关系时，应注重东道国的市场环境，选择合适的经营方式，及时地转换经营策略，积极进行管理创新。     

Multinational mining companies,employment and knowledge transfer: Chile and Norway from ca. 1870 to 1940

Abstract

This article compares employment at multinational mining companies in Chile and Norway from ca. 1870 to 1940. I find that multinationals in Chile recruited foreigners to managing and middle-management positions, while Norwegian workers were heavily involved in management of multinationals in Norway. The exclusion of Chileans encouraged enclave tendencies and prevented knowledge transfer, while strong networks were created between multinationals and the local industry in Norway through job switching. Evidence suggests that local workers were employed if they were qualified and that discrepancies in institutions stimulating capacity building in the two countries largely explain the different employment patterns.     

跨国公司服务外包的解决机制研究

跨国公司专注于核心业务而将非核心业务外包,已成为一种普遍的战略选择。外包可以降低交易成本,增强企业核心竞争力,优化企业价值链。但跨国公司需要建立起有效的解决机制,才能保证外包目的的实现。作为服务外包的发包方和主要承包方,跨国公司通过管理手段、政策措施等建立起有效的服务外包发包、承包解决机制。     

Indigenous Peoples,Resource Extraction and Sustainable Development: An Ethical Approach

Resource extraction companies worldwide are involved with Indigenous peoples. Historically these interactions have been antagonistic, yet there is a growing public expectation for improved ethical performance of resource industries to engage with Indigenous peoples. (Crawley and Sinclair, Journal of Business Ethics 45, 361–373 (2003)) proposed an ethical model for human resource practices with Indigenous peoples in Australian mining companies. This paper expands on this work by re-framing the discussion within the context of sustainable development, extending it to Canada, and generalizing to other resource industries. We argue that it is unethical to sacrifice the viability of Indigenous cultures for industrial resource extraction; it is ethical to engage with indigenous peoples in a manner consistent with their wishes and needs as they perceive them. We apply these ideas to a case study in the coastal temperate rainforest of Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, Canada. In this case a scientific panel comprised of Nuu-Chah-Nulth elders, forest scientists and management professionals, achieved full consensus on developing sustainable forest practice standards by drawing equally on Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and Western science in the context of one of the most heated and protracted environmental conflicts in Canadian history. The resulting sustainable forest practice standards were later adopted by leading forestry firms operating on the coast. Our analysis of this scientific panels success provides the basis for advancing an ethical approach to sustainable development with Indigenous peoples. This ethical approach is applicable to companies working in natural resource industries where the territories of Indigenous peoples are involved.David Lertzman Ph.D. is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainable Development and Senior Associate with the TransCanada International Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability Studies at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. He teaches courses on Sustainable Development With Indigenous Peoples at the Graduate and Undergraduate levels, and in the MSc Program in Sustainable Energy Development for Latin America and the Caribbean. Dr. Lertzman also teaches a Wilderness Retreat on Leadership for Sustainable Development in the MBA program. He is a private consultant and has worked in many Indigenous communities, mostly in Western Canada.Harrie Vredenburg Ph.D. is Professor and Suncor Energy Chair in Competitive Strategy and Sustainable Development at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary where he is also Director of the TransCanada International Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability Studies. He teaches in Haskaynes MBA and PhD programs. He is also Academic Chair of the MSc program in Sustainable Energy Development for Latin America and the Caribbean offered by the Haskayne School of Business at the Quito Ecuador campus of regional partner, the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE). He regularly teaches in the Latin American program.     

Mining, Displacement and the World Bank: A Case Analysis of Compania Minera Antamina's Operations in Peru

The transformation in the structure of the world mining industry over the last decade has opened up enormous new regions for mineral exploration and development by transnational mining companies in countries in the South. This new access has inevitably brought mining companies into conflict with local communities. With the involvement of transnational advocacy networks and new global publics, these conflicts have prompted a growing transnational debate on the principles that ought to govern mining and community relationships. One effort to provide guidance on this question comes from the World Bank's Operational Directive 4.30 on Involuntary Resettlement. This paper examines the regulatory impact of this policy upon relationships between mining companies and communities, as well as its "legitimation effect" in providing standards which, once met, can serve to certify a degree of responsible behaviour on the part of the company. The analysis of the effects of the directive is taken up in the form a case study involving a transnational mining company operating in the Andes of Peru and the local communities impacted by its land acquisition project.     

Environmental Costs and Responsibilities Resulting from Oil Exploitation in Developing Countries: The Case of the Niger Delta of Nigeria

Interest shown on the environmental impact of operations of multinational enterprises in developing countries has grown significantly recently, and has fuelled a heated public policy debate. In particular, there has been interest in the environmental degradation of host communities and nations resulting from the operations of multinational oil companies in developing countries. This article examines the issue of environmental costs and responsibilities resulting from oil exploitation and production in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The case study is based, in part, upon series of interviews with key stakeholders in the Nigerian oil industry. The article further examines the implications of the current practice and policies of multinational oil companies with respect to environmental impact of oil exploitation. The study’s findings illustrates that it is becoming increasingly apparent to oil companies that pollution prevention pays while pollution does not and under pressure from stakeholder groups, oil companies now routinely incorporate environmental impact assessments into their corporate strategy.Dr Gabriel Eweje is a lecturer in Management and International Business at College of Business, Massey University, Auckland Campus, New Zealand. Previously, he worked as a Research Fellow at the United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU/IAS), Tokyo, Japan, and taught at Royal Holloway University of London, England. His PhD from University of London focused on Corporate Social Responsibility and Activities of Multinational Oil and Mining companies in Developing Countries. He also worked as a Research Fellow with International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London on a project on how mining and minerals can contribute to sustainable development (MMSD). His research interest lies around the issues of business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability related disciplines.     

Hazardous Employment and Regulatory Regimes in the South African Mining Industry: Arguments for Corporate Ethics at Workplace

This study examines the ethical position and behaviour of multinational mining companies regarding hazardous employment and health and safety of employees in the South African mining industry. Mining companies have long had a reputation for being unethical on health and safety issues. Too often there are occurrences of fatal accidents, which bring the ethical behaviour of multinational mining companies into question. The litmus test for the mining companies is to devise benchmark standards that will reduce accidents tremendously at their place of operations. This study addresses this issue by examining measures and regulations set up to check the occurrences of mining accidents in South Africa. It follows that the remedy needs to be fundamental and thoroughgoing.     

The Marketing of Professional Services

The recognition by professional services firms of the need to become marketing-orientated and apply marketing techniques is of recent origin. Yet their need to identify, anticipate and satisfy client requirements profitably, rather than passively wait for clients to request their services, is overwhelming. The professional services provided by such specialists as accountants, advertising agents, banks, computer consultancies, consulting engineers, and management consultants are highly people intensive. Consequently, there is more room for individual discretion, eccentricity, delay and error. This article argues that professional services companies can systematically plan the marketing of their services so that they can provide value satisfactions that will create and keep their clients and produce profits.     

Corporate Community Involvement and Local Institutions: Two Case Studies From the Mining Industry in Tanzania

Corporate community involvement contributes capital or resources in various forms to a community. However, such involvement may also influence local institutions that determine how well these resources are used, that is, the extent to which they are used to promote the public good rather than being subject to private capture. For community involvement to have a beneficial effect on local development, corporations need to consider their impact on local institutions. Presented in this article are two case studies from Tanzania that illustrate how community involvement activities of two mining firms have resulted in misappropriation of and conflict over corporate community involvement funds. It is argued that corporations need an analytical approach that integrates a differentiated stakeholder approach with institutional theory to contribute to local development in poor communities.     

Missed opportunities? Reaching the ethnic consumer market

Changing population demographics within the UK have become a source of increased interest to marketers as companies have realized the importance of targeting their products and advertising efforts towards minority and ethnic groups. In addition, as the UK’s ethnic minorities grow in both numbers and in terms of prosperity, so does the commercial significance of this market. A clearer understanding of both the nature of changing markets and the relative importance of different minority ethnic groups as consumers is imperative to facilitate both consumer understanding and business development; marketers need to understand better how to target these people, what they have in common with the mainstream and where the differences lie. This paper seeks to describe current understanding of ethnic consumers and their impact on the marketplace while highlighting an area where future research is potentially of considerable benefit.     

Dynamics in foreign markets — A study of strategic control in CEE

Effective coordination is crucial to managing a global network of subsidiaries. Although much has been said on the instruments multinational companies use to control their foreign operations, only very little is known on how they develop over time. An empirical longitudinal analysis of 40 multinationals shows that as subsidiaries mature, control strategies need to be adapted. Consequently, headquarters’ executives need to take into account a dynamic perspective on interactive effects of single control instruments when selecting control strategies during the internationalization process.     

韩国在华企业国际化经营中人力资源管理的实证分析

企业国际化经营中的人力资源管理问题一直是业界管理者讨论的一个热点问题,也是学术界研究的重要课题。跨国公司能否成功地对当地员工进行管理,对其经营成果有着重要的影响。本文以韩国企业在华开展国际化经营中的人力资源管理方面遇到的问题为引子,采用了问卷调查与实际考察相结合的方法,建立了研究模型,提出并验证了假设,最后在理论与实践相结合的基础上揭示了中国员工的劳动价值观及其本质,向在华韩国企业提出了制定和推行有效人力资源管理方案的科学依据及进行跨文化管理的方法。     

跨国公司并购国有资本问题探析

伴随着跨国公司的迅速扩张,跨国并购已成为跨国公司对外直接投资的主要方式。中国加入WTO以及国有企业改革为跨国公司并购国有资本提供了机会。合资企业增资控股式收购、利用股票市场收购和跨国公司与国有企业合资组成“壳”公司,“壳”公司再反收购是跨国公司并购国有资本三大策略。分析并购过程中存在的主要问题,促进跨国公司并购国有资本并实现双赢的局面,政府应加快立法工作,并制定相应法律、法规,防止国有资产流失和垄断的产生。     

Human resource management in multinational and domestic enterprises: A comparative institutional analysis in Southeast Asia

This article looks at the relative impact of context on the role of senior managers. It compares HR directors of domestic enterprises (DEs) with those of multinational enterprises (MNEs), within an emerging market setting, based on a survey of HR directors in Brunei. We found that, with the exception of some aspects of selection and recruitment, HR directors of MNEs accorded a higher priority to strategic tasks but were more reluctant to delegate. This study confirms the importance of MNEs in pioneering more modern and integrated approaches to people management but also demonstrates the limitations to the extent where they might act as evangelists of new practices that are adopted by their local peers. In contrast, local firms were more likely to concentrate their attention on administrative, rather than strategic, issues. We draw out the implications of our findings for theory and practice.     

Mining, Corporate Social Responsibility and the "Community": The Case of Rio Tinto, Richards Bay Minerals and the Mbonambi

Mining companies have long had a questionable reputation for social responsibility, especially in developing countries. In recent years, mining companies operating in developing countries have come under increased pressure as opponents have placed them under greater public scrutiny. Mining companies have responded by developing global corporate social responsibility strategies as part of their larger global business strategies. In these strategies, a prominent place is given to their relationship with local communities. For business ethics, one basic issue is whether such an approach to corporate responsibility is likely to effectively address the development concerns of local communities in developing countries. This paper addresses this question by investigating how the corporate social responsibility agenda of a major minor company has been implemented by one of its subsidiaries in South Africa.