The use of stakeholder analysis to understand ethical and moral issues in the primary resource sector

The mineral resources sector is critical to Australia's economic and social well-being. Minerals and energy have a value of $30 billion in export revenues, providing 50 percent of Australia's merchandise exports. The industry is characterized by substantial capital investment and very long lead times for project developments and a very competitive international market. The future direction and location of the industry is inextricably linked to long term exploration activities. The industry is faced with a far more complex set of environments than most. The paper identifies the range of complex issues and the wide variety of players using a stakeholder analysis. By monitoring such interactions, and knowing the objective set of the parties, a guide could be established to define moral and ethical frameworks for each interaction.Frederick Frost is an Associate Professor, Curtin Business School. He has the degrees of Bachelor and Master in Metallurgical Engineering, and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and MBA.