The State of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A Framework to Promote Community Gains from Mines in North-Western Province of Zambia

The study explores the current state of CSR exhibited by mining firms in North-Western province of Zambia. An argument is made that mining firms are not doing enough for the province through their CSR programs. The study uses content analysis to examine sustainability reports of two leading mining firms in the North-Western province of Zambia namely, Barrick Gold Corporation (BGC) and First Quantum Minerals Limited (FQML). Thereafter, the study engages various stakeholders through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), interviews and a survey questionnaire to probe deeper the results of the content analysis and corroborate the evidence obtained from the mining firms. The study employs statistical methods and thematic analysis to analyze the primary data collected from the respondents. The study results indicate that the current state of CSR exhibited by the mining firms neither meets the expectations of the people in the province nor promotes gains in the host communities. CSR programs are only used to maintain the social license of the mining firms and to legitimize their existence in pursuit of maximizing profitability of the firms. The study contributes to the CSR literature by developing a framework that promotes community gains from CSR discharged by mining firms. The study results may also help the mining industry regulators to formulate future social and environmental responsibility indicators that may encourage mining companies to disclose more useful information to enhance the “quality” of disclosures in the mining industry. The two-stage data collection and analysis methods of content analysis and thematic analysis, together, add qualitative depth to our analysis which may help relevant stakeholders to improve their understanding of CSR practices in the mining industry.