The doctoral dissertation by FM Adrian Braun, entitled “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Barents region – A Situational Analysis of Metal Mining” will be publicly examined online at the University of Eastern Finland on 24.3.2020 at 12. Braun is the visiting researchers of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland.

Public examination of a doctoral dissertation in the
field of environmental policy.
Doctoral
candidate: MA Adrian Braun
Date and
venue: 24.3.2020 at 12 noon, Online examination through
Lifesize-video conference system: open the link: https://call.lifesizecloud.com/extension/542417
(Please, keep your microphone silent during the examination).
Language of the dissertation and the public examination:
English

Metal mining is currently under way
in several Barents region areas and is being highly promoted by governments in all
Barents region member states: Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Mining creates
local and regional wealth, and is thus linked to economic and societal development,
but it is also a subject of controversy among the different social groups in the
European Arctic. The industry is accountable for numerous ecological and social
impacts in an overall vulnerable Arctic ecosystem and local communities. Thus, the
Barents region mining industry faces substantial sustainability challenges. The
question arises, of how to address the thematic area of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), meaning which social and ecological responsibilities mining
companies should take care of.

In his dissertation,
doctoral student of environmental policy MA Adrian Braun has scrutinised diverse
elements, understandings and practices of CSR among the metal mining industry and
its stakeholders in the Barents region. The research includes case studies from
Finland, Norway, Sweden and the northwest of Russia. The analysis of CSR in mining
revealed a magnitude of stakeholder groups with very different viewpoints and their
own motives to push CSR in the mining discourse in certain directions. Many consider
ecological and societal aspects in the larger framework of sustainable development
more crucial than the direct economic and employment impacts. The pressure that
stakeholders may put on the industry is one of the major driving forces leading to
the effect that mining companies have put CSR policies and strategies on their
agendas to a greater extent.

The study shows how industry
could gain advantages in monetary and non-monetary terms, by implementing CSR
activities. The utilization of sustainability standards and frameworks provide
useful indicators and metrics that can be applied to improve CSR performances by
gaining efficiencies throughout the mine life-cycle. However, two shortcomings are
evident as well for the eight mining case companies, as for the entire industry
operating in the Northern Europe. First, the myriad of available standards with
largely overlapping content could lead to confusion inside the CSR management of a
company. Furthermore, different standards have very different orientations, such as,
policy building, reporting guidelines or auditing frameworks. Companies do not
always provide information according to the orientation of a standard and may lose
track in finding the best possible standard for their specific operations.

The doctoral dissertation of FM Adrian Braun, entitled Corporate
Social Responsibility in the Barents region – A Situational Analysis of Metal Mining
will be publicly examined online at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business
Studies on March 24, 2020 at 12:00 o´clock via Lifesize-video conference system. The
opponent in the public examination will be Professor Tapio Litmanen, University of
Jyväskylä, and the custos will be Professor Rauno Sairinen, University of Eastern
Finland.

Doctoral Dissertation: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Barents Region :
A Situational Analysis of Metal Mining

More information:

Adrian
Braun
040 484 4183, adrian.braun(at)ulapland.fi