From Avoidance to Mitigation: Engaged Communication to Identify and Mitigate Mining Impacts on Communities by Jodi Hackett © A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in INTERNATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION We accept the thesis as conforming to the required standard ________________________________________July 8th, 2013 Lite Nartey, Thesis Supervisor Assistant Professor, School Director Darla Moore School of Business University of South Carolina _________________________________________July 9th, 2013 Jennifer Walinga, Internal Committee Member Associate Professor School of Communication & Culture Royal Roads University ________________________________________July 10th, 2013 Wendy Quarry, External Committee Member Associate Faculty School of Communication & Culture Royal Roads University _________________________________________July 9th, 2013 Phillip Vannini, Thesis Coordinator Professor and Canada Research Chair School of Communication & Culture Royal Roads University ii FROM AVOIDANCE TO MITIGATION Copyright 2013 © Jodi Hackett This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no parts of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author iii FROM AVOIDANCE TO MITIGATION Acknowledgement First and foremost, I would like to thank Martin Jones for introducing me to my amazing advisor, Lite Nartey. The opportunity to work under the guidance of Lite has been an honor and a saving grace. Thank you Lite for your patience, guidance, understanding, laughter, and your approachability. It goes without saying I would not be in the position I am today had I not had the honor of working with you. I would also like to thank my committee members, Jennifer Walinga and Wendy Quarry for their expertise and contribution to this thesis. Many thanks go to Sama Nickel for graciously opening their doors and taking excellent care of me in Côte d’Ivoire. Sama Nickel is dedicated to continuous improvements to responsible mining, apparent by welcoming me with open arms in Côte d’Ivoire to examine their operations. Thank you to Steve Vaughan for being a most insightful and engaging mentor and friend throughout my ongoing journey. Your years of knowledge and dedication have inspired me and your guidance has helped me get to where I am today. Thank you for your continued support and for the time you have dedicated to our discussions over great glasses of wine around the world. Special thanks to Rupert for his understanding and mental support and providing me with the flexibility to achieve my goal. Final thanks go to my sisters, Kelli and Mindi, for their continued support, love, and dedication. You have always been there when I have needed you, and for that, I will always be eternally grateful. To my wonderful friends, Nayo, Bec, Stacey, Jess, Angie, and Tim, who have listened to me throughout this process and encouraged me always, thank you. iv FROM AVOIDANCE TO MITIGATION Dad, In the beginning, you never quite understood my desire to travel to unknown places around the world, where things were different, poverty was an everyday occurrence, and I was so far from home, but, when that day came, and you embraced my passion, I felt as though my wings grew bigger with your understanding and approval. I miss you so much, but I know that wherever you are, you are looking down on me and are so proud of your Little Gypsy Traveler. Love Jo xx v FROM AVOIDANCE TO MITIGATION Abstract Active listening facilitates the identification of impacts and mitigation strategies of Sama Nickel’s mining exploration activities on an Ivorian, West African community. Early awareness of potential negative impacts to avoid, early detection of existing negative impacts to mitigate, or identifying positive impacts to enhance, are all elements of the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility. Development Communication is a field research approach focusing on the first phase of the Multitrack Communication Model, the communication-based assessment, which emphasizes engaging in dialogic communication and active listening. Open-ended interviews conducted over a three-week period identified seven emerging themes: positive impacts, negative impacts, impressions, comprehension, communication, responsibilities, and priorities. Comparing and contrasting collected data resulted in the identification of a) impacts to be addressed by Sama Nickel, b) suggestions from stakeholders to improve community-company relations, and c) how communication-based assessment facilitates the identification of impacts and mitigation strategies. It is suggested that Sama Nickel consider implementing the adapted Multitrack Communication Model for the global natural resources sector to facilitate the continued identification of issues in communities. It is recommended further research be completed on the economic gains and benefits of adopting an engaged, inclusive multitrack communications approach to Corporate Social Responsibility. Keywords: mining, Corporate Social Responsibility, mitigate, Development Communication, Participatory Action Research, impacts, Multitrack Communication Model, West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, community, stakeholder vi FROM AVOIDANCE TO MITIGATION Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT........................................................................................ III ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................V LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. IX LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................X LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS..................................................................................... XI LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................XII INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 7 METHOD ..............................................................................................................13 Participants................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Apparatus and Materials........................................................................................................................................... 14 Procedure .................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Summary of Data Collection ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................................................. 26 FINDINGS............................................................................................................ 27 Positive Impacts.......................................................................................................................................................... 28 Negative Impacts ........................................................................................................................................................ 29 Impressions ................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Comprehension........................................................................................................................................................... 31 vii FROM AVOIDANCE TO MITIGATION Communication .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Responsibilities ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 Priorities...................................................................................................................................................................... 36 DISCUSSION........................................................................................................ 36 ADAPTED MULTITRACK COMMUNICATION MODEL FOR THE NATURAL RESOURCES SECTOR .......................................................................................... 37 Stage 1. Communication-based assessment. (Re)identify/(re)analyze/(re)refine… ............................................. 39 Stage 2. Strategy Design for Engaged Communication. Decide and design… ..................................................... 40 Stage 3. Implementation. Do it….............................................................................................................................. 41 Stage 4. Evaluation. Did we do what we wanted to do?.......................................................................................... 41 Stage 5. Compare. (What next?)............................................................................................................................... 42 NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................