Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2012 | Page 16

BENCH MARKS CENTRE FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY W ithin the Focus Area: Social Transformation at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North West University (NWU), extensive research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development (SD), especially in the mining sector, was done over the last eight years. Since 2007, researchers in this field at the NWU started to collaborate with the Bench Marks Foundation (BMF), an international independent organisation that monitors corporate performance in CSR, with a particular focus on social sustainability and economic empowerment. Through the networks and funding capacity of the Foundation, this CSR research initiative was extended throughout the mining sector of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), amongst others Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi and Zambia. The joint venture eventually lead to the establishing of a brand new research centre for CSR at the Potchefstroom Campus, namely the Bench Marks Centre for CSR; the new centre 14 was formally launched in January 2012. Prof. Freek Cronjé, former head of the Subject Group: Sociology is heading the centre as Director. The establishment of the new centre is an important development for South Africa, which is considered a world leader in mining. With the research generated by the unit, mainly focused on the social dimension of development, mining companies can now up their game when it comes to CSR. Issues that will be looked at within the mining context, which includes adjacent Suzanne Reyneke CORPORATE SOCIAL REVIEW Pieter de Ras mining communities, include: poverty and unemployment, labour issues, health, infra-structure, migration, stakeholder dialogue and engagement, supply chain management as well as the longevity of natural resources. “We have a diverse province and region [SADC] in which mining activities in particular figure quite extensively”, says Prof Cronjé. “Thousands of employees are involved and we must make sure that the wellbeing of these communities is looked after.” Prof. Freek Cronjé