Evaluating the impact of corporate social responsibility on financial performance, productivity, and critical success factors in the European mining industry
(English) Responsible and ethical business practices have gained prominence, particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Over four decades, CSR disclosure evolved significantly, increasingly appearing in dedicated reports. Each economic sector has established distinct CSR practices a...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/445565 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/445565 https://dx.doi.org/10.5821/dissertation-2117-445565 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Mining Corporate Social Responsibility Mining Economics Managerial Economics Sustainability Strategic Management Project Management 622 - Mineria 65 - Gestió i organització. Administració i direcció d'empreses. Publicitat. Relacions públiques. Mitjans de comunicació de masses Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Economia i organització d'empreses |
| Sumario: | (English) Responsible and ethical business practices have gained prominence, particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Over four decades, CSR disclosure evolved significantly, increasingly appearing in dedicated reports. Each economic sector has established distinct CSR practices and standards, including the mining industry. In Europe, CSR is largely voluntary for SMEs, while larger firms follow internationally recognized guidelines. Despite its modest scale, European mining is essential to achieving sustainability and transitioning to a circular economy, yet SMEs hesitate in adopting CSR due to unclear financial implications. This thesis investigates CSR's impact on economic growth and management within the European mining sector, specifically examining macroeconomic and microeconomic indicators, financial performance, and decision-making. Data from 45 publicly listed European mining companies from 2018 to 2021 was analyzed using content analysis and fixed-effects panel regression models. Financial indicators studied include Return on Asset (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Net Profit Margin (NPM), Tobin’s Q, and labor productivity, alongside CSR ratings from CSRHub. Results revealed a consistently positive relationship between CSR performance and financial indicators, and partially positive effects on labor productivity. Furthermore, the relationship between CSR and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) was studied using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and panel regression analysis on data from 40 mining firms and the World Bank. Findings indicated that CSR initiatives positively influence TFP, with transparency, training, health and safety, and resource management identified as significant contributing factors. Finally, the research identified Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for successful CSR implementation using fuzzy Delphi and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methodologies. An expert panel refined 16 initial factors down to 12, identifying biodiversity conservation, waste management, and energy efficiency as the most critical success factors strongly interconnected with other CSR elements. This comprehensive study underscores the value of CSR in enhancing financial and economic performance in the European mining industry and provides a clear framework for effective CSR implementation. |
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