Abstract:
Mining companies depend on the approval of influential stakeholders in the environments
where they operate, hence the need to demonstrate that they are sustainable. This study
investigated the sustainability communication practices of Newmont Ghana. It specifically
examined how the company is incorporating sustainability communication into its
operations and how the sustainability communication practices of the company meet the
expectations of stakeholders. It also examined the sustainability communication challenges
of the company and proffered measures for improving same. A single case study design was
adopted for this study which allowed the researcher to combine in-depth interviews and
focus group discussions to primary gather data from the purposively sampled staff of
Newmont and opinion leaders of the Akyem communities. The thematic data analysis
technique was used, and it was found out that Newmont incorporates sustainability
communication in its operations. The sustainability communication activities of the
company take the form of community engagement, knowledge sharing, government
relations and the publication of an annual sustainability report. The opinion leaders had
mixed views about the extent to which Newmont meets the sustainability communication
expectations of community members. It was further realized that the company faced a major
challenge of how to develop communication materials that provide diverse stakeholders
with the messages at the right time. The study concludes that there is a need to balance
sustainability communication in a manner that reflects the core business of a company but
also fits into stakeholders‘ expectations. It recommends that Newmont invests more in
community research and engagement to better understand stakeholders‘ interests,
information needs and communication channel preferences.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of Communication and Media Studies, Faculty of
Foreign Languages Education and Communication, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the award of the
degree of Master Of Arts
(Communication And Media Studies [Business Communication])
In the University of Education, Winneba.
JULY, 2020