Understanding the social impacts of tourism is important as it enables tourism managers and developers to manage the impacts toward fostering vital community support for the industry. More so the distinction between the tangible and intangible social impacts can refine tourism management, development and marketing processes. The measurement and management of these impacts are fairly straight forward in developed countries. However in developing countries, such as South Africa, more challenges exist in identifying and managing their impacts to the benefit of a wider community. South Africa has one of the most unequal distributions of income in the world as well as a very high unemployment rate which all complicates the understanding and management of these impacts. All factors taken into account create prevailing socio-political, economic as well as cultural barriers. This translates into community members not necessarily obtaining tangible benefits from the tourism industry such as increased levels of income, job creation and infrastructure development for instance, which is the ideal situation. The social exchange theory explains that these residents might as a result deter their support for the tourism industry. However it is important to determine which types of benefits will lead to increased levels of community support and therefore the following research questions can be formulated: “What are the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism on communities and how strong is the role they play in fostering community support for the tourism industry?” Therefore the primary goal of this thesis was to conduct a critical assessment of the social impacts of tourism on selected communities with reference to the tangible and intangible impacts. This primary goal was reached through the achievement of four objectives. The first objective was a critical analysis of literature pertaining to sociology and how communities perceive tourism from a sociological perspective. The review analysed communities’ roles in tourism, barriers that hinder them from partaking in the industry as well as recommendations that were made to overcome the barriers. The term “social impact” as well as models that explain how and why social impacts take place, were analysed. This objective provided a foundation for the rest of the study in terms of social impacts of tourism on communities. The second objective was to critically analyse the social impacts that originate as a result of tourism activity, but to interpret it from a tangible contrasted with intangible point of view. This was done in order to create a better understanding what role tangible and intangible social impacts play, as well as how strong a role it plays in influencing community perceptions. The third objective was to determine the residents’ perceptions of tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism on three tourism dependent communities in South Africa as well as to determine the variables that influence the perceptions of these impacts. This was done with the aim of creating a model for measuring the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism which will allow for improved marketing and managing of tourism in South African communities. The distinction between the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism in mind, a selfadministered questionnaire was distributed in three tourism-dependent communities in South Africa by means of probability sampling within stratified sampling. The communities included in the research were Clarens (n=251), Soweto (n=375) and Jeffreys Bay (n=417). The questionnaires were captured in Microsoft Excel and analysed in the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v 20.0.0), while the software package, Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS v 21.0.0) was utilised for the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The analysis of the data was done over three phases. The first phase was exploratory research which included the use of two-way frequency tables for compiling a combined community profile as well as two Exploratory Factor Analyses to explore the ways in which tangible and intangible social impacts can be grouped. In the second phase, Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) revealed the theoretical model with four reliable tangible social impacts and two reliable intangible impacts. The tangible social impacts included: environmental improvement; environmental degradation; cost of daily living; and economic improvement while the intangible social impacts included: community upliftment and pride and community protection and education. The intangible social impact, community upliftment and pride was perceived as the most important impact, thus revealing the power of intangible social impacts for fostering community support for tourism. Significant to this study it was found that community members remained supportive of the industry, even if they are not directly involved in it. It was furthermore found that the communities are not homogenous which holds major implications for tourism planners and managers. This resulted in further analyses to compare the communities. Analyses were done in order to determine the influence of variables such as tourism perceptions, involvement in the tourism industry as well as residents’ levels of education on the perceptions of the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism. Very few instances were found where these aspects acted as strong predictors of the perceptions of tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism. During the third and final phase, a model was developed for measuring the relationships between the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism. This innovative model has been optimised so that it can be applied to other tourism dependents communities in South Africa. This model can thus assist tourism planners and managers to understand the tangible and intangible impacts as a result of tourism in the designated communities as well as how these communities will perceive the impacts. This model thus serves as a tool for maximising the positive social impacts created by tourism and minimising the negative, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the industry. The last objective was to draw conclusions and make recommendations with regard to the objectives of the study. The contributions of the study were also discussed as part of this objective. It was determined that this study makes multiple contributions towards social impact literature in tourism, towards the applicable methodology of determining social impacts in developing countries as well as practical contributions that will inform future planning and development in communities. This thesis firstly contributed towards the literature by distinguishing between tangible and intangible social impacts within a tourism and developmental context. These categorised social impacts can also be used in future research as it contributes to the research methodology through the development of a questionnaire that can measure the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism within a South African context. This measuring instrument can also be used in future research. The finding which revealed that the intangible element (community upliftment and pride) was the most important to local residents has implications for tourism planning and development. It is therefore a factor that should be taken into account in future research. There are also several practical implications for tourism marketers, managers and developers. The development of the tangibleintangible impact model provides the latter with an instrument that can be used to measure and effectively manage the various social impacts of tourism. It is clear that communities cannot be seen as homogeneous, therefore individual planning should be done based on the character and composition of the applicable communities. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This thesis examines the social and economic impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Fortaleza, Brazil. The study used a budget analysis, and in depth interviews to ascertain the economic impact of the world cup games and the distribution of revenue across different sectors and socio-economic divisions within the local economy. A historical and vulnerability analysis was conducted through the examination of secondary sources (historical documents, census data, previous research on vulnerable populations) to identify groups and spaces of high social vulnerability. Qualitative data was then collected through in depth interviews with sources from all facets of society during the World Cup games and the following summer to identify the social impacts on these vulnerable groups and spaces. The thesis found that the final economic costs for infrastructure and stadium refurbishments associated with the World Cup in Fortaleza far exceeded the projected costs and the final economic impact on the local economy was half of projected estimates. While the city saw social benefits in the celebratory atmosphere and public security provided during the World Cup, there were also negative impacts on socially vulnerable groups and spaces including forced community relocations, increases in cases of commercial sexual exploitation, and rises in violent crime.

Orientador: Eduardo Paulon Girardi / Resumo: Na presente dissertação partimos da identificação de que, a partir de 2003, o governo brasileiro retomou o incentivo ao setor sucroenergético via Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social - BNDES no contexto da produção das agroenergias, especificamente o etanol. Isso provocou um intenso processo de expansão dos canaviais e de usinas no Brasil e principalmente no estado de São Paulo. A partir de 2006 a expansão da cana-de-açúcar no estado de São Paulo orientou-se para novas áreas do estado, já que as regiões tradicionais chegavam ao limite de expansão da atividade sucroenergética. Buscou-se incorporar novas terras para o setor sucroenergético no oeste de São Paulo, com grande concentração no Pontal do Paranapanema e no noroeste paulista. A microrregião de São José do Rio Preto está dentre as que receberam usinas e onde houve maior aumento da área plantada de cana-de-açúcar. Dessa forma, selecionamos para análise os municípios de José Bonifácio, Planalto e Ubarana, localizados na microrregião em questão e que estão inseridos neste contexto de expansão. Nesse sentido, a territorialização do setor sucroenergético, com as grandes plantas industriais, alavancou intensas alterações e impactos econômicos e sociais nos municípios elencados. Frente a este quadro, a questão na qual está centrada a pesquisa é: como essas alterações econômicas e sociais podem ou não ter contribuído para o desenvolvimento nesses municípios, tendo em vista toda a discussão e contradições que env... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In this dissertation, we start from the identification that, as of 2003, the Brazilian government has resumed encouraging the sugar-energy sector through the National Economic and Social Development Bank - BNDES in the context of agroenergy production, specifically ethanol. This led to an intense process of expansion of sugarcane plantations and mills in Brazil and especially in the state of São Paulo. As of 2006, the expansion of sugarcane in the state of São Paulo was oriented towards new areas of the state, since the traditional regions reached the limit of the expansion of the sugar-energy activity. The aim was to incorporate new lands for the sugar-energy sector in western São Paulo, with a high concentration in Pontal do Paranapanema and in the northwest of São Paulo. The micro-region of São José do Rio Preto is among those that received mills and where there was the greatest increase in planted area of sugarcane. Thus, we selected for analysis the municipalities of José Bonifácio, Planalto and Ubarana, located in the microregion in question and which are inserted in this context of expansion. In this sense, the territorialization of the sugar-energy sector, with the large industrial plants, has leveraged intense changes and economic and social impacts in the municipalities listed. Faced with this situation, the question on which the research is focused is: how may or may not these economic and social changes have contributed to development in these municipalities, give... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Esta pesquisa objetiva entender como as práticas de governança corporativa (GC) adotadas por empresas industriais brasileiras relacionam-se com os impactos socioambientais de suas operações. Para atingir o objetivo principal foram formulados os seguintes objetivos específicos: 1) apresentar as características da amostra em termos de setor de atuação, adoção de práticas de GC e níveis de impactos ambientais e sociais; 2) conhecer as associações existentes entre os impactos ambientais, sociais e práticas de GC adotadas pelas empresas brasileiras; 3) verificar se tais associações são influenciadas pelo setor de atuação. A fundamentação teórica aborda as perspectivas teóricas que embasam a relação entre GC e sustentabilidade, os aspectos gerais envolvendo a sustentabilidade e específicos sobre gestão socioambiental, os aspectos gerais sobre o sistema de governança corporativa e aspectos específicos sobre as boas práticas de GC no Brasil, finalizando com as pesquisas nacionais e internacionais que investigaram esse relacionamento. A amostra pesquisada é composta por 46 empresas brasileiras listadas na BM&FBovespa e com dados disponíveis na base de dados ®ASSET4, da Thompson Reuters(TM), de 2010 a 2014. Os níveis de impacto tanto ambiental como social foram determinados em função da posição da empresa em relação às demais componentes da amostra em termos dos seus resultados nas oito variáveis selecionadas, resultando em três categorias: Alto, Médio e Baixo Impacto Social e Ambiental. Analogamente, o nível de adoção às práticas de GC foi determinado em função da posição da empresa em relação às demais em termos de seus resultados em sete variáveis selecionadas. As técnicas empregadas nesta pesquisa, de natureza quantitativa, compreenderam análises descritivas para a apresentação das características da amostra, Teste Qui-quadrado para a identificação das associações existentes entre as práticas de GC e os impactos socioambientais e Análises de Correspondência Múltipla para identificar a influência do setor de atuação sobre tais associações. Os resultados indicam maiores níveis de associação entre a dimensão social e as práticas de GC, comparativamente à dimensão ambiental, embora em ambos os casos tenham sido verificadas associações tanto positivas como negativas. Ademais, a hipótese de que tais associações são influenciadas pelo setor de atuação foi confirmada em ambas as dimensões, indicando, inclusive, que o baixo nível de adoção às práticas de GC ocorre entre em setores de alto impacto tanto ambiental como social. Desta forma, este estudo busca contribuir apresentando evidências de associação entre práticas de GC e impactos socioambientais no contexto brasileiro, possibilitando avançar na busca por conhecimento sobre como o sistema de GC pode contribuir para o alcance de negócios mais sustentáveis e alinhados aos objetivos da sustentabilidade. / This research aims to understand how the corporate governance (CG) practices adopted by Brazilian industrial companies are related to the socio-environmental impacts of their operations. In order to achieve the main objective, the following specific objectives were formulated: 1) to present the characteristics of the sample in terms of activity sector, adoption of CG practices and levels of environmental and social impacts; 2) to know the existing relationships among the environmental, social and CG practices adopted by Brazilian companies; 3) to verify if such combinations are influenced by the sector of performance. Theoretical fundamentals address the theoretical perspectives that support the relationship between CG and sustainability, the general aspects of sustainability and specific aspects of social and environmental management, the general aspects of the corporate governance system and specific aspects of CG practices in Brazil, ending up with national and international surveys that investigated this relationship. The sample surveyed is composed by 46 Brazilian companies listed on the BM&FBovespa, as well as with data available in Thompson Reuters(TM) database ®ASSET4 between 2010 and 2014. The levels of environmental and social impact were determined based on the company\'s position in relation to the other components of the sample in terms of their results within the eight selected variables, resulting in three categories: High, Medium and Low Social and Environmental Impact. Similarly, the level of adoption of CG practices was determined according to the company\'s position in relation to the others in terms of results in seven selected variables. The techniques used at this quantitative nature research have included descriptive analyzes for the presentation of the characteristics of the sample, Qui-square Test for the identification of the relationships among CG practices, social and environmental impacts and Multiple Correspondence Analysis to identify the influence of the activity sector on such associations. The results indicate higher levels of association between the social dimension and CG practices, compared to the environmental dimension, althought in both the cases positives and negatives associations were identified. In addition, the hypothesis that the associations are influenced by the sector of activity was confirmed in both dimensions, indicating that low levels of adoption of CG occurs between sectors with high environmental and social impact. Thus, this study seeks to contribute by presenting evidence of association between practices and socio-environmental impacts at the Brazilian context, allowing to advance in the search of knowledge on how the CG system can contributed to the achievement of a more sustainable development business and aligned with the objectives of sustainability.

Cette recherche a été motivée par l’intérêt général porté à l’élargissement du débat concernant le rôle du secteur culturel dans le développement, une fois étant reconnu que l’actuel débat économique et monétaire n’est pas adapté à la compréhension des externalités liées à la culture et les arts, et de formuler des politiques en conséquence. Afin d’élargir le débat à d’autres dimensions sociales et intangibles, une revue de la littérature des études d’évaluation d’impact social au sein du secteur culturel a été conduit. Cet examen a prouvé que ces études ont été plus orientées vers la compréhension de l’impact individuel extrinsèque du développement des pratiques culturelles plutôt que vers leur disposition collective. En reconnaissant que les impacts et mécanismes de transformation collective, tendancieusement ignorés, sont les plus adaptés à la conduite du développement social et économique, cette recherche essaye de proposer un nouveau cadre théorique et des approches empiriques pour l’interprétation des mécanismes à travers lesquels la culture construit un impact social à un niveau communautaire. Premièrement, une chaîne théorique des impacts sociaux communautaire d’activités culturelles a été proposée, en alignant un ensemble de capacités sociales, basées en catégories identifiées des impacts à niveau collectif. Deuxièmement, en empruntant des modèles d’analyse du domaine de l’économie, deux études de cas ont été développées afin de fournir de nouvelles perspectives de mesure à l’encontre des défis méthodologiques des études d’impact social et d’identifier de nouveaux mécanismes et moteurs de capacités sociale. Cette étude conclut que les arts et la culture peuvent avoir une fonction stratégique dans le développement communautaire durable qui dépasse les capacités attendues dans la production d’externalités économiques. D’une façon spécifique, en entraînant un processus continu et transversal d’apprentissage social qui conduit à des capacités sociales spécifiques, la culture peut stimuler des systèmes de réseaux nécessaires à la création d’un processus ascendant d’action collective et à l’entretien de dynamiques transfrontières. / This research was motivated by a general concern to enlarge the debate on the cultural sector’s role in development, recognizing that the current economic and monetary debate is inadequate to understanding the externalities attached to culture and the arts and to formulate policies accordingly. In order to broaden the debate into other social and intangible dimensions, a thorough literature review on social impact assessment studies inside the cultural sector was conducted. The review proved that these studies have been more oriented towards understanding the individual extrinsic impacts of engagement in cultural practices rather than its collective capacity. By acknowledging that the tendentiously ignored impacts and mechanisms of collective transformation are those most capable of leading to social and economic development, this research tries to propose a new theoretical framework and empirical approaches to interpret the mechanisms through which culture builds community‐level social impacts. First, a theoretical chain of cultural activities’ community‐level social impacts was proposed, which aligned a set of social capacities based on identified categories of collective level impacts. Second, borrowing analysis models from the field of economics, two case studies were developed to provide new measurement perspectives to meet the methodological challenges of social impact assessment and to identify new mechanisms and drivers of social capacities. This study concludes that culture and the arts can have a strategic function in sustainable community development beyond the expected ability to produce economic externalities. In particular, by inducing a transversal on‐going process of social learning which results in specific social capacities, culture can stimulate a system of networks needed to forge a bottom‐up process of collective action and to sustain cross‐boundary dynamics.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-06-14T16:41:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 THIAGO DE LOIOLA ARAÚJO E SILVA_.pdf: 1988461 bytes, checksum: 213ef25b0f494b861dd4b801a990dc4b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-14T16:41:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 THIAGO DE LOIOLA ARAÚJO E SILVA_.pdf: 1988461 bytes, checksum: 213ef25b0f494b861dd4b801a990dc4b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-28 / IFTO - Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Tocantins / A crise energética atual atinge todos os eixos da sociedade e aponta para uma mudança no uso e na dependência dos combustíveis fósseis. A atual forma aponta para a escassez dessa fonte de energia e ao mesmo tempo, aponta para o desenvolvimento de outras fontes de geração de energia. Dentre essas fontes está o biodiesel feito a partir do óleo vegetal onde a soja vem despontando como matéria – prima mais usada na região central do Tocantins. Nesse contexto, o Brasil vem se destacando através do Programa Nacional de Produção e Uso do Biodiesel (PNPB). Entretanto, a geração de biodiesel a partir do óleo vegetal, assim como as outras formas de energia, gera impactos socioeconômicos e ambientais tanto positivos quanto negativos. Esses impactos afetam a sociedade direta e indiretamente, sendo as vezes desconhecidos ou ignorados pelos atores envolvidos. Nesse sentido, a presente dissertação objetiva, através do pensamento sistêmico, analisar os impactos sociais gerados a partir da instalação de uma usina de biodiesel e da produção do combustível tendo como matéria - prima do óleo de soja. Para se atingir o objetivo proposto, foi realizado um levantamento de dados bibliográficos, realizadas entrevistas com os atores envolvidos e construída uma estrutura sistêmica. Como resultado encontrado foram diagnosticados os impactos sociais através da relação direta e inversamente proporcional entre as variáveis diagnosticadas durante as entrevistas e a revisão bibliográfica. A aplicação do pensamento sistêmico na identificação dos impactos sociais se mostrou eficiente, uma vez que permitiu uma visão das relações entre os impactos encontrados e não apenas uma observação superficial. / The current energy crisis reaches all axes of society and points to a change in the use and dependence on fossil fuels. The current form points to the shortage of this energy source and at the same time points to the development of other sources of power generation. Among these sources, is biodiesel made from vegetable oil where soy is emerging as raw - material used in the central region of Tocantins? In this context, Brazil has stood out through the National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel (NPPB). However, the generation of biodiesel from vegetable oil, as well as other forms of energy, generates socioeconomic and environmental impacts both positive and negative. These impacts affect the company directly and indirectly, and sometimes unknown or ignored by the actors involved. In this sense, the present dissertation aims, through systems thinking, analyzing the social impacts generated from the installation of a biodiesel plant and fuel production taking as raw - material of soybean oil. To achieve this purpose, a survey was conducted of bibliographic data, interviews with the actors involved and built a systemic structure. As a result, found the social impacts have been diagnosed through direct and inversely proportional relation between variables diagnosed during interviews and the literature review. The application of systems thinking to identify the social impact was efficient as it allowed a view of relations between the found impact and not just a superficial observation

The primary objective of this study was to determine the social impacts of arts festivals with reference to the KKNK and to make a comparison between the different cultures (white and coloured). This goal was achieved by firstly conceptualising culture. Secondly, a literature study was conducted in order to examine the social impacts of events. Thirdly the results of the empirical research were discussed, and lastly conclusions were drawn from the research and recommendations were made with regard to the social impacts of events, as well as further research. From the literature, social impacts were defined as the changes in the norms and values of society that are more apparent in the short-term. It was noted that when tourists vacate to a specific destination, visible impacts are notices. Events can, however, provide employment opportunities, promote international peace and pride, as well as promote educational and cultural experiences. It can also lead to increased levels of irritation, crime, drug and alcohol abuse and cultural change. These positive and negative impacts were measured by means of a questionnaire, as adapted from Fredline. The objective of the questionnaire is therefore to measure whether the community is positive or negative towards the festival, and whether there were any differences in the social impacts when comparing the results of the white and coloured communities. The questionnaire was distributed amongst the community members of Oudtshoorn, based on a stratified sampling method, followed by a random sampling method. A total of 258 questionnaires were completed, 110 from the white community and 148 from the coloured community. Two factor analyses were performed to determine the social impacts factors in order to determine differences in the social impacts on the white community and the social impacts on the coloured community. The first analysis resulted in eight factors and accounted for 58.1% of the total variance and was labelled as: community issues, negative impacts, everyday living, social opportunities, economic impacts, community rights, visitors and environmental impacts. The second analysis resulted in four factors that accounted for 59.54% of the total variance and were labelled according to similar characteristics which included: development opportunities, community involvement, motivational factors and social risks. Means and standards deviations had been determined, after which the affected sizes were determined to explore the differences between the social impacts on the white community and on the coloured community on the dimensions of the various factors as determined in the factor analysis. It is clear that there is a small affect (0.2-0.4) on the two communities. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Despite the contribution of mining to the South African economy, this industry has impacted negatively on the environment and society for many decades. These negative impacts are evidence of poor corporate actions. Instead of contributing to society, it seems that mining companies, more often than not, neglect their corporate social responsibilities mostly in the pursuit of financial profit. It has been well documented that it is mostly local populations, living close to mining operations, which pay the price of social and environmental damages and degradation, while the industry's benefits are measured in economic and political terms. Such an imbalance between the economic, environmental and social factors will make Sustainable Development impossible to achieve. Welverdiend is a community paying a dear price in terms of social problems caused by mining operations. The aim of this study, therefore, is to assess the impact of these problems on the social well–being of Welverdiend and the surrounding community's residents. In the light of these findings on different social issues, the research aims to confirm the importance of a people–centred approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The following is a brief outline of the course of the study. Chapter One serves as the introduction to the research project. Chapter Two, aligned with Objective One, provides a theoretical overview on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development. Chapter Three, which is aligned with Objectives Two and Three, reports on the findings obtained through a survey and Chapter Four, aligned with Objective Four, presents the conclusion and recommendations. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The primary objective of this study was to determine the social impacts of arts festivals with reference to the KKNK and to make a comparison between the different cultures (white and coloured). This goal was achieved by firstly conceptualising culture. Secondly, a literature study was conducted in order to examine the social impacts of events. Thirdly the results of the empirical research were discussed, and lastly conclusions were drawn from the research and recommendations were made with regard to the social impacts of events, as well as further research. From the literature, social impacts were defined as the changes in the norms and values of society that are more apparent in the short-term. It was noted that when tourists vacate to a specific destination, visible impacts are notices. Events can, however, provide employment opportunities, promote international peace and pride, as well as promote educational and cultural experiences. It can also lead to increased levels of irritation, crime, drug and alcohol abuse and cultural change. These positive and negative impacts were measured by means of a questionnaire, as adapted from Fredline. The objective of the questionnaire is therefore to measure whether the community is positive or negative towards the festival, and whether there were any differences in the social impacts when comparing the results of the white and coloured communities. The questionnaire was distributed amongst the community members of Oudtshoorn, based on a stratified sampling method, followed by a random sampling method. A total of 258 questionnaires were completed, 110 from the white community and 148 from the coloured community. Two factor analyses were performed to determine the social impacts factors in order to determine differences in the social impacts on the white community and the social impacts on the coloured community. The first analysis resulted in eight factors and accounted for 58.1% of the total variance and was labelled as: community issues, negative impacts, everyday living, social opportunities, economic impacts, community rights, visitors and environmental impacts. The second analysis resulted in four factors that accounted for 59.54% of the total variance and were labelled according to similar characteristics which included: development opportunities, community involvement, motivational factors and social risks. Means and standards deviations had been determined, after which the affected sizes were determined to explore the differences between the social impacts on the white community and on the coloured community on the dimensions of the various factors as determined in the factor analysis. It is clear that there is a small affect (0.2-0.4) on the two communities. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Despite the contribution of mining to the South African economy, this industry has impacted negatively on the environment and society for many decades. These negative impacts are evidence of poor corporate actions. Instead of contributing to society, it seems that mining companies, more often than not, neglect their corporate social responsibilities mostly in the pursuit of financial profit. It has been well documented that it is mostly local populations, living close to mining operations, which pay the price of social and environmental damages and degradation, while the industry's benefits are measured in economic and political terms. Such an imbalance between the economic, environmental and social factors will make Sustainable Development impossible to achieve. Welverdiend is a community paying a dear price in terms of social problems caused by mining operations. The aim of this study, therefore, is to assess the impact of these problems on the social well–being of Welverdiend and the surrounding community's residents. In the light of these findings on different social issues, the research aims to confirm the importance of a people–centred approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The following is a brief outline of the course of the study. Chapter One serves as the introduction to the research project. Chapter Two, aligned with Objective One, provides a theoretical overview on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development. Chapter Three, which is aligned with Objectives Two and Three, reports on the findings obtained through a survey and Chapter Four, aligned with Objective Four, presents the conclusion and recommendations. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.