Mining Operation
Gold mining business is growing globally due to the increase in demand of gold and of course the massive profits gained from such markets. Such opportunities have created a high competition claimant amongst different mining companies globally. Due to factors such as competition and lack of policies and procedures, important issues such as environmental and social factors have been ignored and neglected while conducting the mining business. This paper will analyze and discuss three mining companies' case studies which are: Goldstrike Mine in Nevada, the Freeport-MacMoran Mine in Indonesia, and Yanacocha Mine in Peru to help and support the socially responsible management decisions when it comes to maintaining operation at each mining site. This paper will mainly focus on the main concerns and performance levels of each company, as it will also conclude with recommendations and suggestions on how to deal with current and future problems.
The first case study is about the Goldstrike Mine in Nevada. Goldstrike is considered to be the third largest mining company in the world yet; their business activity will not last much longer due to their violation of many environmental issues such as the huge amount of mercury released in surrounding water and air which has been estimated to be ten times as much as any other mining site. Such high levels of pollution do not only affect Nevada, but also have an obvious effect on the surrounding areas also. Mercury could be directly related and linked to many medical problems/diseases, especially the "impaired neurological development in fetuses, infants and children". In addition, mercury endures in the environment and along the way it mounts up and resides in the tissues of fish and birds the feed on fish from water sources. [1]
Leaving mercury aside; Goldstrike was getting rid of mining waste by dumping it in surrounding fresh water supply, polluting rivers and lakes eventually resulting in dangerous levels of water...
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