Re: First Nations Want “More” out of Mining Talks
Carey Lee’s blog post on the complexities regarding consultation processes between First Nations and the mining industry led me to ponder the importance of business ethics in situations such as these. First Nations in Northern Ontario have recently disputed the new mining regulations that have an effect on their territory, stating that they fail to take into account the First Nations’ wish for there to be an effective form of consultation and communication between them and the industry.
A map of First Nation Communities in northern Ontario
Reading this blog post led me to truly see the connections of both Freeman and Friedman’s interpretations of business ethics in this particular story. According to Freedman’s Stakeholder Theory, parties other than the company itself (such as the First Nations) are involved in and affected by the company’s actions and should therefore be treated as stakeholders with valued opinions and concerns. However, according to Freeman, corporate executives (the mining company in this case) do not have any responsibilities in their activities other than making as much money as possible for stockholders. In the blog post, Carey brings up the thought-provoking question of whether the First Nations’ concerns lie in the environment or rather the money associated with the industry. While I believe that concerns with First Nations’ ethicality are important, we must not forget about the industry’s position on ethicality. In business ethics it is truly up to the business (the mining company) to decide whether or not they listen to shareholder or stockholder (First Nations) concerns… or, in other words, whether they side with Freeman or Friedman.
Who is right? While many people in class argued that both Freeman and Friedman’s approaches are effective, it seems to me as though in this particular case, Freeman’s is being emphasized more than that of Friedman and should this continue, First Nations will continue to feel as though their values and concerns are being ignored.
Sources:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/careylee/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/10/05/sby-mining-act-changes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_ethics
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FarNorth/2ColumnSubPage/266514.html (photo)