Camecos Mining Operations in Kyrgyzstan Corporate Social...

Executive Summary This paper discusses the case of Cameco in Kyrgyzstan. The company must determine how it wants to approach the issue of corporate social responsibility with its mining operations in Kyrgyzstan. The companys decision should reflect its philosophy, its business model and its strategic objectives. It is recommended that Cameco takes a proactive approach to CSR in order to build its reputation as an ethical business partner. Central Question The central question is how should Duret deal with the spill in a way that establishes a pathway for building stronger relationships in Kyrgyzstan for the future. Strategic Issues The first strategic issue is with respect to corporate social responsibility. Cameco needs to define as a company what level of corporate social responsibility it is going to be adopt. The bar is set fairly low in the resource extraction business, below even Milton Friedman (1970) levels Shell in Nigeria, for example but Cameco has historically adopted a high level of corporate social responsibility. When determining social responsibility policy, Cameco must also analyze why it wants to be socially responsible. The guiding principles will help to define its actions with respect to the sodium cyanide spill and its future actions in Kyrgyzstan. For example, does the company engage in a high level of corporate social responsibility because it is the right thing to do, a Kantian perspective (Alexander Moore, 2007), or because it feels