Miss Nadine Jansen van Vuuren, Mr Mayur Jayeshkumar Rathod, Prof Geoff Goldman, Dr Maria Bounds

Abstract

The measures within the corporate social responsibility concept emphasise the sustainability of the environment and communities. Sustainability includes the environmental protection that businesses should abide by which refers to the common well-being of humans and other elements present in nature where human activities affect ecosystems along with preventing unintentional changes in ecosystems and their components.
This study aims to understand moral judgment applied in companies’ strategic decision-making, especially where these decisions impact the natural environment. The study employs an interpretivism ontology. It utilises qualitative measurements to support interpretivist perspectives. Qualitative measures consist of using non-concrete information that comprise written, in action or in visual images.
Strategic business decisions in the natural resource and mining industry pose a negative impact. The findings revealed that the moral intent of companies was more profit-driven than focused on the impact of decisions on the environment. The recommendations could be beneficial for companies in this industry because it would reduce their negative impact whist realising their best potential.