The 2-day workshop on Multinationals, Sustainability and the Extractive Industries was centred around papers being considered for a special issue of the Journal of World Business, one of the best academic journals devoted to international business. The special issue is edited by Professors Chang Hoon Oh and Daniel Shapiro of the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, and Professor Bersant Hobdari of the Copenhagen Business School.

In attendance were the authors of the papers, editors of the special issue, editors of the journal, and selected academics and students with interests in this area.

Day 1 April 24:

7 papers written by eminent academics were presented on Day 1, with the purpose of sharing knowledge and improving the academic quality and professional relevance of the papers:

Session 1: CSR and the International Activities of Extractive Firms

Sean Buchanan, University of Manitoba: “The role of home country industry associations in shaping MNE international CSR Practice”

Pavlos Seymeou, Cyprus University of Technology: “Internationalization as a driver of the corporate social performance of extractive industry firms”

Session 2: Impacts on Local Stakeholders

Grazia Santangelo, University of Catania: “The impact of land FDI in agriculture in developing countries on host country food security”

Natalia Yakovleva, Newcastle University: “Mining multinational enterprises and artisanal small-scale miners: from confrontation to cooperation”

Session 3: State Power and SOEs

Grazia Santangelo, University of Catania: “Race to the bottom or race to the top? The role of local labor standards on the location of foreign extractive plants”

Jakob Müllner, Vienna University of Economics and Business: “Toward a holistic framework of MNE-state bargaining in extractive industries: A case study of the Venezuelan oil sector”

Suzana Braga Rodrigues, Erasmus University: “The SOE internationalization paradox: Untangling dependence in SOE-Government relations”

Day 2 April 25:

Summary comments were presented by editors and commentators:

• Carolyn Egri, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University
• Bersant Hobdari, Copenhagen Business School
• Rajneesh Narula, Henley Business School, University of Reading
• Chang Hoon Oh, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University
• Mike Peng, Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas
• Daniel Shapiro, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University
• Eric Werker, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

Practitioner Panel on Global Sustainable Issues in the Extractives Industries

A facilitated panel discussion was held, summarizing the research that had been presented, and defining a research agenda for the future. The panel addressed the question “what do I need to know that academic research can help with?”

Moderator: Stephanie Bertels, Beedie School of Business and Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability

Panelists:

• C.D. (‘Lyn) Anglin, Imperial Metals Corporation
• Jamie Bonham, NEI Investments
• Gillian Quigley, Teck Resources
• Bruce Sprague, Ernst & Young (EY)
• Rob Stevens, Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI)