Corporate social responsability and the supply chain: cell phone companies and the case of coltan

Abstract

The mineral extraction process that occurs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring African countries have caused controversial around the world because it is characterized in the majority by child labor, sexual harassment and various human rights violations. Also, these raw materials, called as “conflict minerals” have been used during some periods to finance armed Groups. Conflict minerals are Tantalum (Coltan), tungsten, tin and gold and are widely used metals by the electronics industry, including telecommunications equipment such as mobile phones. “Corporate Social Responsibility in relation to suppliers”, is a topic increasingly treated in enterprises given the needs that globalization deals. This thesis related to Corporate Social Responsibility and the supply chain, focuses on the role of cell phone companies and its value chain, how they manage the challenges of purchasing coltan (also, it is debated if it makes sense to ban purchasing coltan in conflict areas, specially in DRC) and, how the companies handle supply chain and include its CSR in there.