Reflective Report: Sustainability in Mining Industry Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of sustainability within the context of the mining industry, focusing on the case of Mulga Meadows. It begins by defining sustainability and its importance, especially in the mining sector, which heavily relies on natural resources. The report identifies key stakeholders affected by Mulga Meadows' operations, including the government, business partners, and community members, and explores the economic, social, and environmental criteria crucial for sustainability within the company. It then outlines relevant legislative requirements, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Fair Work Policy, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and Clean Water Act, which govern the mining operations. Finally, the report reflects on a group activity, discussing the application of effective group processes, interpersonal skills, and the importance of recognizing and utilizing the skills and diversity of team members to achieve the assignment goals.

Running head: REFLECTIVE REPORT
REFLECTIVE REPORT
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Overview of the concept of Sustainability.................................................................................2
Importance of the concept of Sustainability within the mining industry...................................3
Three important stakeholders affected by the business operations of Mulga Meadows............3
Three important sustainability criteria for Mulga Meadows......................................................4
Legislative requirements related to the business operations of Mulga Meadows......................5
Reflection on Group Activity.....................................................................................................7
Knowledge and application of effective group processes......................................................7
Effective interpersonal skills when engaging with team members........................................8
Recognise and capitalise on the skills of group members......................................................8
Recognise and respect diversity of values and experience of group members......................9
Contribute equally to group tasks..........................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
As opined by Pimentel, Gonzalez and Barbosa (2016), sustainability had become the
catch-phrase of the modern-day business world and it is noticed that the business enterprises
rather than focusing on the enhancement of their profitability are presently focusing on the
attainment of sustainability. Bini, Bellucci and Giunta (2018) are of the viewpoint that the
effective use of the process of sustainability not only enables the business enterprises to attain
long-term growth or competitive advantage within the business markets of their operation but
also contribute in a meaningful manner towards the planet as well. The concept of
sustainability becomes especially important from the perspective of the mining industry not
only because of the economic contribution that it makes towards the national economies of
the different nations but also on the score of the fact that a substantial amount of the natural
resources of the planet are being used by this industry (Owen and Kemp 2017). This report
will focus on the concept of sustainability within the particular context of the mining industry
and will also include a reflection of the group activity through which this assignment was
completed.
Overview of the concept of Sustainability
Rodrigues and Mendes (2018) are of the viewpoint that sustainability is the ability of
the business enterprises to maintain a certain minimum level of growth without causing the
over-exploitation of the natural resources of the planet which it requires for the purpose of its
business operations. According to Ranängen and Lindman (2017), one of the most important
reasons for the popularity that the construct of sustainability had gained over the years can be
attributed to the fact that the natural resources of the planet which the business enterprises
require for their business operations are fast-depleting. The resultant effect of this is that if no
effective remedial measures are being taken by the authorities then it is likely that the future

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generations would not have access to the same kind of natural resources that the present
generation or the generations preceding it had access to. It is precisely here that the
machinery of sustainability gains prominence since it helps the business enterprises to take
the help of the kind of measures which will not only reduce the over-exploitation of the fast-
depleting natural resources of the planet but would also help them to attain the bare minimum
level of growth (Mzembe 2016).
Importance of the concept of Sustainability within the mining industry
Bini, Bellucci and Giunta (2018) have articulated the viewpoint that the mining
industry over the years had become one of the most important industries of the world and is
primarily concerned with the extraction of the different minerals from the earth and their
purification. As opined by Viveros (2016), the business operations or the activities of the
mining industry are putting an ever-increasing pressure on the planet because of the rapidity
with which the minerals are being extracted from the core or the surface of the earth. On the
score of this it can be said that the notion of sustainability had gained an integral place within
the framework of the concerned industry. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that
the effective utilisation of this concept is not only likely to help the enterprises related to the
concerned industry to minimise the over-exploitation of the natural mineral resources of the
planet but at the same time would enable the enterprises to attain the desired level of growth
as well.
Three important stakeholders affected by the business operations of Mulga Meadows
Three of the most important stakeholders affected by the business operations of
Mulga Meadows, a firm related to the mining industry are listed below-
 Government: The national government of the nations in which the mining firms are
operational is an indirect stakeholder and also gets affected by the business operations

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of the concerned firms. In this regard, it needs to be said that the government acts as
the regulators of these firms and thereby ensure that the firms comply with the
legislative and other requirements which they are required to adhere to so as to
conduct business in an effective manner (Rodrigues and Mendes 2018). Furthermore,
they are also entitled to a part of the royalties or the revenue earned by the mining
firms.
 Business Partners: The different business partners of the firms related to the mining
industry are the internal stakeholders of these firms. Furthermore, it is seen that they
directly influence the strategies, tactics and other kinds of business measures used by
the firms and in turn are directly affected by the different business policies, strategies
and others used by these firms (Viveros 2016). In addition to these, it is seen that the
business partners related to a particular firm are also entitled to a part of the revenue
generated by the firms.
 Community Members and Society: The different business partners of the firms
related to the mining industry are the internal stakeholders of these firms.
Furthermore, it is seen that they directly influence the strategies, tactics and other
kinds of business measures used by the firms and in turn are directly affected by the
different business policies, strategies and others used by these firms (Mzembe 2016).
In addition to these, it is seen that the business partners related to a particular firm are
also entitled to a part of the revenue generated by the firms.
Three important sustainability criteria for Mulga Meadows
The three important sustainability criteria for Mulga Meadows are listed below-
 Economic: The economic aspect of sustainability refers to the economic contribution
that the firms make towards the economic growth or the development of the nations or
regions in which the firms are operational (Owen and Kemp 2017). In the particular

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context of the mining industry, it is seen that the firms related to the concerned
industry every year make a substantial amount of economic contribution towards the
economic growth of the nations. The economic contribution made by the mining firms
towards national economic development can be measured through the amount of tax
money, subsidies and others that it contributes towards the nations which in turn is
likely to help it to attain sustainability (Rodrigues and Mendes 2018).
 Social: The firms related to the mining industry in order to attain sustainability needs
to contribute in an effective manner towards the development of the society. As a
matter of fact, it is seen that the mining firms take the help of different social
development projects for contributing in an effective manner towards the
development of the society of the nations or the regions in which they are operational
(Pimentel, Gonzalez and Barbosa 2016). This can be measured by the infrastructural
and other kinds of growth or developments that the societies in the proximity of the
mining firms are being able to attain.
 Environmental: The mining firms have a responsibility to contribute in a meaningful
manner towards the improvement of the environment. This can be explained on the
basis of the fact that the firms related to the mining industry are one of the major
contributors towards the problem of environmental pollution (Mzembe 2016). Thus,
the mining firms take the help of different kinds of measures for the conservation of
the environment and also for the improvement of its condition. This can be measured
through the air pollution, water pollution, land pollution levels and others in the
proximity of the mining firms and the role that the measures or the policies taken by
the mining firms have contributed towards the same.

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Legislative requirements related to the business operations of Mulga Meadows
The important legislative requirements related to the business operations of Mulga
Meadows are listed below-
 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): The National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) passed by the national government of Australia in 1969 dictated the basic
environmental policies or practices that the different business firms of the concerned
nation are required to follow (Aph.gov.au 2019). As a matter of fact, the
environmental policies or practices dictated by the concerned act even encompasses
the business activities of the firms related to the mining industry of Australia. The
primary purpose for the formulation of this act was to create a framework through the
usage of which the firms can attain a certain minimum level of growth while
contributing in an effective manner towards the environment (Environment.gov.au
2019).
 Fair Work Policy: This policy dictates the manner in which the different mining
firms of Australia are required to treat the employees that they have within their
workplaces (Aph.gov.au 2019). One of the most important aspects of the policy is that
it states the firms are required to not only pay adequate amount of wages or
remuneration to the employees but at the same time take into account their well-being
as well. More importantly, this policy of the national government of Australia also
states that the mining firms are required to create effective job designs for the equal
distribution of work and thereby try to reduce the workload of the employees
(Aph.gov.au 2019).
 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA): The Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA) act of the Australian government passed in 1976 states
that the different mining firms are required to take the help of various measures for

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the reduction of the hazardous wastes released by the (Environment.gov.au 2019).
However, at the same time it needs to be said that the concerned act makes a
distinction between the different wastes released by the mining firms. On the one
hand, it is seen that the act exempts the “high-volume, low-hazard” materials whereas
it had made mandatary for the firms to control the amount of high-hazardous wastes
created by them (Aph.gov.au 2019).
 Clean Water Act: This act passed in 1917 requires the firms related to the mining
sector of Australia to take the help of adequate measures for the reduction of the water
pollution caused by them (Environment.gov.au 2019). As a matter of fact, the mining
industry creates a large amount of water pollution and this act of the national
government of Australia requires them to take responsibility for their actions. In this
regard, it needs to be said that the concerned act “authorizes regulations that cover
discharges of toxic and nontoxic pollutants into the surface waters of the nation”
which the mining firms of Australia are required to follow for the process of their
business operations in the concerned nation (Environment.gov.au 2019).
Reflection on Group Activity
Knowledge and application of effective group processes
I would like to say that this group assignment was a great learning experience for me
and my team members and we were able to learn many new things during the completion of
the assignment. For the effective completion of this assignment, we needed various kinds of
resources like laptop, internet connection and others for the creation of the spreadsheet and
also the presentation. In this regard, I would say that the tool “Ms Excel” was an important
one for us because of the fact that we required the concerned tool for the preparation of the
Spreadsheet. However, we were not familiar with the manner in which Spreadsheets are
created and thereby we had to take the help of the internet to research about the manner in

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which they are supposed to be created. More importantly, one of the best aspects of the group
activity was the fact that we did not experience any kind of conflicts. I personally believe that
this was because all the team members knew each other very well, the different tasks were
allocated in an effective manner on the basis of the capabilities or the abilities of the team
members, effective leadership was being offered and others.
Effective interpersonal skills when engaging with team members
I realised the fact that for the effective completion of the group activity
communication would be an important aspect for the purpose of conveying relevant
information to all the members of the team. Thus, we created a Watsapp groups wherein we
regularly shared the progress of the work and also the different queries that we had.
Furthermore, each of the members of the team showed accountability as well as responsibility
towards the work that we were doing and thereby contributed in an effective manner towards
the performance of the team or for the completion of the assignment itself. In addition to
these, I took the role of the leader of the team and thereby ensured that the members of the
team not only worked with flexibility but they were motivated as well. I personally believe
that the interpersonal skills of leadership, accountability and responsibility were the most
important ones since the effective usage of these interpersonal skills directly contributed
towards the completion of the assignment within the stipulated deadline. However, at the
same time I feel that me and team members need to further develop our interpersonal skills
like patience, dependability and others which could have contributed towards a much better
completion of the assignment.
Recognise and capitalise on the skills of group members
The different tasks within the group were being assigned on the basis of the skill sets
or the capabilities of the team members. In this regard, I would like to say that since each of
the team members were known to each other beforehand thus the job role of task distribution

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was an easy one for us. I personally took the role of leadership within the group since I am on
good-terms with each of the members of the team and also each of them respects me as well.
Thus, I took the advice of each of the team members and thereby segregated the different
tasks and assigned them to the members of the group for their effective completion. I
personally believe that the tasks were allocated to the different members of the team on the
basis of their abilities or capabilities and thus if the tasks had been allocated in a different
manner then it could have adversely affected the completion of the assignment.
Recognise and respect diversity of values and experience of group members
I personally believe that there were not as such any major differences between the
values or the experience among the different members of the group. As a matter of fact, each
of the team members belonged to the same cultural background and to the same class and
thus right from the very beginning we were on the same page and this in turn greatly
facilitated the effective completion of the assignment in turn. The only difference that we had
to encounter was related to the differences in opinion because of the fact that some of the
members of the team felt that the assignment should be completed in a different manner.
However, I took the ownership and made them understand that the process which we were
following for the completion of the assignment was the best one considering the kind of
resources and time we had. On the score of these aspects and also the fact that we were able
to complete the assignment in a timely manner I believe that the process which we followed
for the completion of the assignment and taking care of the group dynamics was the best
possible one for us.
Contribute equally to group tasks
As mentioned above, the different job roles within the team were divided in an equal
manner on the basis of the abilities or the capabilities of the team members. However, at the
same time it was seen that some of the members of the team complained that they had been

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given more tough job than the others and during such situations the different members of the
team took extra initiative to help them. Furthermore, we also took the help of an effective
monitoring and created a timeline for the completion of the different individual tasks so that
the entire assignment would be completed within the stipulated deadline. As a matter of fact,
it was seen that all the members of the team agreed to the timeline that we created for the
completion of the task. Taking into account the manner in which the assignment was
completed way before the stipulated deadline I would say that each of the members of the
team contributed appropriately towards the completion of the assignment.
Conclusion
To conclude, the over- exploitation of the natural resources of the planet by the
different business enterprises over the years is adversely affect the planet and this in turn had
made the concept of sustainability an important from the perspective of the modern-day
business world. More importantly, it had been seen that the effective utilisation of the
concerned concept enables the business enterprises to attain or maintain a certain minimum
level of growth without resorting to the over-exploitation of the natural resources of the
planet. These aspects of the concept of sustainability become apparent from the above
analysis.

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References
Aph.gov.au. 2019. Sustainable Development and the Australian Minerals Sector – Parliament
of Australia. Retrieved from
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/
Parliamentary_LibrarL/pubs/rp/rp0001/01RP24 [Accessed on 16th May, 2019]
Bini, L., Bellucci, M., and Giunta, F. 2018. Integrating sustainability in business model
disclosure: Evidence from the UK mining industry. Journal of cleaner production, 171,
1161-1170.
Environment.gov.au. 2019. Department of the Environment and Energy. Retrieved from
https://www.environment.gov.au/about-us/legislation [Accessed on 16th May, 2019]
Mzembe, A. N. 2016. Doing stakeholder engagement their own way: Experience from the
Malawian mining industry. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental
Management, 23(1), 1-14.
Owen, J. R., and Kemp, D. 2017. Extractive relations: Countervailing power and the global
mining industry. Routledge.
Pimentel, B. S., Gonzalez, E. S., and Barbosa, G. N. 2016. Decision-support models for
sustainable mining networks: Fundamentals and challenges. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 112, 2145-2157.
Ranängen, H., and Lindman, Å. 2017. A path towards sustainability for the Nordic mining
industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 151, 43-52.
Rodrigues, M., and Mendes, L. 2018. Mapping of the literature on social responsibility in the
mining industry: A systematic literature review. Journal of cleaner production, 181, 88-101.