19131: Understanding the Importance of Place in Wrongdoing: Examining Banro’s Activities in South Kivu (session 25769)

This paper explores cultural context as a mediating mechanism between macro-level efforts to govern corporate responsibility and micro-level organizational actions. Building on previous work seeing organizational wrongdoing as a socially constructed process, we argue that a disconnect often arises between Western legalistic frameworks and the cultural contexts of indigenous communities. This disconnect creates a jurisdictional void that fosters organizational wrongdoing. Theoretically, we emphasize the importance of understanding the “identity of place” as a key factor in addressing this issue, offering a corrective to placeless organizational practices. Using field research on the resettlement efforts of the Canadian mining company Banro in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we examine how the company’s disregard for local cultural identity led to significant harm in the community and fueled further irresponsible behaviors. We conclude with scholarly and practical implications for preventing conflict and wrongdoing, particularly as Western institutions promote transnational frameworks addressing societal grand challenges.

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