A narrative approach for reporting social and environmental accounting impacts in the mining sector – giving marginalized communities a voice
ISSN: 2049-372X
Article publication date: 3 November 2022
Issue publication date: 9 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to collaborate with the discussions on the usefulness of the narrative approach in accounting. In this context, this study aims to elaborate small collective stories, developed from interviews, to expose the population’s perception of the social and environmental impact (positive and negative externalities) resulting from iron ore mining in the city of Congonhas-Minas Gerais (MG).
Design/methodology/approach
This research, using counternarratives, aims to elaborate small collective stories, developed from 52 interviews, to expose the population’s perception of externalities resulting from the exploitation of iron ore in the city of Congonhas-MG, Brazil, to give more insight for social and environmental accounting reporting. A qualitative investigation is used with a narrative approach that focuses on a specific event in the participants’ lives.
Findings
The authors sought to create a sense of collective experiences of the interviewees through narratives representative of the residents’ perception of externalities in the form of small collective stories. However, it can be observed that the local population recognizes the impact of numerous externalities. Likewise, the use of narratives allows the reader to experience another reality – a reflection on the impact of business activities in a given context. Unlike conventional corporate social reporting, models based on qualitative information can be inclusive, produced by/for the community toward action that transforms the local reality.
Originality/value
This study intends to contribute to the debate on reporting models that are developed by and for external stakeholders. This approach has the potential to improve participants’ both awareness and engagement, supporting transformative social action. This study makes several contributions. It contributes to the literature with a narrative approach, which is not often used in the accounting literature; it brings insights from the Latin American context, which is especially valuable given how the Anglo-American accounting literature includes few papers addressing this context; it presents the view of marginalized communities that are too often overlooked (this narrative approach offers important insights into the lived experience of people at a very granular level).
Keywords
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this paper has been presented at the IV South American Conference on Environmental Accounting, Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil, 2019), XXVIII Luso-Spanish Scientific Management Journeys, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, (Portugal, 2018) and XVII Grudis Conference and Doctoral Colloquium, Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto and Catholica Porto Business School (Portugal, 2018). The authors are grateful for the comments provided by the participants in this session.
The authors also wish to thank the anonymous reviewers of this journal for their valuable comments and suggestions provided on earlier version of this paper.
This research is financed by National Funds of the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project “UIDB/04928/2020” and, under the Scientific Employment Stimulus – Institutional Call CEECINST/00051/2018.
Citation
Angotti, M., Ferreira, A.C.d.S., Eugénio, T. and Branco, M.C. (2024), "A narrative approach for reporting social and environmental accounting impacts in the mining sector – giving marginalized communities a voice", Meditari Accountancy Research, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 42-63. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEDAR-11-2021-1513
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited