The tragedy of Mariana in management’s tragedy

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to unveil the spheres that were silenced by the media and academia with regard to the collapse of the Fundão Dam that occurred in 2015, in Mariana (Minas Gerais - Brazil).

Design/methodology/approach

In an attempt to contribute to studies into the evil side of organizations, the authors use the theoretical contributions of corporate crime and the one-dimensional society. The authors used the “Samarco Mud” corporate crime case as an object of analysis, while a press conference with the company’s CEO and representatives from its parent companies was used as the analytical corpus. For the analysis, the authors used the content analysis technique.

Findings

The conclusions of this study point to the existence of subjects who were silenced about the phenomenon of the Fundão Dam collapse, a situation that reveals the power exercised by corporations and the totalitarian domination of the one-dimensional society as a social factor that favors the occurrence of corporate crimes.

Originality/value

The case in question is recent and not fully understood by academia. Neither is its organization around political and social movements understood with regard to the management implications for society and the environment. With a discussion that mixes the concepts of corporate crime and the one-dimensional society, this paper contributes to the base of critical studies in management, especially as far as concerns the mining policies used in the Southern Hemisphere.

Citation

Saraiva, C.M. and Ferreira, P.T.M. (2022), "The tragedy of Mariana in management’s tragedy", Critical Perspectives on International Business, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 74-96. https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-01-2018-0014