Abstract
This study explores the role of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in stakeholder engagement to support the creation of corporate sustainability strategies within the South African mining sector. The study explores how cutting-edge digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), can revolutionize stakeholder communication, transparency, and accountability in an industry that has historically relied heavily on natural resources. It is anchored in the context of enduring socio-economic issues like inequality, unemployment, and environmental degradation. The study employs a qualitative case study design and focuses on Company X, a prominent mining company in South Africa, as it incorporates 4IR technologies into its frameworks for stakeholder management and sustainability. To guarantee validity and reliability, data were gathered via semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and triangulation.
In order to understand how 4IR, stakeholder management and corporate sustainability intersect to drive sustainable value creation, the study is based on the Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL), Stakeholder Theory, Legitimacy Theory, and the Reflective Paradigm. The findings show that although 4IR technologies improve data-driven decision-making and operational efficiency, their strategic potential is in establishing organisational legitimacy, enhancing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, and encouraging meaningful stakeholder engagement. Full implementation is hampered by issues including cultural resistance, a lack of expertise, and a lack of digital infrastructure.
Ultimately, by putting forth a framework that harmonizes technology adoption with social responsibility and stakeholder inclusion, the study adds to the expanding corpus of knowledge on sustainability and digital transformation. It comes to the conclusion that, when included into open, inclusive, and morally sound business practices, 4IR can both promote and accelerate corporate sustainability. This provides important information for the future of ethical mining in developing nations.