Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study

Case Title:

Blood Diamond: A Hollywood Flick Inspiring Business Ethics?

Abstract:
The release of the Hollywood movie, Blood Diamond in 2006 evoked the issue of Blood diamonds that long affected the diamond industry. Since the 1990s, the diamond industry has been affected by the issue of blood diamonds and has taken various steps to counter the damage caused. However, while little success was attained, the movie that dealt with how rebel groups in Sierra Leone sold diamonds to fund their wars against the government put the entire diamond industry under scrutiny once again. While this has forced companies like De Beers’ to act ethically, questions remains on how far they can convince the consumers.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the impact of movies based on social issues on consumer mindset
• To analyse how such movies are forcing companies to act ethically
• To analyse the measures undertaken by De Beers to address the issue of blood diamonds
• To analyse the impact of the media and entertainment industry in addressing issues related to corporate ethics.

Keywords : Blood Diamonds, Conflict Diamonds, De Beers, Hollywood, Kimberley Process (KPCS), 'Forevermark', Best Practice Principles (BPP), Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study, Sierra Leone, Global Witness, World Diamond Council, Corporate Governance, Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), Namaqualand, Human Rights, Warner Bros. Pictures