What communication for the mining industry? Some critical considerations in the Italian context

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the approach to corporate communication in Italian mining industry, where product differentiation arises largely from the aspects of the relationship between manufacturer and customer and where the strong environmental impact of mining activities makes communication with the diverse stakeholders crucial. The paper presents the results of a CAWI questionnaire distributed to 658 enterprises, with a redemption rate of 12.2%. Data were processed with univariate and multivariate statistical techniques (PCA). The results show that the approach of mining enterprises to communication is still traditional and that although a specific area of communication is well established (product communication), there is still much to be done on corporate communication as well as on audiences that are not only business customers (citizens, institutions, administrators, associations).