Satisfying Local Expectations: A Case Study on Total's Subsidiaries inBolivia and Congo

摘要

This article examines the logic followed by two subsidiaries of the Total group in order to meet theexpectations of local populations.This communication explores the ways in which the Congolese andBolivian subsidiary manage these expectations: what resources do they have? How are these servicesinternally organized to satisfy social demands? What are the tools available to enable local socialdevelopment in line with the company's project? Is this development still compatible with the priority givento business issues? Our research encompasses two field surveys in Congo and Bolivia.We conducted 86 interviews in thetwo subsidiaries(49 in Bolivia and 37 in Congo)with both subsidiaries(CLO,social teams)and externalstakeholders such as NGOs,environmental associations,experts,representatives of local communities andresearchers.Our aim is to understand how societal conflicts are managed within these two subsidiaries,inorder to identify and explain differences in these managements.We examined the different socio-economicand political contexts in which Total operates its hydrocarbon activities,showing that these contexts havedifferent influences on how societal issues are taken into account.We reviewed the strategies used by thesubsidiaries,engaging with the management profiles of"social risks"-as they are commonly identified bystakeholders.Finally,we studied the limits and resistances showed by subsidiaries to the application anddevelopment of societal tools.Our findings show that subsidiaries face similar social risks,but develop different strategies to managethem.In Bolivia,the objective assigned to the social team is to anticipate and minimize social risks.InCongo,the approach is more of a remediation one,symptomatic of the need to manage social problems ona case-by-case basis.These differences can been explained by subsidiaries'cultures and by their visions ofsustainable development,in particular in relation to risks and social conflicts.Finally,although Total hasdeveloped a number of rules,guidelines,procedures,guides,manuals and tools to address these issues –that are valid and relevant-the problem lies in their implementation.