2009 PROCEEDINGS - Public Relations Society of America

Peru’s president-elect, Alan Garcia Perez, was popularly elected for a five-year
term on June 2006 by 52.5% of the voters in his runoff with left-leaning, Ollanta Umala.
Peru’s economic growth has been considerable over the last year, with a constant upward
trend; the country has reached a level of 8% in 2007 (National Institute of Statistics and
Informatics [INEI], 2008).
In fact, multinational oil, gas and mining companies operating in Peru have
received great opposition from several sides. The number of voices in Peru calling for an
end to the extraction activity is great. The extractive industry is under much more
scrutiny than are companies in other industries (Argentina Indy Media, 2005).
In essence, the extraction of natural resources has become a source of great
controversy in Peru. The mining sector, including, local and multinational companies, as
well as trade organizations such as the Peruvian Mining, Petroleum and Energy Society,
view the extraction activity as an opportunity for economic growth to local communities.
According to this view, the mining activity provides a better future for peasants and their
families, a better education, more jobs, and a better future.
In the other hand, other groups such as, the Catholic Church, peasants’
communities, NGO’s and others organizations from the civil society are opposed to
mining activities (Ramos & Requera, 2006). In fact, local communities act as activist
groups, becoming particularly troublesome to such organizations, since these
communities often appeal to the media, their leaders, government, and other stakeholders
to attempt to compel the organizations to change when the responses from the
organizations do not satisfy them (De Echave, 2005).
At present, civil society, the industry and government have come together in a
national dialogue on mining and sustainable development and the ministry of the
presidency has established an office of analysis and prevention of conflicts. Furthermore,
the government has recently created the ministry of environment to oversee the
application of environment standards to the mining industry. Thus, mining as well as gas
companies have embraced higher international standards for environmental good practice
and corporate social responsibility and have begun to make efforts to incorporate them
into their regular operations and community relations. However, many of these efforts
have yet to show positive signs on the ground, and the intensity of popular dissatisfaction
and the general distrust of industry and governmental leaders often outstrips the pace of
these responses no matter how well intended and positive they may be.
Other studies of corporations and activist group disputes have found similar
difficulties in resolving conflicts. To many scholars and practitioners, this impasse
represents a central problem in public relations (Murphy & Dee, 1992). However,
conflicts and differences are resolved most efficiently when the participants develop
compatible ground rules, and two-way symmetrical communication can provide this
basis.
The public relations domain is still in formative stage in Peru and there is no
academic research on the field. When the key words “estudios en relaciones publicas en
Peru” [public relations studies in Peru] or “investigacion en comunicaciones”
[communication studies in Peru] are used to search the “Fuente Academica” or
“Economia y Negocios” databases, there are no matches. These two databases are the
most important Spanish language ones in Peru. “Fuente Academica” provides full text for
260 scholarly Spanish language journals. Economia y Negocios is produced in Peru by
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