Case Name :      Operation Greenwash Gold : Rio Tinto and the Tainted Medals

Authors :           Jana Seijts, Benjamin Bigio

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W13217

Discipline :        Organizational Behavior

Case Length :    21 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

Rio Tinto, a major multinational mining company, signed a contract with the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee to supply all the gold, silver and copper for medals to be awarded at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Just three months before the opening ceremonies, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, titled Operation Greenwash Gold, combined with labour unions in Canada, Australia and around the world representing millions of workers to protest Rio Tinto’s alleged environmental, human rights and labour relations abuses. A number of damaging social media campaigns aimed to get the Olympic committees to cancel Rio Tinto’s contract were supplemented by street protests in front of the company’s headquarters during its annual general meeting. Rio Tinto’s chief executive officer must decide on a communications strategy in order to respond to its already tarnished reputation.