n 2007, Cynthia Carroll, the newly-appointed chief executive of mining giant

Anglo American, was considering shutting down mines in South Africa for
safety reasons, namely worker fatalities. No company had ever done so
before. Carroll felt that operating a company whose goal was anything less
than "zero harm" (meaning no fatalities or serious injuries) was unacceptable.
As the first woman and non-South African to lead the century-old company,
many were watching her closely. Should she go so far as to make the
unprecedented move of shutting down the mines? What message would that
send to the company and to the mining industry? The lives of others, Carroll's
reputation, and the company's performance were all on the line.

Anglo American plc is a British multinational mining company with headquarters in London,
England. It is the world's largest producer of platinum, with around 40% of world output, as
well as being a major producer of diamonds, copper, nickel, iron ore, polyhalite and
steelmaking coal. The company has operations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North
America and South America.