**2. Introduction**

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been defined broadly by dissimilar global agents without a consensus around its essence. Within the mining framework, three main dimensions are addressed in CSR: social, environmental, and economic. The approach estimates the consequences that mining firms may inflict within stakeholder groups in the following aspects: social, environmental [1], and economic [2]. Both firm's and stakeholder's perspectives regarding the meaning and reach of CSR are required by this approach within the mining industry. The

relevance of the approach is substantial since conflict potentials between both company's and stakeholder's expectations and divergences will exist.

The mining industry has taken the lead on business engagement regarding CSR. This can be ascribed to the questionable nature of its expenditures and both environmental and social problems that are intrinsic to the mining venture. Leadership and vanguard at CSR by the mining industry reflect the rapid growth within the developing countries, specifically countries with weak governance, legislation, and institutional capacity [3].

In contrast, the blue ocean strategy (BOS) concept is introduced. Used as a business and marketing concept, BOS helps entrepreneurs and firms to develop a positioning strategy for a product or service that will distinguish itself from competitors. The main focus is to establish new zones or markets where a product or service can be developed where competitors have not yet addressed. In the development of the conceptual framework of their BOS, Kim and Mauborgne [4] stated that value innovation was the foundation of the BOS. Value innovation accentuates the quest for a low-cost and differentiated strategy simultaneously. It suggests observing market boundaries differently and developing products for each consumer segment by identifying common attributes. Firms ought to have higher activity standards than those of industry and offer higher value than competitors. Finally, the reduction and elimination of other activities are needed to deliver value at a low cost.

BOS is applicable for all types of innovation, not just value innovation. Moreover, CSR facilitates external knowledge and is frequently dissimilar from internal knowledge. Consequently, CSR can promote "creative leaps" and influence the innovation process [5]. Therefore, CSR is innovation and could be studied through the BOS lens. In the mining context, companies and communities are competing for natural resources such as water and land, and sometimes this completion results in a conflict. As a consequence, mining firms use CSR as a strategy to reduce social conflict and compensate the community for their impact. This being said, this Chapter aims to estimate whether CSR acts as a value innovation to create a BOS in the mining industry. To do that, the following questions arose: How CSR allows firms to reduce costs? And How CSR raises value to the community?
