Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Corporate social responsibility is a subject that is of concern to most companies that operate on a large scale today. This assignment looks at corporate social responsibility to understand how this fits into a company today. There is a short overview of the history to better understand the underlying factors and to determine the importance of corporate social responsibility. Attention is given to the argument that the current approach of companies to adhere to corporate social responsibility is because of pressure. There is also a focus on the relationship between business and society to establish how business can view its responsibilities. The example of Shell is used to show how a company under immense pressure can develop sustainable practices to ensure that they remain profitable. After the main discussion some important points are mentioned in the conclusion to clarify the business case for corporate social strategy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Korporatiewe maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid is ‘n onderwerp wat van belang is vir meeste maatskappye wat grootskaals bedrywig is vandag. Hierdie opdrag ondersoek korporatiewe maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid om beter te verstaan hoe dit vandag in die maatskappy inpas. Daar is ‘n kort oorsig oor die geskiedenis om die onderliggende faktore beter te verstaan en om die belangrikheid van korporatiewe maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid te bepaal. Daar word ook aandag gegee aan die argument dat maatskappye verantwoordelik optree as gevolg van druk. Daar word ook gefokus op die verhouding tussen besigheid en die samelewing om te bepaal hoe besigheid sy verantwoordelikhede moet benader. Die voorbeeld van Shell word gebruik om te wys hoe ‘n maatskappy onder druk volhoubare gebruike kan ontwikkel om te verseker dat hulle winsgewend bly. Na die hoof bespreking word daar ‘n paar belangrike punte in die slotsom saamgevat om 'n besigheidsaak vir korporatiewe maatskaplike strategie uit te maak..

Thesis (MTech(Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / Business ventures tend to commit themselves too soon to the twin issues of corporate social responsibility and stakeholder interaction, but in practice normally fail to deliver on all their promises in this regard, which often lead to great disappointment for the local communities involved. The new dispensation in South Africa has currently contributed to a great extent to how communities respond when they face issues of this nature. Sowman and Megan Gawith (1994) are believe that this new approach in behaviour of communities is owing to the recent influence of western models of development on developing areas. An inability of business to adapt to this changed environment will inevitably lead to a fragile relationship between such an entity and the community, which could easily ruin the implementation of development plans and ultimately cause the end of a business. Waddock and Graves (1997) are of the view that if good stakeholder consultation is maintained, it could be favourable for both business and community, and healthy relationships of this nature are always evident in the practice of such a company. The Stakeholder Engagement Practitioner Handbook (2008:5) is a specific model which is explored by this study in order to prevent a negative kind of relationship between a business and the local community. This is regarded as an imperative tool for comparison purposes to ensure sustainable and sound interaction, whilst identifying potential problem areas and simultaneously serving as a guiding map. The aim of this study was to investigate the ongoing interactions process for the identification of strengths and weaknesses of engagements in the Saldanha Bay venture in order to provide recommendations for improvement accordingly, as well as to determine whether the current process is substantive and responsive enough to the real needs and expectations of these groupings. The research, therefore, reviewed available literature on public paticipation and stakeholder interaction for business success in order to develop a theorethical model based on the strengths and weaknesses of the current engagement process in the Saldanha Bay Municipal area, and to also identify key components for beneficial dialogue. A descriptive case study technique was adopted as the most appropriate design to focus analytically on the entire engagement process and to extrapolate the nature of the interaction from various stakeholder accounts, in order to emphasise the views of the selected population. The results of this study indicated that the current local engagement process did indeed match most of the elements contained in the proposed model after a comparison was conducted. The research findings further revealed that even though the forum gained enormous momentum during the first phase, the process still lacks a few key areas to ensure more effective engagement. If these key areas are not properly addressed, this situation could at a later stage pose a serious threat to the future sustainability of the forum.