M.Comm. / HIV/AIDS is no longer merely a threat to the future of South African organisations; it is a current reality. The essential purpose of this study is to serve as a current and future HIV/AIDS management guideline for strategic managers in South African business organisations. This study saves managers time and effort in researching various aspects regarding the impacts of HIV/AIDS on their organisations and provides a consolidated view on current and future realities regarding HIV/AIDS and the business organisation. The primary objective of the research is to enlighten strategic managers on various aspects surrounding the impacts that HIV/AIDS could have on their organisations. In order to provide for a full comprehension of potential impacts, the nature of the pandemic is discussed so that managers can be aware of the physical effects of the disease and the way it influences employees during its various stages. Furthermore, the psychological effects of the disease and related consequences on individual performance and employee morale are examined. It is also important for managers to know about legal implications surrounding HIV/AIDS and the workplace. Employees have certain rights that have been expressly stipulated in South African law that employers must be aware of and understand, that are highlighted in the study. Furthermore, guidelines pertaining to discrimination and unfair dismissal are also discussed. Business organisations exist in order to make a profit. It is extensively discussed in this study, however, that if HIV/AIDS is not correctly managed in an organisation, sustainability of profit will be negatively affected. This is because HIV/AIDS holds numerous direct and indirect costs for business organisations, since it directly impacts labour as an important business resource. In addition, the South African macro-economy has already been affected by HIV/AIDS. For example, disposable income in some households is declining because breadwinners are lost to the pandemic. This affects organisations’ customer and client bases and calls for possible strategic repositioning. In order to combat the potentially devastating impacts of HIV/AIDS on business organisations, guidelines on the planning and implementation of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy are provided. Furthermore, some strategic considerations for the management of HIV/AIDS in business organisations are provided as guidelines to assist managers in adjusting current strategies in order to still meet their original goals. The unique opportunities that HIV/AIDS holds for organisations are also examined. A limitation of the study is that the political impacts of HIV/AIDS have not been included due to public controversy and the will of the researcher to provide objective, scientific and factual content only. Furthermore, this study is focused on the most critical future impacts for business organisations based on current and forecasted occurrences. Because HIV/AIDS is a long-term pandemic, current infections are still going to affect businesses in the future. Therefore, this study has been compiled to be as independent of time as possible, providing the foundational aspects for current and future managers to prepare themselves for those impacts. / Prof. N. Lessing
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:8609 |
| Date | 23 April 2008 |
| Creators | Maritz, Genevieve |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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