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Corporate social investment strategies amongst the top 100 South African listed companies

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The new South African government, following the 1994 first free democratic election,
inherited a country torn apart by apartheid, with large portions of the population suffering
from social and economic deprivation. A society divided along racial lines with many of
these divides supported by State policies.
Ten years into South Africa's democracy, apartheid's social and economic legacies remain.
The majority of the nearly 45 million South Africans still live in conditions closely
resembling those of more than a decade ago.
In September 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit 150 heads of states
committed to a set of objectives, if successfully implemented, would see by 2015 a
reduction in poverty, improve lives of the less fortunate and protect environmental
resources. These set of objectives, summarized into eight goals, became known as the
United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The Eight Millennium Development Goals'
fundamental objective is to provide guidelines for the cooperation between rich and poor
countries to reach equitable global human development, the eradication of hunger and
extreme poverty and the agreed access to healthcare and education for all men, women
and children.
The eight goals are:
• Goal one: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Goal two: Achieve universal primary education
• Goal three: Promote gender equality and empower women
• Goal four: Reduce child mortality
• Goal five: Improve maternal health
• Goal six: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Goal seven: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Goal eight: Develop a global partnership for development.
The South African Government, being a signatory to these eight goals was not only faced
with addressing the social and economic imbalances it inherited. The Government was
faced with the challenge of put processes and polices in place that would address its
internal issues and find ways of improving the lives of the less fortunate in accordance with
the eight millennium development goals. The South African government, through becoming
a signatory to the goals, has given its commitment to achieving these eight goals within the
designated timeframes.
The underlying assumption in this research project is that Government alone cannot
succeed in achieving these eight goals within the required timeframes.
Former president Nelson Mandela, when commenting on corporate social responsibility,
stated that if the Government's Reconstruction and Development program was to be
successful. South African business was needed to realize this goal.
The main purpose of this research project is to get an overview of the Corporate Social
Investment strategies implemented by the top 100 listed companies in South Africa and to
determine if these strategies to will place South Africa in a position to successfully meet
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse regering wat aan bewind gekom het na die eerste vrye
demokratiese verkiesing in 1994 het 'n land geerf wat deur apartheid uitmekaar geskeur is
en waarin groot gedeeltes van die bevolking onder 'n sasiale en ekonomiese agterstand
gebuk gegaan het. Die samelewing was op rassegrondslag verdeel en baie van die
verdelings is deur regeringsbeleid ondersteun.
Na tien jaar van demokrasie in Suid-Afrika bly die sasiale en ekonomiese erfenis van
apartheid steeds staan. Die meerderheid van die byna 45 miljoen Suid-Afrikaners leef
steeds in omstandighede wat baie dieselfde is as die van meer as 'n dekade gelede.
Tydens die Verenigde Nasies sa Millenniumspitsberaad in September 2000 het 150
staatshoofde hulself verbind tot 'n stel doelwitle. As hierdie doelwitte suksesvol
ge'r'mplementeer sou word, sou dit teen 2015 'n afname in armoede teweegbring, die
lewens van minderbevoorregtes verbeter en omgewingshulpbronne beskerm. Hierdie stel
doelwitte, opgesom as agt punte, staan bekend as die Verenigde Nasies se
Millenniumontwikkelingsdoelwitte. Die basiese uitgangspunt van die agt
Millenniumontwikkelingsdoelwitte is om riglyne daar te stel vir die samewerking tussen ryk
en arm lande met die oog op die bereiking van gelyke menslike ontwikkeling wereldwyd,
die uitwissing van honger en die uiterste armoede, en die ooreengekome toegang tot
gesondheidsorg en opvoeding vir aile mans, vroue en kinders.
Die agt doelwitte is:
• Doelwit een: Uitwissing van uiterste armoede en honger
• DoeJwit twee: Daarstelling van universele primere onderwys
• Doelwit drie: Bevordering van geslagsgelykheid en bemagtiging van vroue
• Doelwit vier: Vermindering van kindersterftes
• Doelwit vyf: Verbetering van moedergesondheid
• Doelwit ses: Bestryding van MIVNIGS, malaria en ander siektes
• Doelwit sewe: Versekering van omgewingsvolhoubaarheid
• Doelwit agt: Ontwikkeling van 'n wereldwye vennootskap vir ontwikkeling.
Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering, as ondertekenaar van hierdie agt doelwitte, moes nie aileen
die sasiale en ekonomiese wanbalanse wat hulle geerf het, uit die weg ruim nie. Die
regering het oak te staan gekom voar die uitdaging om prosesse en beleid daar te stel wat
interne probleme sou oplos en om maniere te vind om die [ewens van die
minderbevoorregtes te verbeter ooreenkomstig die agt Millennium-ontwikkelingsdoelwitte.
As ondertekenaar van hierdie doelwitte het die Suid-Afrikaanse regering homself verbind
tot die bereiking van hierdie agt doelwilte binne die ooreengekome tyd.
Die onderliggende aanname in hierdie navorsingsprojek is dat die regering aileen nie binne
die vereiste tyd hierdie a9t doelwitte suksesvol kan bereik nie. Voormalige president
Nelson Mandela het in kommentaar op korporatiewe maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid
daarop gewys dat die Suid-Afrikaanse sakesektor noodsaaklik is vir die suksesvolle
bereiking van die doelwitte in die regering se program van Heropbou en Ontwikkeling.
Die hoofdoel van hierdie navorsingsprojek is am 'n oorsig te kry oar die korporatiewe
maatskaplike beleggingstrategiee van die boonste 100 genoteerde maatskappye in SuidAfrika
en om te bepaal of hierdie strategiee Suid-Afrika in 'n posisie sal plaas am die
Verenigde Nasies se Millenniumontwikkelingsdoelwitte teen 2015 suksesvol te bereik.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/19803
Date12 1900
CreatorsDavids, Douglas
ContributorsCoetzee, S. F., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
RightsStellenbosch University

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