Abstract
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