SOUTH AFRICA CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
When it comes to deal with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in South Africa it is such an important business’ topic with respect of the State, the economic, and the public; as well as environment.
The World Business Council For Sustainability Development define the Corporate Social Responsibility as:
“Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. ‘CSR is a corporate culture where businesses or companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment.”1
In South Africa we found a highly active support, first, from the government as well as any domestic or foreign company. In order to understand how big and important the impact of the CSR into South Africa is, we need to know a little bit of its historical background. The way of how the companies were socially involved in South Africa goes way back in time when the grumble of society was still during the apartheid. It wasn’t until 1994, when many companies were investing actively in a lot of social initiatives, since in eyes of the state there was no need to do act on behalf of the colored groups existing in the country.
Companies since then realized that the poor living conditions of the black population, which is the majority, were stopping the economic development of the country. Thenceforth, the political change and all the effort have a balance on the unequal distribution of wealth from the times of the apartheid have driven the Corporate Social Responsibility forward in South Africa....
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...programs are paid for from these funds.
National Environmental Management Act No. 107 (1998)
Among other things, encourages long-term development, access to natural resources as well as the participation of the public in decisions in the environmental realm. Specifies that companies can be made responsible for environmental damage.
Labor Relations Act No. 66 (1995) / Basic Conditions of Employment Act No. 75 (1997)
Both laws specify the basic working conditions; encourage the signing of collective labor agreements, and codetermination in the workplace.
Occupational Health and Safety Act No 85 (1993) /Mine Health and Safety Act No. 29 (1996)
The "Occupational Health and Safety Act” includes the requirements of systems for health and safety management in the workplace. The “Mine Health and Safety Act” focuses on the necessity of reducing accidents and deaths in mining
This act dramatically changed the safety in mines
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed as an agency of the federal government that is charged with protecting workers from recognized safety hazards within the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created as a result of passage of the “Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 in response to dangerous working conditions across the nation and as a culmination of decades of reform” (Walter, 2011, para. 5). President Richard Nixon signed the act into law on December 29, 1970 and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was officially established on April 28, 1971 (Walter, 2011). During the 41 years on the job, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has identified and addressed numerous work hazards, as well as provided solutions to mitigate and/or avoid placing workers in unnecessary danger. OSHA regulates as enforces regulations throughout the country, however the agency does declare that “states can run their own safety and health programs as long as those programs are at least as effective as the federal program” (http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-osha.htm). The states that choose to implement their own version of the occupational safety and health plan are referred to as OSHA states, whereas those who implement no plan are required to follow the federal regulations, as set forth by OSHA. OSHA effects all workers and employers in the United States, as the desired effect of the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act is “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources” (Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1970). OS...
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Corporate Social Responsibility is the obligation from corporations to utilize their resources to aid and benefit the larger society. The four components of CSR are economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. Social Responsibility is a fundamental force in the wealth creation process. If correctly demonstrated, CSR should heighten competitiveness and boost the value of wealth creation to society. A company's CSR Initiatives directly represent who the company is and what it believes it. The m...
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