ABSTRACT

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had devastating effects in the workplace. It poses challenges to companies such as loss of productivity, employee turnover, increased medical costs, cost of HIV testing and treatment etc. (Aventin 1998). HIV/AIDS is not just a potential crisis, but also a real threat to the workforce and the entire community at large. This paper looks at the impact that HIV/AIDS has had on companies and the responses that companies are making towards prevention of these costs. While there is an ever-increasing emphasis on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, there often appears a disconnect between being aware and acting to prevent. The research project introduces us to the impact of HIV /AIDS epidemic on business. It contains the objectives, scope and significance of the study. For many businesses the impact of H1V/AIDS is severely constraining their ability to be competitive, while for others, the potential risks are significant in both high and low HIV/AIDS prevalence regions. Del Monte Kenya Ltd., the case study for this paper is a plantation located in Thika District a HIV/AIDS high prevalence region, It is acknowledged that much research has been conducted to study the devastating effects of the epidemic on businesses and the strategies that these companies have come up with to address the crisis caused by HIV/AIDS. The literature review section looks at these studies. Chapter Three is a research methodology, which is a brief on how the researcher collected data, analyzed and presented the findings on the study. This includes use of questionnaires, use of descriptive statistics to collect and present findings respectively. The analysis of the data collected is presented using frequency tables and graphs in Chapter Four and finally there is a conclusion from analysis, recommendations and suggestions for further research.