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Barloworld case study
Phitidis, Kimon
Phitidis, Kimon
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Author(s)
Phitidis, Kimon
Contributor(s)
Keywords
business ethics
responsibility
society
peace ethics
social policy
Apartheid
responsibility
society
peace ethics
social policy
Apartheid
GE Subjects
Political ethics
Economic ethics
Peace ethics
Development ethics
Business ethics
Economic ethics
Peace ethics
Development ethics
Business ethics
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Online Access
Abstract
"This study considers Barloworld’s approach to, and participation in, supporting societal change in the context of South Africa’s history. It begins in the 1970s, a period of booming economic growth for South Africa, but also a period in which long-term black unemployment and repressive apartheid laws contributed towards the potential of major social unrest. It was in the 1970s, when corporate foundations were rare in South Africa, that the CS Barlow Foundation was established. It was also when the company redefined its labour relations policies to include black workers and developed the structures of collective bargaining that were to contribute towards the social institutions that followed. The Soweto riots of 1976 contributed towards big business collaborating for the first time on issues of societal change, and the Urban Foundation was established for this purpose. This, along with other collaborative business structures, led to the formation of today’s National Business Initiative (NBI), a corporate agency for societal change in South Africa. It was during the 1980s and 1990s that the response of big business to an impending social crisis, and the participation of Barloworld in this response, really gained momentum. The company contributed to the development of a number of national tripartite forums that saw business, labour and government sitting around the same table for the first time in South Africa’s history. It also drove regional forums that aimed to address the social challenges of specific communities, two of these being the Middelburg Forum and the Stutterheim Foundation. Based on the experience and outcomes of these regional forums and on the collective bargaining structures that had been developed in union negotiations, Barloworld and other companies were key participants in the development of the Peace Accord and other structures that contributed to a peaceful transition in 1994. This Peace Accord process was chaired jointly by business and church interests, and Barloworld participated as chairman on behalf of business, as host to many of the proceedings and as negotiator and a facilitator of many disputes between the parties. Through these forums Barloworld was also a lead player in contributing to the role of South African big business in supporting the 1994 democratic elections. Throughout this period, the company’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme grew and adapted to the changing social challenges of South African society. It was started with a goal of contributing towards better educational opportunities for the majority of South Africans, and expanded to include projects in entrepreneurship and the delivery of urban housing. Today its focus is much wider, and includes the support of healthcare, environmental and leadership development, arts and youth initiatives. With the opening up of South Africa to international markets Barloworld expanded offshore. With this geographic expansion it broadened its focus on societal change to include the support of institutions that seek to promote and develop a more sustainable role for business in addressing the societal and environmental challenges facing the world."
Note(s)
Topic
Type
Preprint
Date
2006
Identifier
ISBN
DOI
Copyright/License
With permission of the license/copyright holder