Graduation Year

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Granting Department

Anthropology

Major Professor

Nancy Romero-Daza, Ph.D.

Committee Member

David Himmelgreen, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Skai Schwartz, Ph.D.

Keywords

HIV/AIDS, business, monitoring and evaluation, multinational corporation, medical anthropology, epidemiology

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the private sector response to the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and the United States (US) in multinational businesses and corporations. From an epidemiological perspective HIV/AIDS and its co infections cause acute and chronic illness in the workforce leading to programs and interventions of various complexity and effectiveness. Workforce HIV/AIDS epidemiology in South Africa and the US is reviewed and discussed. From a critical medical anthropology perspective multinational corporations are political and economic entities with immense resources and power over people, communities, and governments globally. Corporate culture becomes important in the design of prevention and treatment strategies. Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) global AIDS program (GAP) allowed the researcher to conduct key informant interviews and participant observation in five multinational business in South Africa. Important issues are raised regarding workforce education, stigma, workplace and community relationships, rapid-saliva versus blood sample testing, and the need for more disclosure and involvement of people with HIV/AIDS (PWHAs) in the workplace. In light of increasing global capitalization, poor government services for prevention and treatment, and the fact that HIV/AIDS discrimination is a human rights abuse, from a collective standpoint businesses have been slow to respond to HIV/AIDS, in southern Africa as well as in the United States, and should make it a core component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies regardless of disease prevalence in the workforce.

Download

Share

COinS