ABSTRACT
Many companies currently do not have a satisfactory response to the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the community, among customers, or among employees, and must suddenly take a reactive stance. Worse, the epidemic may not be on their radar at all. A six-year research project examining private sector responses to HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa found that the “vast majority” of businesses had a weak or nonexistent response, while many others attempted to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on their companies by modifying employment conditions (Rosen, Feeley, Connelly, and Simon, 2006).2 In a survey conducted for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2004, it was found that only approximately one-quarter of all companies in 104 countries had an HIV/AIDS policy. However, in areas with an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate exceeding 20 percent, almost half of the companies surveyed had an HIV/AIDS policy.3
