An investigation into the effectiveness of corporate sustainability programmes and initiatives in the agricultural sector : the case of British American Tobacco Zimbabwe

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid towards the notion of corporate sustainability, which has variously been defined as meaning the incorporation of social, environmental, economic, and cultural concerns into corporate strategy and bottom line. The preliminary investigation suggests that Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) are mainly worried about securing permission for commencing operations and not about the wellbeing of locals and their livelihoods. Further to this, one of the main reasons why efforts aimed at improving sustainability are not yielding significant and lasting results, is that solution seekers in business, science, government and the research community are still operating in the same old paradigm of using basically the same tools and adopting the same world view that threaten sustainability in the first. The key and clear research objectives of this study are:- to ascertain if there is a link between British American Tobacco Zimbabwe (BATZ) top management philosophy, corporate strategy and the company`s corporate sustainability programmes, initiatives and other efforts, and the various stakeholders, and, if so, how these are communicated to them; to establish the degree of integrating sustainable development practice and initiatives into the BATZ business model in order to have long term benefits for both the company and its various stakeholders - these are an integral part of the socio-ecological system, and will help the business understand the resilience of the system and where in the system they should operate; to establish the depth, scope and culture of sustainability in terms of the extent to which they inserted inside (embedded) the BATZ operations; and to ascertain the level of economic, social and environmental effects of BATZ`s corporate sustainability programmes and initiatives in the locality in which it operates. The research used focus group and key informant discussions, one-on-one interviews, and to a limited extent a semi-structured research questionnaire. Information was also accessed from company internal information management portals, and BATZ's group sustainability and other reports. The conclusion was that renewable energy programmes at BATZ were driven by energy insecurity and scarcity. Currently BATZ is not recycling water used in cigarette manufacturing operations, waste recycling of cut-rag tobacco has been occurring, and BATZ will continue to provide agronomic support to small scale farmers under its Social Responsibility in Tobacco Programmes (SRTP) towards leaf sustainability. The Rocket Barn concept is one of the most innovative intermediate technological breakthroughs meant for improving wood fuel efficiency in tobacco curing. Socially BATZ has done some good works in addressing some of society's key challenges. There have been benefits for key corporate stakeholders in having BATZ operating in Zimbabwe. The research will assist BATZ to fully understand the socio-ecological system in which it operates; a fundamental understanding to improve corporate sustainability, which will then require a shift in sustainability-oriented efforts.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University