| dc.description.abstract | Business practices have changed tremendously over the years. The
focus is no longer profit maximization. Contemporary business practices
call for increased attention on societal and environmental aspect.
Managers of today are striving to change their outlook by focusing more
on factors that directly or indirectly affect operations hence, paving the
way for long-term profit maximization. The concept social responsibility
came as a result of these changes.
The study was designed to investigate the social responsibility
practices among Polythene manufacturers in Kenya. There are 32
Polythene manufacturers in Kenya which comprised the population. A
census study was conducted. Primary data formed the basis for this
research and was collected through personal interviews and structured
questionnaires.
The results have shown that even though the manufacturers are
well aware of the concept of social responsibility that has not led to the
implementation of the same. This is mainly because of the prohibitive
costs associated with it. Training and employment opportunities, and
transport provision have been undertaken to certain degree with the aim
of maximization of profit. .But with regard to the environment not much
has been done.
Government should playa major role in order to minimize the
effects Polythene products have on the e,nvironment by giving incentives
for the manufacturers making investment somehow easy. Manufacturers
also have a role to play by educating users to the right disposal methods,
finding alternative suitable for making bags and packaging material at
competitive rate and convenience without having any negative aspect.
Lastly, we should learn from best practices in other countries by
adopting practices to our local settling. For example in India, due to
widespread awareness drive by NGO's and government and to lesser
extent by educational institutions has resulted in increasing
consciousness among few shopkeepers they have shifted back to the old
system of wrapping up goods in paper bags or newspapers, some people
- are slowly getting habituated to going to the market with cloth bags.
Besides a few NGO's, even school students have come forward to
take up a promotion campaign for the use of paper or cloth bags. It has
also been suggested rather than spending on anti-plastic campaign, the
authorities should gear up its machinery for effective waste management
and disposal of plastic. | en |
