ABSTRACT\ud
The ubiquitous effect of HIV/AIDS on workplaces in South Africa has increased the pressure on large companies to implement effective responses to the disease. As companies have begun to explore workplace interventions, several theoretical guidelines or codes of practice have come into existence and with this, the concept â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 has been brought into the spotlight.\ud
With limited precedent to establish what â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 really means, contemporary HIV/AIDS literature has yet to establish a clear understanding of the concept. As a result, critical questions have been raised around the value of â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 in the workplace programmes of large South African companies and there has been a call for â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 interventions to be more precisely defined.\ud
The research had two primary objectives. The first was to establish a greater level of understanding regarding the meaning of â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 and of the specific interventions that make-up successful workplace programmes. The second was to determine the value of the â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 in promoting and managing effective workplace programmes.\ud
The research employed an interpretive analysis as part of a qualitative methodology over a period of ten months. An in-depth thematic analysis of fourteen codes and guidelines and several â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 documents formed the basis of interview research instruments. Data was collected during a series of thirty-nine in-depth interviews across twenty-one large companies and fifteen workplace HIV/AIDS experts, consultants and service providers. A focused research questionnaire - based on overlapping content in the codes and guidelines - was used to establish views regarding specific workplace interventions and to verify the existence of nine principal components of successful workplace programmes.\ud
The investigation of a wide range of perceptions and organisational factors found to affect the uptake and continuity of â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 allowed for a greater understanding of the concept â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 within the context of workplace HIV/AIDS programmes and enabled the development of a generic conceptual framework for companies to use in evaluating â\u80\u98best practiceâ\u80\u99 interventions. Within this, the research identified a specific need for renewed focus on the measurable outcomes and intensified efforts in promoting the continuous improvement of workplace HIV/AIDS interventio