Definición de las historias de usuario

Protea hotel Livingstone (PHL) (which is part of the Marriot International Group) is also involved in CSR initiatives in Mukuni communities. PHLmger stated that the hotel’s head office in South Africa mandates all its franchise hotels around the Southern African Region to “give back” to their communities by investing in CSR initiatives. According to the brand philosophy posted on its website, Protea hotels should be dedicated to continuous uplifting of and social responsibility towards those less fortunate through appropriate CSI programmes14. The company actively encourage a culture of philanthropy and community involvement amongst its employees. Thus, CSR initiatives are conducted as a TEAM effort. Furthermore, its CSI programmes are directed at two stakeholders being its staff and communities where the business operates. Like SIL, PHL does not involve communities in its CSR decision making processes. Instead, the head office gives focus areas every year to all its franchise hotels around southern African. PHLmger explained that these focus areas are not mandatory:

“…once received, management in Livingstone works around the focus areas to generate specific CSR initiatives…the head office does not determine the funds that should be allocated to CSR programmes...our management in Livingstone decides...this is left as a prerogative of individual hotels. For example, in 2014 one of the focus areas we were given was housing and the theme was fulfilling the dream, based on a South African concept…we worked around this concept by supporting the terminally ill people and orphaned children in Livingstone to help them achieve their dreams…”(PHLmger, 15thAugust, 2014).

PHL opened in 2008 and started its CSR programmes in 2009. PHLmger stated that the initial programmes were small by all means, in that the hotel only supported donations

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to children’s homes and to some community farmers. According to the manager, the company began to formally allocate funds to its CSR programmes in 2010. She explained that the amount which the hotel allocated was not fixed. It only varied depending on new issues, the performance of previous CSR initiatives and mainly its business performance. The main source of funds for PHL’s CSR is from its own revenues. The company allocates an average of 2% of its revenues15 to its CSR programmes. PHLmger disclosed that as the hotel grows, allocation to its CSR programme portfolio will also grow:

“…I can assure you that as business performance keeps improving, the allocation to CSR will also keep growing…our future projection is to reach a target of about 5%...” (PHLmger, 15thJuly, 2014).

Like SIL, PHL also collects donations from its guests although the manager indicated that the company was uncomfortable with the approach (no figures were disclosed):

“…the hotel used to have a donation box in the foyer for guests to put in their donations to support our CSR programme activities but we removed it and replaced it with a leaflet which is placed in the guest rooms…we just felt uncomfortable about this approach. The funds collected from donations are pooled together with the hotel’s own resources for the support of its CSR activities in local communities…” (PHLmger, 15th_{July, 2014).}

Most of the CSR undertaken by PHL are in the form of philanthropic donations to schools and vulnerable groups in Mukuni communities (Table 12). In terms of its support for small community businesses, Table 15 shows that the hotel has consistently funded three CSR initiatives over a period of 3 years (grey shades). One of these is St. Joseph’s Hospice, where the hotel has supported a vegetable and fruit growing business since 2008. In addition, the hotel makes regular donations to the hospice.

15_{2% of the hotel’s revenue covers to the whole CSR programme portfolio, not for Mukuni communities} only.

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Table 12: Protea Hotel's Annual Allocation of Funds to CSR for Mukuni16

No. CSR initiative Amount Allocated per year (in ZAR)

2012 2013 2014 Initiative Totals

1 Trees for Zambia (Greenpop) 15,643.00 26,241.60 27,235.60 69,120.20

2 Rising Stars Football Team 2,143.00 - - 2,143.00

3 Katombola School of Orphans 1,500.00 - - 1,500.00

4 Kwathu Children's Home 10,714.00 - - 10,714.00

5 I am one in a Million 2,357.00 - - 2,357.00

6 Maramba Old People's Home 7,857.00 1789.2 1,789.20 11,435.40

7 Zambezi River Festival 3,571.00 - - 3,571.00

8 St Joseph's Hospices 12,143.00 25,844.00 34,790.00 72,777.00

9 SHARE HIV Awareness Campaign 4,286.00 - - 4,286.00

10 Katombora Maternity Clinic 1,714.00 - 8,548.40 10,262.40

11 Dani's Home for Girls - 4,473.00 - 4,473.00

12 Acacia School and Ebenezer Home - 5,467.00 - 5,467.00

13 Farming Project for the Disabled - 7,136.92 - 7,136.92

14 World Malaria Day - 4,970.00 - 4,970.00

15 Public Toilets - 3,479.00 - 3,479.00

16 L/stone City Council Town Garden

Competition - 5,467.00 - 5,467.00

17 SOS Children's Village - 2,186.80 2,137.10 4,323.90

18 Livingstone Tourism Association Text

Book Fundraiser - 1,988.00 - 1,988.00

19 Acacia International Fundraiser - 1,988.00 - 1,988.00

20 Wild Geese Society- St Patricks

Fundraiser for Abused Women - 3,976.00 - 3,976.00

21 Victoria Falls Primary School - - 1,988.00 1,988.00

22 Dambwa Hospice - - 11,928.00 11,928.00

23 Spray is the Way - - 4,274.20 4,274.20

24 International Rowing Regatta - - 6,262.20 6,262.20

25 Ceshire Children's Home - - 4,274.20 4,274.20

26 Mulungushi Boat Club Challenge - - 4,274.20 4,274.20

Total (in ZAR) 61,928.00 95,006.52 107,501.10 264,435.62

Total (in USD) (1 USD = 9.94 ZAR) 6,230.18 9,558.00 10,815.00 26,603.18

St Joseph’s hospice is a home for terminally ill people. It cares for both children and adults, many of whom suffer from HIV/AIDS. The hospice is administered through a board by a faith-based organisation. With the vegetable project, the hotel has financed all the requirements for vegetable and fruit production at the hospice. This support includes buying seed, fertilizers, and irrigation equipment for the hospice. In turn, the

16 _{Please, note that the hotel does more CSR initiatives than the ones presented in this table: CSR}

initiatives which the hotel does in other communities were excluded. Also note that details for the previous years, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 were not readily available. The company only had information for 3 years.

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hotel buys all the surplus vegetables which the hospice produces. The hotel confirmed that at least 40% of the vegetable purchases that it makes come from St. Joseph’s hospice’s gardens. This is another example of a CSR relationship that had generated benefits for both the company and the community. In terms of challenges, PHL recounted how two community initiatives which it supported in partnership with a third party organisation failed and ended up being abandoned. The first one was a mushroom project, which did not last long:

“…the hotel supported a mushroom project in Maramba community through an NGO called ASNAPP. The project was started by ASNAPP which is funded by the USAID. But the project ended up failing mainly as a result of mismanagement and cultural issues, which the hotel had no control over...” (PHLmger, 15thJuly, 2014).

The second one was a vegetable and fruit gardening business. PHLmger explained that the hotel provided funds to a community in Mukuni to purchase a pump for irrigation purposes in community vegetable and fruit gardens. It also provided funds to cover operational costs for things like fuel and repairs to the pump. This initiative also failed for similar reasons as the mushroom initiative:

“…the initiative failed probably as a result of some elders in the community group misusing funds meant for the project on individual needs and no young person was able to challenge them. In the end, even though the younger members of the group were keen to get the project going, there were no funds left to repair and maintain the water pump to irrigate their vegetable and fruit gardens…”(PHLmger, 15th_{August, 2014).}

These incidences show that traditional power and cultural influences are present in Mukuni communities and if not carefully considered and sufficiently addressed in CSR approaches, they have potential to negatively affect the outcomes of CSR initiatives. The PHLmger informed this researcher that it is culturally “taboo” to publicly challenge opinions of leaders and elders in Mukuni communities. The manager felt that while respect for leaders and elders is expected; it should not come at costs for development. The downside of these taboos is they tend to undermine governance, accountability and wider distribution of benefits to the majority in communities as is the case in the failed initiatives. These sentiments are clearly reflected in the manager’s remarks below:

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“…there was no system to hold the elders in communities accountable and as I said earlier no young person was able to challenge them because culture does not allow them…until things really got worse and the project closed. This was frustrating for the young men and for the hotel too…” (PHLmger, 15thJuly, 2014).

In terms of local procurements, PHL also makes purchases of its daily requirements from other community farmers other than St Joseph’s hospice as noted in the manager’s comments below:

“…our hotel promotes local Zambian dishes on its food menu which include Zambia’s local delicacy: nshima with kapenta [which is a dried sardine], fresh fish – the Zambezi bream, free range chickens, locally grown okra and other vegetables and goat stew. We procure all these food items locally from people in Mukuni communities. For example, the hotel procures goat meat from a local community farmer called Mr Sifukwa on an on-going arrangement….” (PHLmger, 15thJuly, 2014).

PHL also supports social investment projects in Mukuni communities. This support is mainly channelled through NGOs which are its partners. The manager disclosed that the hotel collaborates with NGOs such as Butterfly Tree, ASNAPP and SHARe International in a number of its CSR initiatives in the area as indicated in her statements below:

“…the hotel works through its partners such as USAID, SHARe International, Butterfly Tree and ASNAPP or other NGOs... we give funds to our NGO partners who constantly work in communities… For example, Butterfly Tree is there [in communities] for a long time to see to it that the investments we make in communities does not fall away in the short-term. The NGO is even building a school….it also brings volunteers, mainly retired school teachers, nurses and doctors who come for a period of six weeks…to work in schools, work with teachers, guiding and training them in new trends, new things etc. giving them suggestions on how to deal with situations and they get this done for the clinic side as well. We are happy to be part of this support…” (PHLmger, 15thJuly, 2014).

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Regarding local employment opportunities, the PHLmger boasted that all its 55 employees were locally recruited from Mukuni communities with a few exceptions coming from outside Livingstone. Like SIL, philanthropic donations feature prominently in PHL’s CSR approaches as reflected in the manager’s statement below. It is clear from this that the PHL’s CSR practices are greatly shaped by the overall Protea hotel brand philosophy quoted earlier.

“…the hotel mainly makes small donation of money and not only in monetary value…however, we are trying to go for [CSR] initiatives that are more sustainable…we plan to do more in the areas of education (sponsoring and supporting), providing support for health [HIV/AIDs] issues, vulnerable women and children issues, environment [recycling], local procurement and local employment…. As the saying goes, “you can feed a man on fish everyday but if you teach him how to fish, you have fed him for a life time…” (PHLmger, 15thJuly, 2014).

These sentiments show that although PHL still emphasises philanthropy as its main CSR approach in Mukuni communities, there are also indications that change is taking place. PHL is also including more elements of community development in its business strategies like SIL and that the company is collaborating more with local and international NGOs when implementing its CSR in recent years. This shows evidence of an on-going process of change in the company’s CSR practices. However, there is need to determine the influence of this change (positive or negative) coming from its brand philosophy.