Despite almost universal awareness of HIV/Aids as a killer disease, few companies have realized that it could close or cripple them. They seem to see it as purely a human resources issue, neglecting the potentially devastating impact on markets and productivity. Most companies have "higher priorities" such as on-going union negotiations, although one in five of their workers was dying and HIV/Aids was draining their performance and profitability. They don't seem to appreciate that HIV/Aids has the potential to destroy their businesses, by radically changing market spending patterns and by reducing productivity as more and more consumers and employees take ill or die from the disease.