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Global Business Cultural Analysis: South Africa

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Global Business Cultural Analysis: South Africa
Running head: GBCA – SOUTH AFRICA

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Global Business Cultural Analysis: South Africa Raymond J. Landis BUSI 604-D06 LUO – International Business Professor – Dr. Stephen P. Preacher Liberty University May 13, 2011

GBCA – SOUTH AFRICA Abstract This paper will endeavor to form a comprehensive analysis of South African culture, principally for the perspective of doing business in that nation. Ultimately, the paper will point out the crucial points for US businesses to consider before committing to a multinational corporate operation in South Africa. The analysis will discourse the major elements and dimensions of South African culture; tracing them to methodologies employed by local businesses already participating in that economy. Exploration will attempt to discover and compare similarities and differences within US culture and business, and make note how these cultural factors and attributes are observed in comparative to their perspective geography.

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GBCA – SOUTH AFRICA Global Business Cultural Analysis: South Africa Introduction

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South Africa is a nation located geographically in relationship to its name: at the southern tip of the African continent. In 1994, South Africa became a constitutional democracy and the newly formed government decided not to change the name of the new state despite of their earnest desires to form a completely revitalized national identity. South Africa was originally established in 1910. The formation of the South African state was a resolution to unify two British colonies along with two other independent republics forming the Union of South Africa. Nearly 360 years ago, in 1652, South Africa was planted as a colonial outpost by the Dutch East India Company. Cape Town is where they first establish their outstation. South African society developed slowly as a colony, but was eventually officially divided into a socio-economic stratum that consisted of colonizers and natives. The colonizers were European whites and the natives



References: Adamovic, M. (2011). Cost of living comparison between United States and South Africa. Numbeo.com. Mladen Adamovic, Founder. Retrieved from 23

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