Unit 3: Country Analysis: Kenya Post-Activity Reflection

Week 1 Discussion

Sub-Saharan Africa is a terminology used to recount a geographical region in the continent of Africa, situated south of the Sahara desert. Some of these countries include Cameroon, Burundi, Botswana, Benin, Kenya, and others. Mauritius is the leading country in the Sub-Saharan countries, with very strong and equitable public facilities, clear property rights efficient government, and strong judicial independence. The transportation and communication infrastructures are grown compared to other countries. The country is trying to improve its global market.

South Africa is the second-ranked country in SSA the key measures such as public institutions, responsibilities of its private institutions, property of rights, and the efficiency of its legal framework. It also has a well-organized financial market. However, the country's macroeconomic indicators have been impacted by its strong ties to advanced economies. Rwanda ranks third in the measure of transparent public institutions, and systematic financial market. However, poor infrastructures, insufficient quality of education of the workforce, and lack of financial access have remained to be the greatest challenges faced by the country. 

Botswana is ranked fourth in the key measures among SSA countries. The country has transparent public institutions and quality education. Due to efficient government spending, the country experiences a low level of corruption and high labor and goods market. Health is the biggest challenge in Botswana. Namibia is the fifth and due to its fairly efficient government, the country gains advantage from its well-structured public institutions, well-protected property rights, and independent judiciary. Its transportation infrastructure is well developed and the country's products and services markets are also well developed. However, infant mortality and low expectance rates due to high rates of communicable infections have remained the biggest challenges to the country.

References

Doan, H. (2019). Trade, Institutional Quality, and Income: Empirical Evidence for Sub-Saharan Africa. Economies, 7(2), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies7020048

Week 2 Discussion

Question 1

In Sub Saharan Africa, morality is defined by individual character, thereby defining the quality of life for the individual. In other words, the African morality system is founded on good character. Thus, how an individual is perceived is based on their character (Waweru, 2020). Depending on the new environment, individuals may be required to alter their character to meet the current area’s perception of moral conduct. Alternatively, ethical practices in Sub Saharan Africa are dependent on culture, meaning that it is essential to be aware of others’ ethnicity to prevent bigotry (Waweru, 2020). Therefore, unlike western cultures, where ethics and morality define an individual, in Sub Saharan Africa, character assumes both roles. 

Question 2

It is noteworthy that business ethics is a rapidly developing practice in Africa as more academic institutions teach the practice. According to a survey by De Avillez et al.  (2019) over 100 modules in African learning institutions offer business ethics. With increasing awareness provided by learning institutions, it is also possible to conduct ethical and moral business practices in the region. Among the first strategies would be the development of ethical standards for the business (De Avillez et al., 2019). It is the most critical step from a personal perspective as it evaluates the region's perception of ethics and morality before setting acceptable standards. Through proper implementation and evaluation, ambiguity and confusion are negated.

Question 3

Thus, from the perspective of a consultant, it would be strategic for multinational projects to develop and enforce policies founded on Sub Saharan perception of morality and ethics. Policies are the guidelines through which employees enforce business expectations. By imposing practical policies, it would be possible to ensure that employees are aware of the consequences, eliminating unwanted behaviors (Waweru, 2020). Additioanlly, involving community participation allows the company to understand regional ethics and morality better, allowing for simplified and affective appreciation of the consumers (Waweru, 2020). It is critical to understand how to manage the employees while meeting the expectations of the consumers.

 

References

De Avillez, M., Greenman, A., & Marlow, S. (2019). Ethical Judgments About Social Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Influence of Spatio-Cultural Meanings. Journal Of Business Ethics, 161(4), 877-892.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04344-zLinks to an external site.

Waweru, N. (2020). Business ethics disclosure and corporate governance in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). International Journal Of Accounting & Information Management, 28(2), 363-387.  https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-07-2019-0091Links to an external site.

Edited by Rymario Armstrong on Oct 27 at 3:35pm

Week 3 Discussion

Discovery research

            Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the poorest-performing areas on the capability of doing business, with a mean score of 51.8. Even though this average is way below the overall global average, which is 63, the region has experienced an increase of 0.9 points in its business doing score. The weak score can be associated with the region's numerous environmental problems, including desertification, insect infestation, and soil erosion. The Sub-saharan Africa region has been handicapped by its failure to understand nature and the needed solutions. These issues have resulted in decreased business activities and delayed economic growth (Hilson & Diallo, 2019). However, globalization has seen the area improve its growth in the economy through financial aids, investments in social infrastructure, and increased government involvement in the markets.

            The region's minimal competition in doing business has attracted numerous industries to establish their operations in the hope of attracting the untapped African markets (Blimpo & Cosgrove-Davies, 2019). Numerous foreign companies are beginning to establish their business operations to get more profits from the huge and cheap labor.

Moreover, sub-Saharan Africa has very minimal business regulations as compared to other developed nations. In some ways, this issue has prompted many organizations to operate with minimal supervision, and as a result, they contributed immensely to the present environmental issues (Asongu & Odhiambo, 2019). The governments in the region have failed in their inability to be involved in the overall business environment, which could help ensure that operations are carried out with the safety of the environment in mind.

It is recommendable for the state governments in the region to increase their presence in the trading markets to ensure that all the industries operating in the region can minimize their environmental consequences. Moreover, more financial aid is needed to boost the countries' economies to improve and develop a better platform for business operations. There is a need to invest in research as a way of improving the innovativeness of different industries.

 

References

Asongu, S. A., & Odhiambo, N. M. (2019). Challenges of doing business in Africa: a systematic review. Journal of African Business, 20(2), 259-268.

Blimpo, M. P., & Cosgrove-Davies, M. (2019). Electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa: Uptake, reliability, and complementary factors for economic impact. The World Bank.

Hilson, G., Goumandakoye, H., & Diallo, P. (2019). Formalizing artisanal mining ‘spaces’ in rural sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Niger. Land Use Policy, 80, 259-268.