Country-risk analysis - Research Paper Example

to define South Africa based in terms of common occurrence and norms of society but also in terms of encapsulating the business environment and detailing how an individual or their family might necessarily be impacted by a move from candidate to South Africa. Rather than avoiding the issue until later in the analysis, it is first necessary to grapple with the proverbial gorilla in the room. Essentially, up until only two decades ago, South Africa was an apartheid state. Whereas the United States and other nations around the globe ceased segregating individuals based upon race many years ago, South Africa held on to a very conservative and racial viewpoint of society; one in which Africans and individuals of European ancestry did not integrate with one another and oftentimes did not engage within society.

Naturally, these rules were established by a government which was predominantly European in ethnic origin (Vincent & Howell, 2014). Not surprisingly, the ethnic strife that this caused and the difficulty on race relations was profound. Within the current era, South Africa continues to exhibit some of the most profound and oftentimes violent racial relations of nearly any nation on earth. Accordingly, many individuals that come from Europe or North America are flummoxed to see the degree of racial tension that exists within South Africa and the overall degree to which the painful past is reflected in current society, politics, culture, and even entertainment.

As a direct result of this dynamic, it is necessary for individuals to appreciate the fact that the racial overtones and overtones within South Africa will be much stronger as compared to Canada. With this in mind, a renewed level of sensitivity to racial concerns and the degree and extent to which interaction and engagement with individuals of different races takes place within society and is normalized will be required (Govinder et al., 2013). Another relevant concern with respect to life and conducting