International Business Walmart case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Business Walmart case study - Essay Example As such, it is worthwhile to analyze the prospective of Wal-Mart in South Africa by first considering the four dimensions of distance between the U.S. and South Africa as well as the disadvantages and disadvantages of Wal-Mart in South Africa using Eclectic Paradigm as it will be delineated in this discussion. The distance between the U.S. and South Africa can be considered through four dimensions: cultural, political, geographic and economic distance. Firstly, the cultural distance deals with the cultural attributes, which are very essential in determining the manner in which individuals will interact with each other as well as with companies (Ghemawat, 2001). Whereas the majority of the inhabitants of the U.S. are whites, blacks are predominant in South Africa. The U.S. is an English speaking nation, whereas South Africans speak isiZulu language to a greater extent in trivial English. Also, in the U.S., the Protestant, and Catholic religions are prevalent while, on the other hand, Protestant and other Christian religions are prevalent in South Africa. Secondly, the political distance between the U.S and South Africa is eminent in the sense that they do not share a common currency: U.S. dollar for the U.S. and the South African rand for South Africa. Thirdly, the geographical distance be tween the two countries exists in terms of geographical size, climate, and population. The U.S. covers a geographical area of 9,826,675 square kilometers (sq. Km) whereas South Africa traces the U.S. with 1,219,090 sq. Km in geographical size. Besides, the U.S. has a temperate climate, which is different from the semiarid climate in South Africa. Additionally, the U.S. has a population of 316,668,567 whereas South Africa has 48,601,098. Lastly, the economic distance between the U.S. and South Africa is apparent from the GDP per capita, $ 50,000 for the U.S and $11,400 for South Africa, the real GDP

Critique of Dallas' Emergency Response Plan Essay

Critique of Dallas' Emergency Response Plan - Essay Example FEMA’s mission is to support United States’ nationals and first responders in ensuring that, as nation, people join forces to deal with all types of disasters in case they occure. Disasters can strike anytime, anywhere, and usually takes different forms ranging from hurricanes and earthquakes to fires, toxic oil spills, mother nature acts and terrorist attacks. Every year, many Americans are faced with disasters together with their terrifying consequences (Huggins, 2007). As of October 2011, FEMA had over 7,000 employees all over the country working to support citizens and first responders in ensuring that they join forces to improve their capability to respond to disasters. FEMA employees perform their duties all over the country- at the headquarters, the ten regional offices including one in Dallas, the National Emergency Training Centre, Noble Training Centre/Centre for domestic Preparedness, among other locations- so as to support the larger team that deals with man aging emergencies. FEMA comprises of a team that includes state, tribal and local officials, federal partners, the private sector and non-governmental organizations together with the public. The Office of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management provides a 24-hour operation aimed at reducing injury or loss of lives and property. It also aims at protecting citizens of Dallas county from all types of disasters through providing and coordinating resources, skills, leadership and advocacy through a comprehensive security based on risk, an emergency management program of prevention, preparedness, recovery, mitigation and response. The emergency management program for the County of Dallas is derived from the Texas Government statute that requires each county to maintain a disaster plan. The stature is a basis for the state or local relationship, solidified by inter-jurisdiction agreements with Dallas County eleven other intra-county cities for assistance on daily operations, and dur ing disasters. The Building Security force is a section of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management that deals with providing a safe environment to the public and workers who partake of Dallas County’s services as provided by fulltime and contract security officers (Jenkins 2009). In order to perform their duties effectively, FEMA trains its members. Training provides homeland security officials, first responders, emergency management officials, and other persons with the skills, abilities and knowledge necessary to undertake key tasks required by specific capabilities. The National Training Program (NTP) gives a detailed and organized approach to training for emergency response providers and emergency managers all over America that supports the National Preparedness Guidelines. The NTP provides policy, tools and guidance that detail training design, development, delivery and evaluation as necessary. It will also support the promulgation and regular updating of national voluntary consensus standards in training, ensuring that the training is consistent with the standards. FEMA has four training organizations; CDP (Centre for Domestic Preparedness), EMI (Emergency Management Institute), NTED (National Training and Education Division), and NFA (National Fire Academy). CDP, located in Anniston, Alabama, is Homeland security’s only Weapons of Mass Destruction training center that is federally chartered. It began operations in 1998 and offers the best services in terms