Reference no: EM133376406

Case Study: Africa in the 21st century is a continent of possibilities. With 53 independent and sovereign countries, Africa is home to the largest desert and savanna plains, jungles, and the pyramids. The adventure capital of the world leaves travelers awestruck, providing affordable luxury, prize - winning wines, friendly people, and a rich culture. Even with all of these natural resources, Africa is also one of the poorest and most underdeveloped regions of the world. With a history that includes a slave trade, corrupt governments, despotism, genocide, civil wars, and colonialism, these issues have all contributed to the economic and political challenges of this vast and beautiful continent. Ongoing armed conflicts, food shortages, and the AIDS pandemic are but a few of the challenges that plague this part of the world. Almost half of Ethiopia's children are malnourished, resulting in a stunted and weak workforce that still operates on manual labor. Sixty percent of all people living in sub - Saharan Africa (approximately 25.8 million) have HIV, with 2.1 million deaths resulting from AIDS coming from this region. South Africa alone has one of the highest AIDS infection rates in the world, with approximately 1,000 people dying daily from the disease, leaving a staggering number of orphans.
One of the worst human rights violations in recent history is taking place in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan. The Sudanese government, with the support of an Arab militia, the Janjaweed, began mounting a campaign of mass killing, looting, and systematic rape of the non - Arab population of Darfur, in response to a rebellion initiated in 2003 by two local rebel groups: the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA). In 2004, the United Nations Security Council called for a Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, and by May 2006, the main rebel group (Sudanese Liberation Movement) agreed to a draft peace agreement with the government. By May 2007, 400,000 Darfurians had died as a result of genocide, while more than 2.5 million surviving inhabitants had fled to refugee camps.
Despite these tumultuous events, restaurants, and hotels in the capital city of Khartoum continue to serve patrons, but often without Sudanese workers. The manager of Mo'men, a popular Egypt - based fast - food chain, believes that the Sudanese people don't like to work as hard as others do, so he hires Egyptians and Ethiopians. This view is voiced by others who hire servers from the Philippines despite having to pay for their visas, airfare, and housing. Another explanation offered is that the Sudanese lack the necessary training. A third reason offered by some is that employers are reluctant to hire black Sudanese women because of long - standing cultural divisions that exist between northern Arabs and southerners of African descent. Finally, Islamic expectations view it as unsuitable for women to serve people in public in Sudan. The impact of political crisis, as well as cultural and religious expectations, all shape the way in which business is conducted in this and all parts of the world.

QUESTIONS:

1. What opportunities and threats do you see for hospitality firms that may wish to establish businesses in Africa?
2. Why would the managers of local hospitality establishments have difficulty taking advantage of the Sudanese workforce displaced by war and languishing in poverty?