The advent of the international Walmart company into the South African economy could not come at a better time and it has the potential of shaking the local employment market wide open. There are many reasons why the introduction of the Walmart company into the South African economy will be both good for the average person and for the country, not just for continued evolution in the employment sector of our society.
Walmart is a major international retail company with decades of experience at running a competitive commercial enterprise in a whole range of economic and social environments, which has tremendous financial advantages for South Africa as a whole. Namely, a greater diversity in corporate business practice, while making the individual corporation much more accountable to the public in regards to their business practices, as well.
It has a monumental wealth of skilled experts, who know how to set-up and manage a whole variety of different retail ventures and special market outlets. Even in a tough competitive market with already high saturation levels (high advertising and exposure to brand names).
While Walmart has a tough stance against Trade Unions in the workplace (Walmart is orientated primarily towards a capitolist economy), it is a strong exponent for progressive individual promotion by merit instead of South Africa's current race-based criteria and this alone holds a tremendous potential value for all South Africans in that they will that there is far greater scope for empowerment, promotion, skills developement and social upliftment, through individual anchievment and ambition (merit-based rewards). South Africans will see that they can achieve a lot more if they personally take responsibility for improving themselves and taking the initiative to develop their own situation, than by waiting for the government or organisations to do these thing s for them, like a charity.
The problem is that South Africans have become too complacent and reliant on communist or socialist methods to achieve the same things that all countries/people have to overcome. Even trade unions can not force companies and goverments to change the economic policies of the country in which they operate. Yes, there are many jobs that require an employee to work atrociously long hours in appalling working conditions for far less than the official minimum wage. However, this will never be resolved solely by the massed mobs of the trade unions going on public strikes and protesting violently in the streets - It needs the South African government to establish severe penalties for corporate misbehaviour and offences, as well as initiating commissions to investigate and enage the corporations actively in correcting any problems. Strikes just loose Workers a large section of their potential wages that they otherwise would have earned and therefore, actually make the Workers more impoverished.
Walmart's corporate structure allows the free market system of the Supply & Demand of employees determine the wage standard in regards to renumeration. Where companies have an unacceptable wages level or workplace environment, the workers will not seek employment and the company will experience a skills shortage. Which will drive the company to increase its wages level and/or improve the workplace environment.
Many people have argued in the media about Walmart's trade practices and pricing system, as being monopolistic and anti-competition. However, Walmart has always been transparent in how their prices are generated (through market research, bulk-retailing and keeping costs low) and that is more than any of the local South African retail supermarkets can say! Pick'nPay, Checkers, Spar, Woolworths, and Shoprite, ect, have routinely been involved in alleged price-fixing scandals with Suppliers and each other (plus they all fail to live up to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (1967) and the Government's minimum wage of R56.50 per eight hour shift (this includes them remaining within the 160 hour maximum working month).
Walmart does adhere to these two requirements and has a better track record of equal employment initiatives than any of the local companies, even though it doesn't implement South Africa's uniquely absurd version of Affirmative Action...
It would be incredible to see just how much of a effect that Walmart will have on the South African economy and Employment Sector. as well as on South African standards in the retail trade industry.
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