We're not going in strict order here; South Africa is actually the last on the CIVETS list.
In general, we're all a lot more positive about Africa these days. Article after article after article talks about Africa's vast untapped consumer market, a growing middle class (incomes between $2 and $20 per day) now able to afford more -- life insurance, Danone yogurt, basmati rice (imported from India),Heineken-brewed cassava beer and cosmetics from Avon, all paid for with mobile banking.
Showing posts with label WalMart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WalMart. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, February 12, 2007
Carrefour to Enter India (edited to add stuff)
Carrefour is looking to enter the Indian market:
Moneycontrol India :: News :: Carrefour to enter India soon :: :: Business :: Carrefour,Kamal Nath,Wadia,Britannia,Danone,WalMart,Bharti
This may be the deciding point for WalMart -- can they really make it in the international market. Of course, it's not only Carrefour they have to worry about; British chain Tesco is also planning on entering the Indian market.
Here's a big problem, though, for all of the Western chains. India has several big retail chains already. Also, distribution channels in India are nor the same. There seems to be much more reliance on smaller neighborhood / village stores and street vendors, something which the Indian chains seem to be able to accomodate. And, Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited has no plans to roll over and play dead !
A second issue, and one that could keep all of these companies out, is the legal / political climate. Basically, India isn't very welcoming to foreign direct investment, despite 15 years of efforts by some (but not all) Indian political groups to make foreign investors welcome. Walmart isn't giving up, though, and they may be able to bring political pressure to bear from the US government.
Added:
Lejoyi has an interesting angle here.....(as well as an extra credit point)
As we talked about with culture, there definitely does seem to be an Islamic backlash against what's perceived as the encroachment of Western secular values -- Mecca Cola, the Islamic Barbie, and any number of retailers of modest clothing styled for Western sensibilities.
And as for WalMart [and we'll talk more about this when we get to marketing], they just don't seem to have really "gotten it" when they've gone international. Especially in Germany, it was failing to understand cultural differences that sunk them.
Out of curiosity, I googled WalMart and a handful of major Islamic countries. I did come up with a recent rumor that WalMart is planning on entering Malaysia. They're also beginning to establish ties with a lot of Turkish manufacturing firms. I'd think that Turkey would be a good place for Walmart to expand their retail presence, a thought I found some confirmation for (though Carrefour has been in Turkey since 1993, with 539 stores, so maybe it isn't such a good idea...).
As for India.....
While there is a significant Muslim minority in India (13.4%), it's going to be Hindu values and Indian customs that WalMart will have trouble with. For an example of a Western company having some success in India, see McDonald's, oddly enough.
Moneycontrol India :: News :: Carrefour to enter India soon :: :: Business :: Carrefour,Kamal Nath,Wadia,Britannia,Danone,WalMart,Bharti
This may be the deciding point for WalMart -- can they really make it in the international market. Of course, it's not only Carrefour they have to worry about; British chain Tesco is also planning on entering the Indian market.
Here's a big problem, though, for all of the Western chains. India has several big retail chains already. Also, distribution channels in India are nor the same. There seems to be much more reliance on smaller neighborhood / village stores and street vendors, something which the Indian chains seem to be able to accomodate. And, Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited has no plans to roll over and play dead !
A second issue, and one that could keep all of these companies out, is the legal / political climate. Basically, India isn't very welcoming to foreign direct investment, despite 15 years of efforts by some (but not all) Indian political groups to make foreign investors welcome. Walmart isn't giving up, though, and they may be able to bring political pressure to bear from the US government.
Added:
Lejoyi has an interesting angle here.....(as well as an extra credit point)
As we talked about with culture, there definitely does seem to be an Islamic backlash against what's perceived as the encroachment of Western secular values -- Mecca Cola, the Islamic Barbie, and any number of retailers of modest clothing styled for Western sensibilities.
And as for WalMart [and we'll talk more about this when we get to marketing], they just don't seem to have really "gotten it" when they've gone international. Especially in Germany, it was failing to understand cultural differences that sunk them.
Out of curiosity, I googled WalMart and a handful of major Islamic countries. I did come up with a recent rumor that WalMart is planning on entering Malaysia. They're also beginning to establish ties with a lot of Turkish manufacturing firms. I'd think that Turkey would be a good place for Walmart to expand their retail presence, a thought I found some confirmation for (though Carrefour has been in Turkey since 1993, with 539 stores, so maybe it isn't such a good idea...).
As for India.....
While there is a significant Muslim minority in India (13.4%), it's going to be Hindu values and Indian customs that WalMart will have trouble with. For an example of a Western company having some success in India, see McDonald's, oddly enough.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Court says Wal-Mart must face bias trial
The ongoing class-action suit against WalMart, brought by women claiming they did not receive the same pay raises and priomotions as their male counterparts, is back in the news.
WalMart would really realy like for this to not be a class action suit. In a class action suit, the plaintiffs comprise all possible individuals who belong to the class -- in this case, any woman who has worked for Walmart since December 26, 1998. Class action settlements tend to be quite expensive for losing defendants; the news story is using the term "billions".
WalMart can affort the expensive lawyers, who are attempting to demolish the whole concept of class action lawsuits. however the plaintiffs appear to be in this for the long haul.
The suit is entering into its fourth year, but don't be looking for a resolution any time soon. All that's been settled here is the class action certificantion. The testimony, expert witnesses, etc. are way off in the future.
A lot of employment discriminations suits are settled out of court. But, I really don't think WalMart is likely to settle, since any settlement is going to involve some admission of guilt, as well as a financial settlement. My best guess is that we won't see any resolution for 4 to 5 years, and longer wouldn't surprise me out of a year's growth.
Do I have an opinion? Glad you asked.....of course I do. This is a classic "adverse impact" suit, meaning that discrimination is established by statistical evidence establishing that outcomes are significantly different form men and women (the dreaded "4/5 rule"). Once that's done, Walmart has to prove that their promotion and pay practices are business-related (validity). I haven't seen any of the evidence, but, first, I suspect that there'll be a lot of statistical byplay on the 4/5 rule. Also, it isn't a matter of "guilty" or "not guilty" here. I'd guess that the plaintiffs can establish that there is discrimination going on. What the plaintiffs are going to need, though, is to find something in writing (internal memos, etc.) that establishes that the discrimination is intentional. That's, strictly speaking, not necessary for this type of suit, but it would sure help.
Stay tuned for more developments.
Court says Wal-Mart must face bias trial I'll add a more permanent link later on
WalMart would really realy like for this to not be a class action suit. In a class action suit, the plaintiffs comprise all possible individuals who belong to the class -- in this case, any woman who has worked for Walmart since December 26, 1998. Class action settlements tend to be quite expensive for losing defendants; the news story is using the term "billions".
WalMart can affort the expensive lawyers, who are attempting to demolish the whole concept of class action lawsuits. however the plaintiffs appear to be in this for the long haul.
The suit is entering into its fourth year, but don't be looking for a resolution any time soon. All that's been settled here is the class action certificantion. The testimony, expert witnesses, etc. are way off in the future.
A lot of employment discriminations suits are settled out of court. But, I really don't think WalMart is likely to settle, since any settlement is going to involve some admission of guilt, as well as a financial settlement. My best guess is that we won't see any resolution for 4 to 5 years, and longer wouldn't surprise me out of a year's growth.
Do I have an opinion? Glad you asked.....of course I do. This is a classic "adverse impact" suit, meaning that discrimination is established by statistical evidence establishing that outcomes are significantly different form men and women (the dreaded "4/5 rule"). Once that's done, Walmart has to prove that their promotion and pay practices are business-related (validity). I haven't seen any of the evidence, but, first, I suspect that there'll be a lot of statistical byplay on the 4/5 rule. Also, it isn't a matter of "guilty" or "not guilty" here. I'd guess that the plaintiffs can establish that there is discrimination going on. What the plaintiffs are going to need, though, is to find something in writing (internal memos, etc.) that establishes that the discrimination is intentional. That's, strictly speaking, not necessary for this type of suit, but it would sure help.
Stay tuned for more developments.
Court says Wal-Mart must face bias trial I'll add a more permanent link later on
Monday, May 22, 2006
Wall-Mart pulls out of Korea - Yahoo! News
Wal-Mart pulls out of Korea - Yahoo! News
What's interesting here -- toward the end of the article, it mentions that Carrefour is also bailing out of South Korea. The British (Tesco) are doing ok, but they're in a joint venture with a South Korean firm, Samsung (whose Shinsegae subsidiary bought the Wal-Mart operation).
The next step, China. The Wal-Mart folks say that the proceeds from the sale of the Korean units will go towards increasing their presence in China. Only problem is that the Koreans are saying the same thing:
Stay tuned here for updates.....as far as success in China goes, I'd put my money on the South Korean firms.
What's interesting here -- toward the end of the article, it mentions that Carrefour is also bailing out of South Korea. The British (Tesco) are doing ok, but they're in a joint venture with a South Korean firm, Samsung (whose Shinsegae subsidiary bought the Wal-Mart operation).
The next step, China. The Wal-Mart folks say that the proceeds from the sale of the Korean units will go towards increasing their presence in China. Only problem is that the Koreans are saying the same thing:
"As a result, E-Mart will increase the number of outlets to 102 including seven in China and will take on all 3,356 workers hired by Wal-Mart."
"With the acquisition of Wal-Mart stores, we will secure the ground for our stable business at home. This will also help us step up our operations in China," Shinsegae president Koo Hak-Seo told reporters."
Stay tuned here for updates.....as far as success in China goes, I'd put my money on the South Korean firms.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
"Emblems of Corporate Corruption"
Very nice look, with a historical perspective, at the public image of Big Business. It's a British perspective, meaning close enough to understand US thinking, yet far enough to have some objectivity. I especially liked the insight about our love-hate realtionship with W**Mart.
America's most-hated companies The very bottom line Economist.com
America's most-hated companies The very bottom line Economist.com
Thursday, November 17, 2005
WalMart and Health Insurance
For those of you who have been following the controversy over WalMart and health care......
For the rest of you. The controversy here is over WalMart and how their workers are receiving health care. Although WalMart does provide health insurance for its workers, critics claim that WalMart makes coverage unaffordable for rank-and-file employees, forcing their folks to rely on publicly-funded plans such as TennCare. There are anecdodal accounts of WalMart management actually coaching employees on how to go about reciving public benefits. The Maryland legislature passed legislation earlier this year to basically force WalMart to provide affordable coverage or contribute to the state's costs (rather than sticking the state and taxpayers with the cost) , but the act was vetoed by the governor.
Md. Passes Rules on Wal-Mart Insurance
Now, it's a question of whether or not the legislature has the votes to override the veto.
Wal-Mart Girds for Battle on Md. Bill
Stay tuned for further developments....
Your thoughts ???????
For the rest of you. The controversy here is over WalMart and how their workers are receiving health care. Although WalMart does provide health insurance for its workers, critics claim that WalMart makes coverage unaffordable for rank-and-file employees, forcing their folks to rely on publicly-funded plans such as TennCare. There are anecdodal accounts of WalMart management actually coaching employees on how to go about reciving public benefits. The Maryland legislature passed legislation earlier this year to basically force WalMart to provide affordable coverage or contribute to the state's costs (rather than sticking the state and taxpayers with the cost) , but the act was vetoed by the governor.
Md. Passes Rules on Wal-Mart Insurance
Now, it's a question of whether or not the legislature has the votes to override the veto.
Wal-Mart Girds for Battle on Md. Bill
Stay tuned for further developments....
Your thoughts ???????
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
WalMart and their overseas suppliers
According to this article ("Wal-Mart Accused of Denying Workers' Rights") in The Washington Post,
An American labor rights group filed a class action lawsuit today against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., alleging that suppliers in five foreign countries denied workers a minimum wage, overtime pay and the right to unionize.
The group is suing...
...on behalf of 15 foreign workers, who contend they were subjected to
illegal working conditions, and four California business owners, who argue
Wal-Mart's alleged conduct amounted to unfair business practices.
Should be interesting. Your comments? Both the HR and International folks should be interested in this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)