South Africa – May 2015

Johannesburg Marketers know that a strong finish colors the entire consumer experience. If that’s the case, the South Carolina FDIB certainly planned this trip well.  We concluded our business visits today, having come the 800 miles from Lusaka early this morning, with what might be the best visit of the trip. We went to Dimension … Continue reading »

In May 2015, Associate Professor of Business Administration Fred Hoyt is participating in the Faculty Development in International Business Program in South Africa (Cape Town), Zambia (Lusaka & Vic Falls) and Botswana (Kasane & Chobe).

Lusaka Airport Copper May Be King, but Zambia is a Democracy Yesterday we visited the Chamber of Mines, a lobbying group for the mining industry, and learned basically that the industry is troubled, despite its importance to the economy. It produces 68% of the country’s exports, 30% of its government revenue, 9% of GDP, almost … Continue reading »

We’re back to work…. How many of you thought of taking a vacation in Lusaka, Zambia? I thought so.  If you did, I would have been surprised, because this city—about 7 hours and 250 miles by bus from Victoria Falls, is better recognized as the 4 million inhabitants (about a third of the population—and they … Continue reading »

Victoria Falls We’re in tourist Africa, again—this time at a resort overlooking a world class tourist site—Victoria Falls.  While names of other landmarks and towns have changed (I’ve finally figured out the pre-independence names), Victoria Falls, named in the 1850s by David Livingstone, a medical missionary who spent most of his life “discovering” Africa, is … Continue reading »

Some of you are old enough to remember Pete Seger and the Weavers.  I know I am.  I remember seeing them sing at the old Roosevelt Auditorium at a benefit hosted by Studs Terkel for the striking coal miners in Kentucky.  I remember telling Carolyn, “Half the audience is FBI,” because both Seger and the … Continue reading »

Tourist Africa: Chobe Botswana We’re almost 1200 miles from Cape Town and 17 degrees closer to the equator tonight.  Getting here required leaving Cape on a 7:30 am flight for Johannesburg, then a flight to Livingstone (named for David Livingston, I presume), the onetime capital of Zambia, now one with a major (Chinese built airport), … Continue reading »

We’re leaving Cape Town in the morning for “Africa.”  I’m sure it will be a shock to leave this first world ambience, which characterizes most of the Cape Town area we explored yesterday (the Consulate is in a swank neighborhood) and along the coast today.  We did the “Cape tour” which took us around the … Continue reading »

Today’s visits capped our business visits in Cape Town, and added to our knowledge of the Republic of South Africa.  It’s a port, and has  been a port since the beginning in the 17th century, so it was fitting that we visited the Port authority.  Actually, South Africa has 6 or seven port, the biggest … Continue reading »

If you’ve ever felt that going to school was like being in prison, you ought to consider going to the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, as we did.  It’s right next door, a few miles from the main campus, which has been in the news for the protests that took … Continue reading »