of political freedom influences the willingness and ability of Bahamians to have a broad range of political rights. Constitutional rights include: freedom of speech, press, worship movement and association.
The Bahamas is an Individualistic society, which guarantees freedom of expression and individuals’ economic best interest for the greater good of the society. Individualism goes hand in hand with free market economies, international businesses, and entrepreneurial abilities. Bahamians have the ability to become resourceful, to influence others, and take action in what is necessary to keep innovating. Political leaders and institutions need to set the example to corroborate the application of what is being theoretically said. Transparency International, which is a global civil organization fighting against corruption, does the corruption perception index and it ranks countries on how corrupt public sectors are perceived to be. The scores range from 0( most corrupt) to 100( most clean.) Bahamas scored 71 / 100 and ranked 22 out of 176 countries in 2012. In addition, the Bahamas scored 1.354 in the Control of Corruption scale.
The Bahamas in considered one of the richest countries in America in regards to its GDP per capita, right after The United States and Canada. A reliable measure used by the United Nations is the International Human Development Indicators, which published the Human Development Index( HDI). The HDI of the Bahamas measures the quality of human life based on( Global Business Today, pg. 66):
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Life expectancy at birth( a function of health care),
� Educational attainment( measured by a combination of adult literacy rate and enrollment in primary, secondary and tertiary education),
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Whether the average incomes are sufficient to meet the basic needs of life in a country( adequate food, shelter and healthcare).
The Bahamas is above the regional’ s average HDI with a 0.771 and it ranked 53 out of 187 countries( International Human Development Indicators- United Nations Development Programme.)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BAHAMAS
Bahamian small businesses require entrepreneurship abilities, and according to the author of the seventh edition of Good Small Business Guide, Branville McCartney,“ The Bahamas has to create an environment that encourages entrepreneurship.” Bahamian entrepreneurs are provided with the tools they need in order to expand their ability to succeed in startup business. Besides, businesses are the central source of Bahamas’ economy( Rotarian of Nassau Sunrise Club). Leaders hire for attitude and train for skills; many times Bahamians do not have the professional business education or experience, but they have the right attitude and the commitment to continue after failing( Appleton.)
The fact that the government encourages foreign and local investment makes the Bahamas attractive for local and foreign entrepreneurs. The government reserves sections of incentives strictly to the Bahamians so foreigners do not take over the country. Reserved businesses are wholesale and retail operations, commission agencies engaged in import / export, real estate and domestic properties management agencies, specific nightclubs and restaurants, shallow water fishing, public transportation, among others. Foreign investment is reserved for tourist resorts, high-tech services, food processing, international business centers, ship registrations, agriculture, and food processing, among others. There are entrepreneurial opportunities for both locals and foreigners and the government has the divisions established.( Doing Business in the Bahamas)
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