[ Home | Contents | Search | Post | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: David Fick
Category: Category
Date: 11 Jun 2003
Time: 14:21:22
Remote Name: 194.243.141.110
Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes From: David S. Fick Category: Category Date: 06 Jun 2003 Time: 09:12:29 Remote Name: 194.243.141.110 Comments Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes In Africa, entrepreneurial opportunities are getting better for Africans, Arabs, Europeans, Asians, and Americans, but these opportunities are still not nearly what they could be. Hopefully, in the future, continued and even greater improvements will be made in Africa's entrepreneurial and social environment. In March 2002, Quorum Books an imprint of Greenwood Publications Group published the book, Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes by David S Fick ISBN: 1-56720-536-4. If you wish to read the book visit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567205364 Entrepreneurship in Africa is a study of those entrepreneurs who have achieved success, wealth, and fame by organizing and directing a business undertaking in Africa. It is a story about successful entrepreneurs who have assumed risk in pursuit of profit, who have tried to conform to ethical business standards and who have tried to contribute to the economic development and improve the natural environment and the education, health, and welfare of their community and nation. The philosophies underpinning their economic success and their endeavors to improve their communities have been included whenever correspondence with the entrepreneurs related them. Entrepreneurship in Africa is a journey through the economic world of Africa. It is a search through Web sites, books, newspapers, and periodicals for entrepreneurs who have been successful in Africa, for the projects and policies that improve their road to opportunity, and for expert commentary on the best ways to accomplish the economic and social development of Africa. It is a self-educating dialogue through personal meetings, letters, e-mails, and phone calls with interested parties in Africa and around the world on the future well-being of the people living and working in Africa. It is meant to encourage a dialogue so that knowledge and ideas may be exchanged with the goal of improving Africa and the world. I hope that, by doing this, Africans and those who observe the region can learn from past mistakes and current successes and build a peaceful and better society for all of Africa's people. Entrepreneurs are the engines that get the economic trains moving. Entrepreneurs organize and direct business undertakings. They assume the risk for the sake of the profit. Success often depends upon how skilled, innovative, and passionate entrepreneurs are about their ideas and dreams. An entrepreneur has exceptional vision, creativity, and determination and frequently creates entirely new industries. There is no shortage of entrepreneurs in Africa; in fact, over the centuries, there have always been entrepreneurs in Africa. Given the opportunity, entrepreneurs in Africa and from around the world will drive Africa's economic trains forward. Entrepreneurship in Africa begins with an overall discussion of the ways that the economic and social environment for entrepreneurs in Africa may be improved. The study continues with a basic description of the economic and social environments and the entrepreneurial opportunities in each of Africa's five regions with profiles of successful entrepreneurs in each region. The profiles endeavor to enumerate the entrepreneurs' philosophy behind their economic success and their sense of social responsibility to improve their communities. Entrepreneurship in Africa concludes with the prospects for the continual improvement of Africa's economic and social environment and the continual creation of opportunities for skilled, innovative, and passionate entrepreneurs in Africa to successfully implement their ideas, achieve their dreams, and bring benefits to their communities. In recognition of everyone's support, royalties due to the author for the sales of this book have been signed over to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders to support medical relief missions in Africa (www.doctorswithoutborders.org). I am looking forward to critiques from the readers of Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes (March 2002) and also their wise suggestions for entrepreneurs successful in Africa that I might profile in future books. Generally, I look for entrepreneurs that strive for excellence in order to be competitive in regional, national and international markets. Their enterprises are well established, in good financial shape and enjoy a reputation for quality, integrity and service. Furthermore, the entrepreneurs act socially responsible, support community development efforts and create a work environment in which their employees can learn and grow. To be more precise, I try to tell about the following factors: 1. What the enterprise does (establishment, key dates, past, current and future projects). 2. Growth of the business, how the business has grown (turnover, profits, the number of employees, or anything that illustrates that the enterprise has grown.) 3. Marketing strategy (ways used to grow the business, i.e. marketing & expansion strategies). 4. Hardships that were overcome, difficulties that might have been experienced in the past and how they were overcome. 5. Team management structure of the business. 6. Quality certification and awards received. 7. Training that is done within the enterprise. 8. Social involvement, how the enterprise contributes towards job creation and social upliftment. However, I try to keep it interesting and not too factual, therefore, I find that I sometime skip over some of the factors I am considering in order to keep the stories interesting. I am also looking forward to readers' comments for inclusion in future books concerning how to best create economic environments and opportunities for skilled, innovative, and passionate entrepreneurs in Africa to successfully implement their ideas, achieve their dreams, and bring benefits to their communities. After you read my book, it is my sincere wish that you correspond with me concerning your view points. Best Regards, David S. Fick, Wharton 1961, Overland Park, Kansas USA, EMail: WhlgEagle@aol.com