Cultural Entrepreneurship In Africa

This book seeks to widen perspectives on entrepreneurship by drawing attention to the diverse and partly new forms of entrepreneurial practice in Africa since the 1990s. Contrary to widespread assertions, figures of success have been regularly observed in Africa since pre-colonial times. The contributions account for these historical continuities in entrepreneurship, and identify the specifically new political and economic context within which individuals currently probe and invent novel forms of enterprise. Based on ethnographically contextualized life stories and case studies of female and male entrepreneurs, the volume offers a vivid and multi-perspectival account of their strategies, visions and ventures in domains as varied as religious proselytism, politics, tourism, media, music, prostitution, funeral organization, and education. African cultural entrepreneurs have a significant economic impact, attract the attention of large groups of people, serve as role models for many youths, and contribute to the formation of new popular cultures.

Chapters in this book contribute to our understanding of the theory, structure and practice of entrepreneurship in diverse African countries. Case studies examined include: African multinational banks and businesses, female entrepreneurs, culture and entrepreneurship, finance and entrepreneurship and SMEs.

The hope and hype about African digital entrepreneurship, contrasted with the reality on the ground in local ecosystems. In recent years, Africa has seen a digital entrepreneurship boom, with hundreds of millions of dollars poured into tech cities, entrepreneurship trainings, coworking spaces, innovation prizes, and investment funds. Politicians and technologists have offered Silicon Valley-influenced narratives of boundless opportunity and exponential growth, in which internet-enabled entrepreneurship allows Africa to "leapfrog" developmental stages to take a leading role in the digital revolution. This book contrasts these aspirations with empirical research about what is actually happening on the ground. The authors find that although the digital revolution has empowered local entrepreneurs, it does not untether local economies from the continent's structural legacies.

This proceedings volume explores the new and innovative ways in which marketers find new global customers and build meaningful bridges to them based on their wants and needs in order to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction. Customer loyalty is ensured through continuous engagement with an ever-changing and demanding customer base. Global forces are bringing cultures into collision, creating new challenges for firms wanting to reach geographically and culturally distant markets, and causing marketing managers to rethink how to build meaningful and stable relationships with evermore demanding customers. In an era of vast new data sources and a need for innovative analytics, the challenge for the marketer is to reach customers in new and powerful ways. Featuring the full proceedings from the 2018 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) World Marketing Congress (WMC) held in Porto, Portugal, this volume provides current and emerging research from global scholars and practitioners that will help marketers to engage and promote customer satisfaction. Founded in 1971, the Academy of Marketing Science is an international organization dedicated to promoting timely explorations of phenomena related to the science of marketing in theory, research, and practice. Among its services to members and the community at large, the Academy offers conferences, congresses, and symposia that attract delegates from around the world. Presentations from these events are published in this Proceedings series, which offers a comprehensive archive of volumes reflecting the evolution of the field. Volumes deliver cutting-edge research and insights, complementing the Academy’s flagship journals, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS) and AMS Review. Volumes are edited by leading scholars and practitioners across a wide range of subject areas in marketing science.

This book contributes to a better understanding of cultural entrepreneurship in Africa, Latin America and Asia and the context that cultural organizations are working in. The Dutch cultural development organization Theatre Embassy initiated the underlying research after more than 10 years of experience in this field. The subjects of the research were three of its partner organizations in developing countries: K-Mu Théâtre (DR Congo), Arte Acción (Honduras) and Kelola (Indonesia). Based on field research, interviews and available literature, the three case studies are intertwined through an approach of cultural dimensions--each dimension as a separate chapter. These are: Cultural Context, Internal Organization, Cultural Credit, Sources of Income, Networks, Cultural Innovations, Art Policy and Common Interest. The research provides new information and insights to others working in the field of culture and development. This makes the book interesting for other cultural organizations in developing countries, cultural policymakers, international donor agencies and NGOs, as well as for artists, cultural managers, tutors, students and researchers in the field of art management and cultural entrepreneurship.

Delivering Entrepreneurship Education in Africa brings together a collection of academic studies that offer an in-depth analysis of the current state of entrepreneurship education in Africa. The chapter authors engage discussions on how to make entrepreneurship education an attractive field of study for African students.

It is now widely recognized that in regions like Africa, for economic and other reasons, the public sector has had to disengage and divest from many areas of the economy and allow private enterprise, especially scalable start-ups and new ventures, to enter and flourish if economic development and employment are to grow. There is, however, a training and education gap since entrepreneurship is rarely taught formally at African universities and, when it is, it is often approached from a Western perspective which may not be appropriate given that African environments are significantly different from most Western ones in terms of economic infrastructure and political considerations. This book allows readers to understand the African entrepreneurial context by guiding them through the principal stages in the life of a new venture, and offers approaches, both Western and indigenous, that can inform their entrepreneurial actions. It concludes by examining some specialized topics, including female, youth, and social entrepreneurship, as well as real estate and technology. Exercises throughout the book will enable readers to evaluate their motivations and preparedness for entrepreneurship and learn how to communicate a new venture’s key features to potential stakeholders. By focusing on the distinctive features of entrepreneurship in the African context, and taking a conversational tone, this is an informative and practical text that will be useful for students of Global Entrepreneurship and Business as well as actual and prospective entrepreneurs in the private, non-profit, and public sectors.

There are ongoing debates on the concepts surrounding the roles of Indigenous people in transforming the entrepreneurial landscape to promote socio-economic development. Arguably, the culture and ways of our lives, in the context of entrepreneurship, have a role in influencing social economic development. The ideals between the entrepreneurial practice of Indigenous people and their culture are somewhat commensal towards sustainable growth and development. The practice of Indigenous and cultural entrepreneurship is embedded in historical findings. Context, Policy, and Practices in Indigenous and Cultural Entrepreneurship provides insights into the policy, culture, and practice that influence the impact of local and Indigenous entrepreneurs within communities which transcends to socio-economic development. This is critical as the knowledge gained from our entrepreneurial diversity can provide a platform to reduce social ills as a result of unemployment and give a sense of belonging within the social context. Covering key topics such as government policy, entrepreneurial education, information technology, and trade, this premier reference source is ideal for policymakers, entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, scholars, researchers, academicians, instructors, and students.