Consider Africa--not with pre-established mindsets, unexamined assumptions, and bland generalizations--but for what Africa actually is: a setting in which marketers can gather new ideas and test old ones and perhaps emerge with a more varied, certain sense of what the marketing enterprise itself, is all about. Nwankwo, Aiyeku, and their contributing authors, all specialists with a remarkably wide range of experience and viewpoints, uncover the unexpected factors that they are certain will determine the success of selling just about any product or service to established or developing African nations. Original, eclectic, and agenda-setting, their book provides a startling insight into the dynamics of marketing in this fascinating region of the world as it continues to initiate the new macroeconomic and political reforms that are transforming the African continent into an important player on the international business scene.

Nwankwo and Aiyeku see their book as a welcome attempt to identify and explore the institutional processes in which not only the study but also the practice of marketing is embedded. They work with three main themes: the processual issues, including theory development and the reconceptualization of conventional paradigms; the nature of the interrelationships that shape the dynamics of marketing overall; and the context-specific dimensions of marketing generally, its marketing operations. As the volume editors state: By and large, African nations present new contexts and new strategic challenges. As they become focused, certain general approaches as to how various characteristics influence marketing behaviors have to be established. This book, through addressing these contextual issues, provides a better focus for creating a relevant set of marketing activities in African situations.

In order to increase the economic opportunities available, enterprise development plays a crucial role in the progression of socio-economic development for small and medium enterprises. Enterprise Development in SMEs and Entrepreneurial Firms: Dynamic Processes explores the process of enterprise development and its reconstruction of entrepreneurial identities, critical competencies as well as market turnaround for SMEs. This book aims to be a critical resource in the understanding of enterprise strategies adopted and lessons learned for management development. It is a successful resource for students, researchers and professionals interested in the growth SMEs.

Although the world's poorest inhabited continent, Africa has recently shown signs of being a source of economic growth in the coming decades, with increased foreign investment - notably from China - and huge growth in GDP from a number of African states. In contrast to the heaving weight of books focusing on business opportunities in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, Africa has been poorly served by academic publishing. This compendium of scholarship offers cutting-edge knowledge relating to business in Africa. The objectives of this collection include: To shed new light on the socio-cultural and historical underpinnings of business practice in Africa and their implications for promoting entrepreneurship and business behaviour in the region To consider the important constraints on business activities in Africa, and the emerging 'best practice' for redressing their real and potential impacts To facilitate a better understanding of contemporary business practice in Africa through the application of relevant theories and models, including emergent ones. The Routledge Companion to Business in Africa is a comprehensive reference resource that provides the perfect platform for embarking on research and study into Africa from the business perspective.

Although the world's poorest inhabited continent, Africa has recently shown signs of being a source of economic growth in the coming decades, with increased foreign investment - notably from China - and huge growth in GDP from a number of African states. In contrast to the heaving weight of books focusing on business opportunities in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, Africa has been poorly served by academic publishing.

This compendium of scholarship offers cutting-edge knowledge relating to business in Africa. The objectives of this collection include:

• To shed new light on the socio-cultural and historical underpinnings of business practice in Africa and their implications for promoting entrepreneurship and business behaviour in the region
• To consider the important constraints on business activities in Africa, and the emerging 'best practice' for redressing their real and potential impacts
• To facilitate a better understanding of contemporary business practice in Africa through the application of relevant theories and models, including emergent ones.

The Routledge Companion to Business in Africa is a comprehensive reference resource that provides the perfect platform for embarking on research and study into Africa from the business perspective.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the market in terms of sheer number of organisations; yet, scholarly resource materials to assist in honing skills and competencies have not kept pace. This well renowned textbook guides students through the complexities of entrepreneurship from the unique perspective of marketing in SME contexts, providing a clear grounding in the principles, practices, strategies, challenges, and opportunities faced by businesses today. SMEs now need to step up to the terrain of mobile marketing and consumer-generated marketing and utilise social media marketing tools. Similarly, the activities of various stakeholders in SME businesses like start-up accelerators, business incubators, and crowdfunding have now gained more prominence in SME activities. This second edition advances grounds covered in the earlier edition and has been fully updated to reflect this new, dynamic business landscape. Updates include: A consideration of social media imperatives on SME marketing; Discussion of forms of capital formation and deployment for marketing effectiveness, including crowdfunding; Updated international case studies drawn from diverse backgrounds; Hands-on practical explorations based on real-life tasks to encourage deeper understanding. This book is perfect for students studying SMEs, Marketing and Enterprise at both advanced undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as professionals looking to obtain the required knowledge to operate their businesses in this increasingly complex and turbulent marketing environment.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the market in terms of sheer number of organisations; yet, scholarly resource materials to assist in honing skills and competencies have not kept pace. This well renowned textbook guides students through the complexities of entrepreneurship from the unique perspective of marketing in SME contexts, providing a clear grounding in the principles, practices, strategies, challenges, and opportunities faced by businesses today. SMEs now need to step up to the terrain of mobile marketing and consumer-generated marketing and utilise social media marketing tools. Similarly, the activities of various stakeholders in SME businesses like start-up accelerators, business incubators, and crowdfunding have now gained more prominence in SME activities. This second edition advances grounds covered in the earlier edition and has been fully updated to reflect this new, dynamic business landscape. Updates include: A consideration of social media imperatives on SME marketing; Discussion of forms of capital formation and deployment for marketing effectiveness, including crowdfunding; Updated international case studies drawn from diverse backgrounds; Hands-on practical explorations based on real-life tasks to encourage deeper understanding. This book is perfect for students studying SMEs, Marketing and Enterprise at both advanced undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as professionals looking to obtain the required knowledge to operate their businesses in this increasingly complex and turbulent marketing environment.