04.02.2023
New Funds for Research on Doing Business in Africa
New funds for Doing Business in Africa for further two years
We are very glad that our research on Doing Business in Africa at ESB Business School, Reutlingen University has received new funds for further two years. We would like to thank the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz for their support to enable this project.
The new funds allow us to expand our research team and to work on an exciting and wider research agenda. Planned research topics for 2023 and 2024 are:
(1) Change of mode of operation from an export business to a local presence approach: The ongoing research on sales partnerships between German manufacturers and African sales partners is the starting point to ask, why international companies move from such an export model to a business approach with a local presence. We will examine the decision process of international companies to change their mode of operation towards higher localization in African markets.
(2) Successful marketing and sales approaches in sub-Saharan Africa: In this work package, we will focus on the analysis of consumer needs and consumer behavior and consider them in sales and marketing approaches of companies in Africa. We will compare approaches of international companies, local African companies as well as companies of other countries to identify starting points for German companies to improve their sales and marketing approaches in Africa.
(3) International exports and sales channels of Ghanaian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs): Together with our colleagues from Kiel Institute of the World Economy (IfW), we will investigate the reasons to export to West African Markets and to Europe and the USA. The analysis is using the panel data collected by IfW and a mixed method approach will be conducted to understand what drives the export decision in general and, secondary, with regard to the final destination. We will take into account the situation and pre-conditions Ghanaian SMEs face in terms of internationalization as well as the role of the African diaspora in Europe as a driving force for the exports to Europe.
(4) The role of tech hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa: This work package will be carried out in direct cooperation with our IfW colleagues. We will focus on tech hubs in African markets and examine factors that are decisive for the success and effectiveness of tech hubs in terms of promotion of innovation. Therefore, a key question will be: What type of tech hub leads to what type of innovation? A subsequent question we investigate is with regard to sustainable entrepreneurship effects of tech hubs directly or via the effect on innovation.
We are looking forward to continue and intensify our fruitful cooperation with our research colleagues from Kiel Institut für Weltwirtschaft.
