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One of the biggest challenges faced by many tech start-ups from developed markets is to have validated market-fit products/services and to see their solutions implemented. In several sectors, stringent regulations, and the law of handicap of head start at home can be hurdles that limit the development and even the survival potential of theses start-ups. Tech start-ups seeking implementation, learning, and legitimacy may have a solution in expanding into emerging markets. Emerging markets offer both business opportunities in sectors in need of new technologies as they are “fertile grounds” for developing and testing internationalisation business models. We present here a process designed to help tech start-ups to identify, access, shape and seize these opportunities and to overcome their own specificities and emerging markets specificities. The three phases of the proposed process cover entry node concept, partnership, and business, operating and revenue joint models’ development. DesignScience Research Paradigm is used for the design and evaluation of the process. To show the relevance of this process, a case study on the expansion in Morocco of a Dutch start-up active in e-health is used. The study shows the importance of the process for the embeddedness in a local relevant value network with a relevant adopter’s system, a key enabler to achieve time and cost-effective expansion in that specific business and institutional contexts. A pilot to assess the proposed models and evidence of benefits is under development. To boost their chances of growth tech start-ups from developed markets should consider expansion into emerging markets in their strategy. It would be beneficial that policy makers adopt a strategy by which to assist tech start-ups in accessing value networks in emerging markets. It is also important for policy makers from emerging markets to consider developing schemes to attract tech start-ups from developed markets.
Mobile technologies have evolved into the means of gaining access to information for learning. Its application in higher education is still a novel concept, particularly in underdeveloped countries. This study is aimed at exploring the views of doctoral students regarding their learning experiences with mobile technologies. Student focus group interviews of 24 doctoral students from 3 different academic institutions were interviewed. The participants’ responses were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to make conclusions. According to the findings of this study, mobile devices play an important part in the learning experiences of doctoral students. The participating students engaged in collaborative learning using mobile technologies. Given the benefits of adopting mobile technologies for learning activities, academic institutions should focus on teaching faculty members to use this to involve students in their learning process. The implications of this study call for the continued advancement of mobile technologies to facilitate effective learning experience for the multitude of mobile learners in developing countries. Another implication is that academic institutions with collaboration with libraries should see the need to develop user friendly mobile app that is linked to the library management system. Such an application would allow the students to optimally use their smartphones and tablets to search the library’s resources from their mobile devices. Training should be offered to the teaching faculty members to come to terms with the benefits of mobile technologies for learning activities.
This study sought to apply the Structure Conduct Performance paradigm to Africa´s air transport landscape in general. To do that, it examines the past, present, and future expectations of four of Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest aviation economies, namely South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Secondary data containing historical passenger traffic was analysed, and predictions for growth in the next ten years were proposed. The findings suggest that the experience of the existing liberalization initiatives, such as the Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD), has produced less than expected benefits. However, the future of aviation in Africa is somewhat positive, with a growth trajectory expected to follow a linear and gradual path supported by various initiatives, including the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA). The study’s contribution is to illuminate the current discourse on the aviation sector in Africa through the Structure-Conduct-Performance theory paradigm and suggests a conceptual model that could be applied to future studies relating to aviation in Africa.
For years, the common logic that underpinned entrepreneurship was to find a niche within in a market/sector and then solidify business practice to achieve success in the market segment. The dawn of technologically-based disruptive enterprises, such as Uber and Air B&B, coupled with the nearing Fourth Industrial revolution seriously call into question the conventional business logic. In this article, the projected impact of these forces on African entrepreneurs is explored. We look at the role of government, business and education systems to prepare for the impact of the Fourth Industrial revolution. Specific focus is placed on the need for entrepreneurial skills and training to prepare for the impact of the Fourth Industrial revolution. We also explore the importance of innovation, both in terms of products and processes to mitigate against the impact of these forces.
The aim of the descriptive study is to gain an understanding of the perceived level of fairness in their experience of security screening relation to their satisfaction. The context of the study was a major aviation hub in East Africa. The target population was all departing international passengers. Primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The respondents were selected using convenience sampling of passengers who had just completed the final security check at the departure area of the airport. A total of 251 usable responses were collected from a target of 384 respondents giving a response rate of 65 percent.
The findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the relationship between the perceptions of fairness of security procedures and their influence on satisfaction. One way between groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test for statistical significance. A Cronbach’s alpha of 88.7 was computed demonstrating a high level of internal consistency of the survey instrument. The adequacy of security procedures, level of communication provided before and during the screening process, consistency and fairness were found to have a significant relationship to the level of satisfaction reported by passengers. The findings suggest that there are significant differences between groups’ perception of different elements security procedures.
The implications of the study are twofold. The study was cross sectional and indeed was impacted by significant changes in security procedures at the airport at the time of the study. A longitudinal survey may further mitigate the impact of the variances of responses and support a robust contribution to the development of a theoretical model of airport passenger satisfaction. Airport managers could use the results of this study as inputs to enhance the design of screening procedures in modern hubs to enhance the passenger experience to drive revenue growth.
This paper stresses the importance of entrepreneurship education towards enhancing sustainable development in Kenya. The problems facing the country ranging from high rate of poverty, youth and graduate unemployment; overdependence on foreign goods and technology.
This paper therefore argues that entrepreneurship education will equip the students with the skills with which to not only be self-reliant, but to become wealth creators. The intervention level of entrepreneurship education has been at tertiary institutions and universities. This paper argues that attitudes and values are acquired at formative stage in life. Based on literature review of the models that have been used and yielded positive results, this paper proposes an innovative approach to the teaching of entrepreneurship education that is inclusive of pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary and university levels. This paper explores the “Mully Model of Applied Entrepreneurship Teaching” as a case study, using interviews, surveys and reviewing relevant MCF data. The organization’s success factors within the Kenyan context are discussed.
The paper also recommended that educational programs at all levels of education should be made relevant to provide the youth the needed entrepreneurial skills. Further, it recommends that experiential learning methodologies be emphasized in the delivery of entrepreneurship education.
Climate change is having drastic effects on various areas of the planet, including extreme impacts on weather and rainfall, in various Sub-Saharan East African countries (Hendrix, C. S., & Glaser, S. M. (2007). The willingness (and need) of a niche market to actively improve the damaged ecosystems in small ways is rising. Weaver and Lawton (2007, p 1170) maintain that ecotourism should satisfy three core criteria: "(1) attractions should be predominantly nature-based; (2) visitor interactions with those attractions should be focused on learning or education, and (3) experience and product management should follow principles and practices associated with ecological, socio-cultural and economic sustainability." In this study, the niche market of active German "tree-planters" is to be defined and the potential willingness to travel to, learn from and invest in the ecosystem through tree-planting, specifically in Kenya, is explored.
The paper investigates the nature of Kenya's entrepreneurship education ecosystem (EEE) through a comparative analysis of three entrepreneurship education programs and an examination of how the institutions foster a favourable entrepreneurial environment. This study looks at the entrepreneurship education ecosystem through the lens of universities, NGO's and private institutes in Kenya.
A systemic analysis of EEE is provided by utilizing the Actiotope Model as a conceptual framework. The exploratory research adopts a pragmatic mixed-method methodological approach best suited to understand the research problem.
The results reveal that entrepreneurship education at higher education institutions was primarily theoretical and relied on traditional forms of entrepreneurship education. Recurring rigid patterns show minimal personalization of content and learning styles within the University, with more personalization reported in the Mully Model of education and the more specialized entrepreneurship program of the Identity Projects.
The adaptation of the Actiotope Model provided a new and unique approach to analyzing entrepreneurship ecosystems. The person-centred approach of the model provides valuable insights to learners and to entrepreneurship education institutions and researchers.
Enhanced collaboration between the different entrepreneurial education stakeholders could be a more effective short to medium-term solution to addressing the gaps in entrepreneurial education at tertiary institutions.
In the long term, the study recommends adopting practical-based and goal-oriented entrepreneurship teaching models.
The main objective of this chapter is to give insights into how H-BRS as a German University of Applied Sciences supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in exploring African markets. The university achieves this objective by engaging its Bachelor and Master level students in applied market research. Students engage in this research as part of their final thesis writing. This chapter lays out a process for successful marketing research projects for German SMEs in nine steps.
Yams of the most widely differing nature are produced in textile mills. The production stages necessary for this are carried out with the aid of textile machines. Between these individual textile machines - from cards to spinning machines - sliver cans serve as a rule as transport containers, in which the sensitive sliver material is temporarily stored, and presented to the next production stage.
Der vorliegende Beitrag befaßt sich mit Automatisierungsmöglichkeiten in Textilbetrieben für konventionelle als auch für nichtkonventionelle Spinnverfahren. Aus der Vielzahl derzeit existenter Produktionsschritte werden die standardisierbaren Automatisierungskombinationen zwischen den eingesetzten Textilmaschinen von Karden bis zu Spinnautomaten herausgearbeitet. Hierfür werden die heute in der Praxis befindlichen Transportmittel aufgezeigt und, vom Materialfluß ausgehend, die Zuordnungsmöglichkeiten der Maschinen in den Produktionsschritten und deren Automatisierungsbausteine definiert. Durch eine ganzheitliche Betrachtungsweise werden je nach Automatisierungsziel die verschiedenen Lösungsansätze diskutiert und als Bausteine gegenübergestellt. Hierdurch werden neue mechatronische Automatisierungslösungen vorgestellt, die eine Integration von Produktionsschritten oder die Automatisierung zwischen den einzelnen Produktionsschritten ermöglicht.
The exchange program was aimed at giving students an international exposure through teaching and intercultural communication and to also enhance the existing relationship among the partner schools. The program lasted for a period of six months from September 2016 to February 2017. The main part of the program was the International Management program which comprised of four courses. The program offered us an opportunity to travel to four European countries to broaden our academic and social network.
The exchange program enables students to travel from their home countries to a partner university in the German-African University project. Students from the University of Nairobi in Kenya and University of Cape Coast in Ghana travel to the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and stay for three months attending classes and participating in academic activities together with German students. Similarly, students from Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences, travel to either West or East Africa and are hosted for three months by universities participating in the project. The program enables Kenyan students to accustom themselves to the German way of life and student-centered learning and disciplines. The program integrates fieldwork into the learning activities making education both a skill-imparting and fun process.
I had an opportunity to visit Germany in 2016/2017 during which period I was on an exchange staff program between the University of Nairobi, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. My visit took me to the city of Bonn where the University of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg is located in the suburban area in the cities of Sankt Augustin, Rheinbach, and Hennef. I was able to interact with faculty members and students. During this period, the discussion I had with faculty mainly focused on various programs offered by the university and how they have been able to interact and partner with the industry and create linkages with various firms in Germany. It emerged from our discussion that the development of the curriculum by the university depends on such partnerships.
German African Universities Program (GAUP) is a partnership of three universities encompassing Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences in Germany, University of Nairobi in Kenya, and University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Every year, a number of students from each university are competitively selected to take part in the exchange program in a foreign country for three months in the sponsored project. I participated in the exchange program in Germany during the winter semester 2016/2017. The experience was excellent and the benefits cannot be underestimated. The objective was to integrate with the university community in Germany and learn first-hand from their teaching approaches and experiences by attending classes and interacting in- and outside the classroom. It provided an opportunity for cross-cultural learning, hence preparing us to live and work in different parts of the world. Besides the classroom experience, learning was reinforced by exposure tours in the industry including the Coal mine industrial complex in Essen (UNESCO world heritage since 2001) and Rheinbach.
The nature of the program was an exchange program between Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences and the University of Cape Coast. The program was advertised and we applied. We were shortlisted for interview and we were selected as the candidates for the exchange program. The program took a period of five months. We set off from Accra, Ghana to Germany on 7th September 2015, and returned to Ghana on 25th January 2016.
Competency-Based Teaching Using Simulation Exercises: Evidence of the University of Cape Coast
(2018)
Tertiary institutions exist to train manpower to solve local, national, and international problems. Products from such institutions should not be a problem to countries as in the case of some Sub-Saharan African countries including Ghana which has a high level of graduate unemployment. Among the causes of the problem is the nature of teaching or the syllabus or the programs students pursue while in such institutions. The paper discusses one of the teaching strategies used to make a course relevant for a program and for the working world. In this course, students are introduced to practice-oriented learning through simulation exercises. The project activities specifically seek to assess the students’ understanding of business formation; examine students’ understanding of sustainability, creativity and innovation of business ideas; assess their understanding of the functional areas of business including marketing & sales, finance, human resource management, operations, and accounting, among others. Feedback from students who have participated indicates the exercise gave much more exposure and meaning to the concepts they learned in class. In this exercise, students build teams, develop a product, learn to set up a business, and design organogram, business vision, mission, and core values. The exercise empowers students to learn by doing. It accords students the opportunity to review their own knowledge and skills with respect to the concepts they have learned in the course. More than 3000 students have participated in this project since its inception in the academic year 2013/2014. It is estimated that 1000 students will participate in this project in the academic year 2017/2018.
Most people use disaster apps infrequently, primarily only in situations of turmoil, when they are physically or emotionally vulnerable. Personal data may be necessary to help them, data protections may be waived. In some circumstances, free movement and liberties may be curtailed for public protection, as was seen in the current COVID pandemic. Consuming and producing disaster data can deepen problems arising at the confluence of surveillance and disaster capitalism, where data has become a tool for solutionist instrumentarian power (Zuboff 2019, Klein 2008) and part of a destructive mode of one world worlding (Law 2015, Escobar 2020). The special use of disaster apps prompts us to ask what role consumer protection could play in safeguarding democratic liberties. Within this work, a set of current approaches are briefly reviewed and two case studies are presented of what we call appropriation or design against datafication. These combine document analysis and literature research with several months of online and field ethnographic observation. The first case study examines disaster app use in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the second explores COVID Contact Tracing in Taiwan in 2020/21. Against this backdrop we ask, ‘how could and how should consumer protection respond to problems of surveillance disaster capitalism?’ Drawing on our work with the is IT ethical? Exchange, a co-designed community platform and knowledge exchange for disaster information sharing, and a Societal Readiness Assessment Framework that we are developing alongside it, we explore how co-design methodologies could help define answers.
Most economies across the globe rely on entrepreneurship for growth. There is evidence to suggest that entrepreneurship creates job opportunities and spurs economic growth and development (Pacheco, Dean, & Payne, 2010; Mojica, Gebremedhin, & Schaeffer, 2010, and Solomon, 2007). Even though entrepreneurship is one of the fastest growing education disciplines globally, researchers are still divided on what should be taught and how it should be taught in institutions of higher learning. Entrepreneurial decision-making is laced with uncertainty and drawbacks. Hence, entrepreneurship learners must be taught using practical and conceptual methodologies to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skill that will enable them to confront such challenges in their entrepreneurial activities. This calls for entrepreneurship teachers to be innovative and to also encourage their learners to be innovative as entrepreneurship involves the generation of new business ideas. This paper sought to examine teaching methodologies for entrepreneurship education in institutions of higher learning in Kenya. A mixed-method approach that involved triangulation as the main data collection technique was used. Interviews were administered with teachers and learners of entrepreneurial education in Kenya, with a view to identifying the most commonly used teaching methodologies of entrepreneurial education and their shortcomings. Course outlines and curricula borrowed from twenty (20) institutions of higher learning in Kenya were reviewed. Results indicate that entrepreneurial education in Kenya is largely theoretical and does not meet the needs of the modern entrepreneur. The paper therefore recommends innovative teaching methodologies of entrepreneurial education that can be utilised by the teacher to prepare students adequately to generate entrepreneurial ideas and to identify entrepreneurial opportunities. For this reason, the paper recommends the use of such methodologies as business plan generation, idea generation, innovation, creativity, networking, opportunity recognition, expecting and embracing failure, and adapting to change.
Course Profiles
(2018)