個案資料

An entrepreneur and co-founder of a private, non-deposit-taking, non-bank financial firm in Africa took his company public following a decade of phenomenal growth and strong performance. Established in an era when the traditional financial institutions would not grant credit to small and medium enterprises, the company successfully pioneered a wide variety of unique services in the non-bank financial services industry. Capitalizing on the failure of formal institutions to meet the needs of the informal sector, the entrepreneur had achieved organic growth by providing short-term loans and complementary services to customers in the neglected segment of the financial services market. The image of a high-performing company, coupled with the successful initial public offering surpassing all expectations, put tremendous pressure on the company to continue to grow the enterprise and deliver superior performance. To obtain substantial funds from the investing public, the onus is on the entrepreneur to select and pursue an appropriate strategy to keep the enterprise on a growth trajectory.

This case is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses on entrepreneurship, business administration and marketing strategy. The case can be used to discuss a variety of issues relating to environmental scanning, unearthing business opportunities, strategy development and pursuing business growth. <ul><li>To illustrate how consumer insight is key to unearthing opportunities and crafting a winning value proposition.</li><li>To demonstrate that market failure (i.e., failure of formal institutions to meet the needs of the informal sector) can present business opportunities with potentially high returns.</li><li> To discuss the creation of a unique and valuable position in a specific market to compete successfully.</li><li>To help students develop the skills to study a market, identify unmet needs, select a strategic position, develop a value proposition and write a strategy statement for a firm.</li><li>To identify and analyze opportunities for brand extension and growth and develop strategies to profitably manage a portfolio of brands/businesses.</li></ul>

• Enterprise growth
• small and medium-sized enterprises
• initial public offer
• non-banking finance firm