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Entrepreneurship is lauded as an engine of economic development and job creation, with SMEs often creating most of the new jobs in many countries. This paper identifies some important factors that contribute to the start‐up and success of new business ventures in Africa, emphasizing that while personality factors such individual drive and competency and availability of resources are important for the successful launch of a new business venture, effective government policy is also critical in promoting successful entrepreneurial initiatives. Survey data collected showed that most African entrepreneurs believe that they have the requisite passion, energy, and determination needed to start and manage new businesses. However, they are constrained by scarcity of adequate start‐up capital, stiff competition, lack of employees with the right skills, and difficulty in finding adequate facilities to start their business. Building on this research and earlier work, the paper discusses the crucial role that African governments can play to stimulate and nurture entrepreneurial endeavours. While the findings and recommendations in this paper are based on the study of Ethiopian and Ghanaian entrepreneurs, they have applicability in several African countries. The actual implementation of the proposed recommendations will of course need to be adapted to suit the special circumstances prevailing in each country.

A case study is presented of a Dutch multinational′s introduction of a consumer product to rural Ethiopia based on the author′s direct experiences as an employee of the company. How the company stimulated the demand for sugar by effectively responding to the unique environmental conditions with a particular focus on the creative approaches it utilised to penetrate the rural markets is described. Useful lessons learnt by the company in Ethiopia may be provided to other multinationals and entrepreneurs who may be considering the production and marketing of basic consumer products in less developed countries.

Examines the assessment of service quality as perceived by consumers. Identifies and ranks the attributes for good and poor quality of five selected types of services. The five types of services considered in this study are physician service, retail banking, auto maintenance, college/university, and fast food. The findings indicate that consumers have well‐conceived ideas about service quality, and that certain quality attributes are considered important for most types of services. Interestingly, finds that some attributes seem to have effects similar to Herzberg′s hygiene factors, i.e. the absence of certain attributes may lead consumers to perceive service quality as poor. However, the presence of these attributes may not substantially improve the perceived quality of the service. Also suggests that most customers would be willing to trade some convenience for a price break, and that the behaviour, skill level and performance of service employees are key determinants of perceived quality of services. This is a major challenge for service operations managers, who seek to improve or maintain a high level of service quality.

Increased liberalization of international trade that resulted from negotiations at the Uruguay Roundtable of 1995 has brought pressure to bear on Sub‐Saharan African (SSA) industries to be more competitive both in price and quality to succeed even in their domestic markets. In addition, most African countries have adopted export promotion as a development strategy. Yet, Africa’s export performance has remained very poor. This paper argues that obtaining ISO certification and implementing total quality management (TQM) in private and state‐owned organizations in SSA would strengthen their export capability, enhance their competitiveness and boost domestic demand for their products, thereby stimulating economic growth and development in the region. Further, it suggests that, for these quality improvement methods to be successfully implemented and sustained, the implementation process should be grounded on the unique social, cultural and economic conditions prevailing in SSA.

Reveals that the available literature on TQM implementation emphasizes the experiences of firms in industrialized nations, and studies dealing with the challenges of implementing TQM in less developed countries (LDCs) are limited. Examines the factors that influence the successful implementation of TQM in LDCs with a particular focus on the countries of Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Using force‐field analysis, identifies the primary environmental factors expected to drive or restrain TQM implementation in SSA and proposes some approaches for enhancing its success. Suggests that advance knowledge of the factors that are likely to promote or obstruct TQM implementation would enable managers in SSA countries to develop more effective strategies that will enhance the chances of implementation success. Asserts that adopting the TQM approach can help to improve the quality of goods and services in SSA countries, increase their export capabilities and facilitate the achievement of their development goals. Cautions that in SSA countries it is not enough that top managers in individual firms commit to the TQM process, noting that, in contrast to industrialized nations, SSA governments play a much more prominent role in economic activity, including direct ownership of major enterprises. Hence, argues that the unwavering support of African governments is crucial if TQM is to be successfully introduced and sustained in private and public organizations in SSA.

Successful new venture creation may be one solution to many of the economic problems that affect the mostly minority populations that live in US inner cities. This paper sets out to develop a model and a set of research questions that may help increase understanding of African‐American entrepreneurship.

This paper provides an integrated review of the literature from the USA and Europe pertaining to minority entrepreneurial behavior and achievement. It identifies challenges faced by African‐American urban entrepreneurs and suggests a set of interventions that can enhance entrepreneurial success in the inner cities. The paper then poses a set of research questions with a particular focus on African‐Americans and presents an integrative model that can serve as a framework to examine these questions.

The model posits that motivation and skills drive entrepreneurial behavior and that availability of resources has a moderating effect on both entrepreneurial behavior and achievement. In addition to explaining entrepreneurship in general, the proposed model also suggests that specific variables may work differently for different subcultures.

If this model is supported by empirical evidence, it will have significant implications for formulating appropriate interventions that would enable the successful start‐up and management of new business ventures in different subcultures. It will be of value to cities in the USA, Europe and elsewhere that have large minority populations, and can better inform programs that impart entrepreneurial skills and training.

This paper adds to the growing literature that recognizes that the drivers of entrepreneurial pursuit are frequently embedded in culture. While this has been studied cross‐nationally, few studies examine this aspect within a heterogeneous society.

The ability of small businesses to make and adjust to the paradigm shift needed to benefit from the Japanese production theory has been questioned in the literature. Zangwill (1992) questioned the limits of the Japanese Production Theory (JPT) and in a subsequent paper (Zangwill, 1994) held on to his argument about the limits of the Japanese Production Theory. In this paper, the Japanese Production Theory is first discussed, followed by a discussion of the consistency between the traditional EOQ theory and the Japanese production theory, critique of the Zangwill’s argument, and issues related to the relevance of the Japanese production theory to small businesses.

Notes how service encounters have tended to be viewed as an interaction between service providers and service customers. Examines situations where the main encounter is the interaction between the facility and the customer. Considers different perspectives for planning service facilities – operational, locational, atmospheric/image, consumer use, contact personnel. Argues that congruent facilities are those that can succeed in integrating these competing perspectives.