INTERNAL EQUITY AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT IN SUBSISTENCE MARKETS: A COMPARATIVE AND A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THREE PRIVATE COMPANIES IN BURKINA FASO

The concept of internal equity in the customer relationship management is often overlooked by Burkina companies, causing thereby a reduction in profitability. Equity and ethical marketing practices are essential to the survival of Burkina companies, especially in this context of the globalization of the economy, where fair trade values are advocated, and competition is tough. On the basis of this observation, to help identify the contribution that fair business-to-customer practices could bring not only to the economic development of enterprises, but also to the eradication of poverty in the subsistence markets, this article presents the results of an exploratory research concerning three companies in Burkina Faso (two small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and a very small company (VSE)). The results show current practices as well as challenges and limitations observed within these companies. The data collection was carried out using an interview guide addressed to the customers of these three companies in Burkina Faso. The data is collected with an audio voice recorder and then transcribed by hand using SONY audio software. The total number of interviewees is 51. The research has helped to make our contribution to the development of literature on markets livelihood which is also poorly documented and to make some suggestions to explore and to develop internal equity practices. The results show that internal equity has an influence on customer satisfaction and thus on sales’ growth.