Exploring international markets: unique quality heads to Kenya

Study level/applicability The case is targeted at undergraduate students in international finance, international business, entrepreneurship and strategic marketing classes. Subject area At the broadest level, the case represents an opportunity for students to discuss internationalisation of local firms. It focusses on getting students to analyse the costs and benefits associated with the foreign entry decision as well as the strategies for foreign entry. Case overview The Exploring International Markets: Unique Quality Heads to Kenya case study provides a chronological report of how Unique Quality, a cereal production company, grew locally up until the point when it considers internationalisation. It details the key considerations the firm makes as it considers its foreign entry decision. Unique Quality is a cereal production company in Ghana, which operates within the agriculture industry. The industry operates at almost all the points along the value chain including coordinating the growing of the cereal until it is harvested, packaged and marketed for sale. The company which started operations in 2013 has made great gains in penetrating the Ghanaian market. Salma, who is currently at the helm of affair at the company, together with the board is considering entering into Kenya. This decision is one that must not be taken lightly and has left Salma in a dilemma. Expected learning outcomes The expected learning outcomes of the case are:To enable students:a) identify the reasons why firms go international;b) identify opportunities for cost-cutting benefits or revenue maximisation opportunities for Unique Quality in Kenya;c) understand and identify the various sources of country risk that Unique Quality could face in its attempt to enter the Kenyan market; andd) identify and analyse the various foreign entry strategy options available to Unique Quality. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected]_to_request_teaching_notes Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and finance.

Compensating wage differentials and the labor market re-entry of mothers: Evidence from a factorial survey

Mothers still earn substantially less than women without children; this discrepancy is often referred to as the motherhood wage penalty. This paper examines one possible explanation for this penalty: the willingness to accept lower-paying jobs that have more favorable characteristics that help women reconcile family and work. This idea was formulated based on the theory of compensating wage differentials (CWDs). A factorial survey is used to empirically examine the willingness to accept lower-paying jobs. An online survey comprised 398 women who interrupted employment due to family reasons. The results suggest that mothers are willing to accept lower wages for better job characteristics and that in addition to wages, non-monetary characteristics are also important in shaping the re-entry decision.