Kencall: Blood, Sweat, Tears & Bureacrats (Part 1)
Kencall Case StudyI seem to have developed an obsession with Kencall and what it is they are trying to do in Kenya. I know why I have this obsession. It is because I have an interest in technology and I’m very interested in seeing how it will play out (commercially) in Kenya. The second reason is because I think a company like Kencall really represents the future of where Kenya’s economic change is going to come from. We don’t have oil or diamonds or gold. In order to reduce poverty, Kenya is going to have to create new wealth and that new wealth is going to be created by companies like Kencall. i.e businesses that are venturing into new territory by trying to tap into this changing global world.
So, part of my obsession with this company involves me trying to find out more about it and I recently got a hold of a case study on the company that was done by the Harvard Business School and I’ve been going through it the past couple of days and there’s some very interesting information contained in that case study, which I’d like us to talk about here.
Now, I’ve enclosed a copy of the case study below, which you can look at and which you should read, but I want to say at the outset that this post is not a Kencall-bashing post (there’s already a post for that). It is a post that I hope will elicit a more positive and mature discussion about entrepreneurship in modern Kenya with all of it’s perils, hopes and yes, realities.
“Mature” Spelling correction on a mature topic,
I think you should be made aware of the difference between “illicit” and “elicit” as you used on the third line of the last paragraph.
Didier:
I am aware of the difference, but please remember that blog posts are not like newspapers. I don’t have editors working for me who can spend hours checking each post to make sure that every single word is perfect or every spelling is correct.
Plus, it’s also not an exam paper. I’m not getting a grade here from anyone and editing takes an enormous amount of time (believe me, I used to spend hours editing papers when I was in school & to get to a point of perfection would require me to read my papers 7, 8 & even 10 times). If I had to edit each post I did, you’d be getting a post once every six months. I’m writing everything here alone with no help from anyone. Try doing that on a daily basis then come back and talk to me.
Blog posts have to be generated quickly and rapidly. This is what separates them from newspapers who have hundreds of people working for them and editors whose job it is to double check everything.
Most people who get hung up on small errors they find here (or elsewhere) could never even write half a paragraph of anything or maintain a blog with several articles for years on end.
So, don’t get discombobulated by these small errors you might see in the post. The key for me when I write is to make it easy for people to follow the thought process and the analysis. i.e. to get the point of the overall story.
@KE
Page 3 is still missing. Sir, could you please post it separately so that you save time? Then I’ll give you my 2 cents.
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.
I’ve added page 3.
I like where this is going. Direct me to the study by Havard, please. This is what blogs are made of.
Sorry blond moment there.
Wow,
Going through the case study then i will give you my 50 cents…fascinating stuff. Keep it up!