Bop Sudan Base of the

BOP Sudan Base of the Pyramid Opportunities in Sudan Countries situated at the base of the pyramid present great potential that can be exploited by Western companies that have the financial abilities of investing in such markets. But companies must be careful in selecting the area of activity, the product or service they intend to introduce in these regions, given the fact that customer acceptance for many products frequently used in the civilized world is limited in these regions.

In addition to this, these developing markets raise significant market entry barriers and risks to companies. Western companies must identify or to crate the need for certain products and services. Once this need has been developed, the company must assess the possibilities and characteristics of the market in order to establish the development level of the product or service that will address the market in case. In base of the pyramid countries, one of the most successful businesses is represented by mobile banking.

Although there was no actual well-defined market for such services in these countries, telecommunications providers were able to develop the need for this service and to convince the locals that they needed to pay for the advantages provided by mobile banking. By using this service, locals that have cell phones do not have to go to an actual bank in order to transfer money. This way, they save money and time.

The costs of these services in such countries are supported by the banks included in this program, in comparison with developed countries where users pay these fees. This is because banks in base of the pyramid countries prefer to pay the costs themselves, which allows them to attract customers and to open numerous bank accounts. Strategic Plan As mentioned above, the company must develop and implement a thorough strategy that addresses the characteristics of the market in case.

The decision making plan will follow these steps: Identify objectives Collecting information Analyzing information Selecting the course of action Communicating decision Identify objectives The first step when deciding to outsourcing some of the business activities, or to address a new market consists in identifying the objectives of the company. In other words, the company must establish what the expected outcomes will be from accessing a new destination for its business. The objectives can be financial, qualitative, quantitative, and others.

In this case, the objectives of the company consist in: developing a market in Sudan that can be addressed by the company's products and services, assessing the potential of the market, identifying the local workforce, identifying the locals' purchasing power, identifying the characteristics and motivations of potential customers, assessing the educational level in this region, establishing the sales volume that can be achieved by the company, establishing the price that be supported by both the company and potential customers, and others.

These objectives are identified by managers in collaboration with their subordinates in departments like financial, production, and marketing ones. The objectives identified in this step are then presented to the owners and shareholders of the company, given the fact that they are the interested parties that will make the decision. It is recommended that each of these objectives is arranged following a hierarchy of importance.

The reasons for including these objectives in the report must be accompanied by the resources and risks associated with the implementation of actions designed to reach these objectives. This is because the decision regarding addressing the market in Sudan must be made knowing the opportunities and threats that are likely to affect the success of the company in this country. Collecting information This is a very important step in the decision making process.

The decision that must be taken by the decision makers in the company, the owners and shareholders, must be backed by useful information regarding the requirements that this market raises for the company. It is important that the information collected in this step is relevant and up-to-date. The information that must be collected by the company refers to a wide range of subjects.

These issues include: information on competitors in the market that the company intends to address, on the political, economic, legal, cultural, technical environments, potential customers' financial possibilities, and others. One of the most important aspects that the company must collect data and information in is represented by the cultural environment in Sudan. This is because the cultural differences between the Western and African civilization can raise significant problems that can influence the success of the company in Sudan.

Aside from language barriers, the different values and traditions in Sudan must be understood before developing the product or service that the company intends to introduce on the Sudanese market. The company's efforts in understanding the country's cultural environment is likely to be appreciated by potential customers in this country. Human resources are the most important resource that the company can exploit. In other words, the success of the company in Sudan relies on the quality of the workforce involved in this project.

It is recommended that the company opens a branch in Sudan that is represented by top and middle managers coming from the company's headquarters in the national market. This is because these managers are familiar with the company's products, services, projects, activities, and processes. It would be easier for them to implement these [processes in a different country, rather than training local managers to do this. This also reduces the risks associated with the activity of the company in Sudan.

But it is recommended that the subordinates of these managers are locals. This is because the cultural differences between the two countries require that the execution employees are hire on local level from the community that the company addresses. The market analysis in Sudan must be performed by a local company. The reason behind this strategy relies on the fact that local companies, even if they are smaller and less skilled, have the advantage of understanding the country's culture and needs of consumers.

Such a company can provide useful information that the company requires in making the decision regarding its business in Sudan and the approach that the company should use in order to reach its objectives associated with this business. The marketing strategy must also be developed and implemented with the help of a local marketing company that is able to provide consulting services to the company in its efforts of understanding the Sudanese market and building the product in accordance with the characteristics of the market.

It is necessary that the company adapts the mobile banking service to the market in Sudan. The differences between the cultural environments and needs and possibilities of the potential customers in the two countries require that the services in these countries are differently approached. Customers in Western countries have more developed needs and require more advanced applications. But the potential customers in Sudan are mostly illiterate, which makes it difficult for them to use SMS or e-mails when paying their bills.

The applications used in the mobile banking service in this country should require little knowledge from users. This is why mobile banking services in similar countries use a Voice Response Interface p hat helps users to make the financial transfers they want. The local workforce that will be hired for the company in Sudan will be hired through a local HR company. This company must clearly understand the requirements of the telecommunications company and select the most skilled employees on the Sudanese market. It is recommended.