Elayna’s Report from Tanzania
A. Questions about the organization/company and local economy:
1. Please describe what the organization/company you work with does, how it is set up and where it is located?
The Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair produces an annual trade fair in Arusha, Tanzania, to promote East African tourism. Exhibitors from the region include airlines, tour operators, hotels, service providers, and more. The fair provides a venue for local and international visitors to network, exchange ideas, and grow their businesses.
In 2008, KARIBU hosted the 9th annual fair, managed in association with the Tanzanian Tourism Board (TTB) and the Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators (TATO). The fair has grown significantly over the last decade and with the completion of my assignment, Karibu Events will have the documentation and business plan necessary to register as a LLC by Guarantee. While TATO and TTB will continue to be key partners supporting the initiatives of Karibu Events, the company will operate independently of these associations.
2. What is the organization/company doing well?
The organization excels at using limited resources to meet its goals. The Karibu Fair has demonstrated strong growth each of the last 9 years. The company has created this growth by effectively gaining the necessary support to continue its operations. It uses a grassroots approach and strong partnerships with the community, government officials, and associations. Their work has led to a solid and positive reputation with both the community and the local tourism industry.
3. Where could the organization/company improve?
The organization could benefit from clear operating and organizational procedures and improved communications, to align all employees. Karibu could also benefit by developing a plan with a long term vision, objectives, and goals, and create agreement among all key stakeholders for the plan.
It would also help to schedule some activities earlier in the year to bring relief during the extremely busy preparation period in the month just before the trade fair.
4. What are some aspects of the local culture that should be understood when foreigners consider doing business in this country?
A very important part of the Tanzanian culture is customary exchange of greetings – in both social and business settings. “How are you, how is your family, how did you sleep, how is your health, etc.” It is important to respect this custom or you will be perceived as rude and/or disrespectful. When you call or make a business visit, slow down and begin the conversation with the customary greetings, and only after these greetings are exhausted is it appropriate to move to business at hand. By way of illustrating this practice, It is common that someone will pick up the phone in their office, talk for five minutes yet still not know the name of the caller or the purpose of their call.
Another cultural difference is how time is viewed. Time is not precise or as scheduled as is practiced in much of the western world. If a meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm do not be surprised if people begin to show up at 3:30 pm and do not consider themselves late. Generally, meetings and activities start when everyone is present rather than at a particular time.
5. What are some aspects of the local business environment (e.g. registration of company, government’s role in business, business items unique to this country) that should be understood when foreigners and locals consider doing business in this country?
The local business environment is a bit archaic and old fashioned. So, expect for things to take much longer than you may be accustomed to and be patient. The British system is used, and procedures are both formal and complex. As an example, opening a local bank account requires several referrals, numerous signatures, endless paperwork, and can take months to finalize.
6. What were the direct and indirect results/deliverables as a result of your placement? Please be as specific as possible. Please provide both soft and hard examples. Hard examples include number of clients/people trained, dollars raised, people impacted, etc)
Business Strategy
o Researched business structure options and recommended Limited Liability Company by Guarantee to management. This proposal was accepted. I then wrote the required Memorandum and Articles of Association. These documents are complete and ready for submission to register Karibu Events as a LLC.
o Gathered input from key stakeholders and revised the company mission, goals, values, and objectives.
Marketing
o Developed a 2009 Marketing Plan for Karibu Events.
o Consulted on design and provided copywriting support on numerous marketing materials, customer and management communications.
o Attended Indaba in South Africa – The largest tourism trade show in Africa. My time at Indaba was spent promoting the Karibu Fair for 2008 to International delegates and also generating awareness for Karibu’s 10 year anniversary in 2009.
o Wrote and distributed an online customer satisfaction survey to assess our performance at the fair this year.
Finance
o Created financial policies, procedures, and reporting templates, including a revised (and standardized) annual budget format which will be used going forward.
o Worked with a newly appointed Finance Manager to insure that our reporting needs were met.
Karibu Fair
o My role during the four day event was as Administrative Manager, overseeing a team of 30+ event staff charged with registration, ticket sales, customer service, publicity, and finance.
o After seeing / working at the fair, I summarized my feedback and suggestions for areas of improvement and presented to the management team. Additionally, I documented numerous part-time roles, responsibilities, and general operating procedures that can be utilized annually to prepare and train casual event staff.
Human Resources
o Crafted job descriptions and objectives for full-time Karibu staff to be used in the hiring and annual performance review process
o Wrote standard Employee Contract and Terms of Employment documents to be issued and signed by all new employees as the company expands.
7. Are there opportunities in this field (e.g… health, agriculture or finance) for local and international entrepreneurs?
Absolutely. The tourism industry has recently surpassed agriculture as the top contributor to Tanzania’s economy, and all indicators point to continued growth for the industry.
Questions about Personal Experience:
1. Now that your project is complete, what does “Business Can Do Amazing Things!” mean to you?
It has been interesting for me to watch how much can be accomplished with minimal resources and funding. The event is produced by a permanent staff of three. The event provides much needed full and part time jobs in the community, generates local spending, and provides visibility and growth opportunity for the tourism industry.
2. Why are you interested in working with small businesses and NGOs in the developing world?
It’s a refreshing experience to work in an environment where you see the impact of your efforts almost immediately, where you are genuinely appreciated for your skills, and where you know that you’ve contributed, even if just a little, to improving social and economic economies. I also very much enjoy learning about new cultures and having the opportunity to get involved.
3. What were your main challenges, both personally and professionally?
Both personally and professionally, I know that my experience would have been enhanced significantly had I been better versed in Swahili. While you can get by in English, so much of what is going on around you must be assumed, and much can be easily missed if you are not fluent in the local language.
4. Was the monthly stipend of $1,000US/month sufficient and how, if needed, would you change the way and what MBAs Without Borders financially covers?
Yes it was sufficient to cover basic expenses, but did not extend much beyond that. Probably more so because I was located in a city that is the major tourism hub in Tanzania, and therefore, costs tend to be a bit higher all around.
The expense payments and monthly stipend system worked well, though I was charged an International Wire fee of $10 for each deposit made by MWB.
5. In General, what would have made this experience even better for you?
More lead time to prepare for the assignment (from both a personal and professional standpoint) would have been helpful. The work experience would have been enhanced had it included more extensive community interaction. While I worked with a number of people throughout my assignment, the majority of my work was conducted very independently.
6. What advice would you like to offer future MBAs who work abroad for MBAs Without Borders?
It is truly a wonderful opportunity; embrace it. Try to learn what you can of the organization, country, and language prior to arrival so that you can make the most of the time you are there. Be patient and flexible as the cheese moves constantly, but that is half the fun.
7. Why would you recommend others to participate on MWB programs?
MWB provides a unique service to both MBAs and hosting organizations. It is quite difficult to find, on your own, a short term work experience with such substance. Since many of the hosting organizations do not have the resources to recruit MBAs on their own, this is an excellent way to facilitate the experience.
8. What are some of your goals and aspirations (i.e. job, personal, etc), that you are planning for once this placement has concluded
My interest in travel and cultures is life long, and I do not anticipate this will change. I am energized by, and grateful for this experience. While I am open to various possibilities on the job front, an area of particular interest is global microfinance; allowing me to blend my background in lending with my interest in seeing small businesses and entrepreneurs around the world be given the opportunity to change their lives through small loans.