Women Entrepreneurs in an Emerging Economy Environment: Morocco

Women entrepreneurs (WEs) operate at all levels of society in Morocco. But, what it is really like to be a self-employed woman in this emerging economy? Does it matter where you live if you want to start your own business? What skills do you need? Where and how can you get start-up funds? Will anybody help you? Taking a marketing approach, this case study explores factors in the business environment of this emerging economy that Moroccan WEs face as they start their own businesses and struggle to become successful.

Students will analyze elements of the operating environment of a wide range of WEs in Morocco. Then, they will integrate their understanding of women’s entrepreneurship in an emerging economy by developing a set of recommendations for a social marketing campaign for the government. Goals for this campaign are to promote and support women’s self-employment as entrepreneurs in Morocco in the short- (1-2 years) and long-term (5-10 years).

• Define the terms “woman entrepreneur,” “emerging economy,” “marketing environment analysis,” and “social marketing.”
• Evaluate the role of personal values among WEs as motivations to build a business that will achieve their goals.
• Examine why women decide to work together to run a business in Morocco.
• Analyze the importance of a start-up’s mission, unique selling proposition (USP), brand image, and product portfolio.
• Explain why Morocco is considered an emerging economy and identify challenges and opportunities that WEs face in getting started and growing their businesses there.
• Describe how the business environment of Morocco affects WEs in their day-to-day management activities.