An Evolutionary And Revolutionary Enterprise

Life cycle or life span? None of the two words canbusiness unprepared for competition. A more superior
describe the highly dynamic nature of service industriesadvice would be "make profit and be alert".
today. Life cycle can mean business will undergoJust after a few years into the twenty first century,
changes but does not give us a growth aspect ofservice industries like computer type-setting that
business. And life-span means a life that will come toshowed signs of dying had a very strong come-back.
an end at a certain time. Perhaps "evolution" andA relatively good number of people in many third world
"revolution" may be closer in capturing the highs, lows,countries had become computer literate, and computer
and complex dynamics of service industry.desk tops were becoming increasingly affordable. And
Computer type-setting business in Kenya, and probablya good number of families had computers in their
in other countries, looked as if it was going to die out inhomes. Family members were choosing to type their
early 2000s, only to turn around and thrive. A relativelydocuments at home. But the honeymoon with the
old occupation, automotive maintenance, according tointeractive machine was short-lived. Life for family
some authoritative industry sources was coming to anmembers either became unbearably busy or
end. Vehicles that were being manufactured hadtype-setting was an unpleasant undertaking. It was not
removable electronic parts that could be removed bylong before almost everyone was heading back to the
anybody, the sources believe, and replaced by newtyping bureaus. The return of the old customers, and
ones when they ceased to function. One automotivecoming of new ones, meant the bureaus were on a
engineer at that time left his workshop, and headed forquick recovery path. This was a big surprise to those
university to study for an MBA, not to be able to be awho had thought otherwise.
better manager for his workshop, but on the premiseAn automobile maintenance service may only need
that his occupation was dying out.some innovation, effectiveness, and efficiency in
A better respond was from Jomo Kenyatta Universityservice delivery before it can come back bouncing.
College of Agriculture and Technology. The universityEven when vehicles have become partially electronic,
re-structured its mechanical engineering programme topeople can take their vehicles to garages that can
reflect the changes in machine and automobilehave worn-out parts replaced by genuine new parts.
engineering, but not the death of the industry. ManyThere will still be garages that will lack integrity. And
people who were the first to offer computerwe will still have parts of a vehicle that are purely
type-setting services, driven by "dying businessesmetal and may need welding, straightening, twisting, or
euphoria" closed, only to keep way for newbinding, and the old skills would still be handy.
entrepreneurs who started and thrive. No life-cycle, noMany entrepreneurs would choose the easy and
life-span, but evolution and revolution.stable food and clothing industries. But even these
Evolution means service industry undergo changesbusinesses can become redundant, if they lack
characterized by generations of highs and lows, butinnovation, and attentiveness to taste and quality of
with an upward trend. If an entrepreneur would remainservice. Service industries must also come up with the
abreast of complex industry dynamics at all businessright corporate culture, not just in paper, but be
growth stages, business may rise from low to high.implemented. These "basic needs" industries have
With innovation, radical steps, and external factors,opportunities for growth or for demise, depending on
known or unknown to an entrepreneur, business mayhow they are managed. The scenario of people
come back with an explosion, and with some orrunning back to the typing bureaus is not foreign to
entirely new characteristics resembling a revolution.running back to restaurants and hotels. There is an
When new service industries were at their low, oneincreasing number of people who would prefer taking
would hear a self-acclaimed "sages" saying that sayingtheir visitors to restaurants and hotels for lunch, supper,
that whenever you enter into a new business, exploit it,and accommodation than cooking for them in their
make a big kill, flea, and join a new industry before youhomes.
are ruined together with the dying business. There isClothing industry is governed by fashion and taste. And
some scanty truth in the sage's advice - that ofthere are also fashionable and tasteful ways of
making profit, but a big junk of his advice is acookery and serving. It may be said with confidence
misconception. Making of profit should go hand in handthat boredom stares hard at the modern man, and is
with innovation, quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.on the list of the most abhorred and feared items. The
When an entrepreneur pay attention to all these,twenty first century man may never be able to say
business that is low may have a very powerfulwith the wise Solomon of old that all is vanity, but will
come-back. When the business is high, there are somealways be on the look out for something appealing,
business actions that should be carried out. It may callappetizing, exiting, intriguing, and satisfying. And
for expansion, exploring of new markets, developing aentrepreneurs should endeavour, whether in new or
new product, or acquiring a company that deal with aold service industries, to provide them. The
related product. Otherwise the business may becomeentrepreneur's pursuit becomes an evolutionary and
redundant or new competitors may enter the marketrevolutionary enterprise.
and trade in similar products, making the existing