You Make the CallSituation 3
Dr. Juldiz Afgazar, a native of the Republic of Kazakhstan, had been invited to spend a
semester in the United States as a visiting scholar in entrepreneurial finance.
Kazakhstan gained its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991, and only
after that were laws passed allowing citizens to own private businesses. Dr. Afgazar
wanted to learn more about the free market economy of the United States to determine
whether such a system could be implemented in Kazakhstan.
Prior to this visit to the United States, Dr. Afgazar had not traveled extensively outside
her country. Although she enjoyed many aspects of U.S. culture, she was particularly
impressed by the seemingly unlimited quantity and variety of goods and foods that were
readily available. After a visit to a local restaurant’s pizza buffet, she became an avid
fan of American-style pizza! Dr. Afgazar found the crisp yeast crust, spicy tomato
sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, and assortment of toppings to be a delicious
combination. Pizza was an entirely new type of food for her, since it was not available
in Kazakhstan. A true entrepreneur, Dr. Afgazar began to wonder if a pizza restaurant
could be successful in her country.
Source: Developed by Elisabeth J. Teal of Northern Georgia College and State
University, Dahlonega, Georgia, and Aigul N. Toxanova of Kokshetau Higher College
of Management and Business, Kazakhstan.
Question 1 What obstacles would an entrepreneur have to overcome to establish a pizza
restaurant in a country with a developing market-based economy, such as Kazakhstan?
Question 2 Is Dr. Afgazar’s idea of developing a pizza restaurant in Kazakhstan ahead
of its time? That is, do you think the economy of Kazakhstan is sufficiently developed
to support a pizza restaurant?
Question 3 What methods could an entrepreneur use to evaluate the likelihood of
success of a pizza restaurant in Kazakhstan?