Pricing Challenges in Subsistence Entrepreneurship: An Exploratory Study of the Coping Strategies of Micro-Entrepreneurs in the Mobile Telecommunications Industry in Cameroon

This study examines the pricing challenges faced by micro-entrepreneurs in the mobile telecommunications industry in Cameroon and the coping strategies they use to address these challenges. Pricing decisions among resource-constrained entrepreneurs are influenced by intense competition, customer bargaining power, uncertain demand, changing input costs, limited market information, and weak institutional support. In the mobile telecommunications sector, these pressures are further affected by changes in commissions, transaction conditions, operating expenses, and customer preferences. The study focuses on subsistence entrepreneurship, where business activities are primarily oriented toward securing livelihoods and maintaining business survival rather than pursuing sustained growth. It explores how micro-entrepreneurs determine prices, the constraints affecting their pricing decisions, and the adaptive strategies they employ to maintain their businesses. The study contributes to understanding the contextual and adaptive nature of entrepreneurial pricing and highlights pricing as an important mechanism through which resource-constrained entrepreneurs respond to competitive pressures and pursue business continuity in Cameroon.

Subsistence Entrepreneurship; Pricing Challenges; Micro-Entrepreneurs; Coping Strategies; Mobile Telecommunications Industry; Cameroon; Entrepreneurship; Pricing Strategy.

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