This, of course, not always the case – the example provided by Tarun Khanna speaks to universal values of wanting to receive quality care and to have information about doctors and facilities. If anything, a western entrepreneur opening a clinic there could be seen as an affront to cultural traditions by many, making the enterprise far riskier. However, part the reason why abortions are not popular in these places is because of the Islam religion and local cultural traditions, which forbid women from doing abortions. Western logic would dictate that opening a clinic there would yield great profits while answering a potential need. For example, the number of abortion clinics in many Muslim countries is very low, whereas their population growth rates are high. Being a foreigner, I would view certain issues as problems, whereas the locals would have been used to it and not want to change. I can imagine that cultural and language barriers also play a role. This is already being done in countries like China, India, and Russia.
It could even push out foreign competition in order to favor their own, less efficient and capable businesses, using protectionist measures. The corrupt government would often put hurdles in front of businesses, and threaten potential investments. Khanna covers this in the part about corruption. I think the reason why there are not many individual entrepreneurs or organizations willing to jump at the opportunity to make the lives of people there better and make a profit is because of the obstacles surrounding building up such a system. So, why aren’t these opportunities seized by multinational multi-billion corporations, or even medium-sized businesses from the first world, that are looking to expand? The possibility of going into the Blue Ocean and carving a piece of the market there is much safer than trying to compete with one another in the oversaturated western markets, correct? The majority of the world’s population lives either in poor or developing countries with plenty of institutional issues that the people of first-world countries take for granted. In theory, the developing world presents a huge array of opportunities for those with talent, time, and money to invest into the project.
The story made me think about insurmountable obstacles as entrepreneurial opportunities.