Case Study: Should a Family Business Accept a Returning Daughter’s Radical Proposal?

Koffi and Yao Assoua and their driver stood together in the back of the arrivals hall at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport. Though trying to maintain their dignity, the two brothers occasionally rose on their toes to see over the heads of the crowd. Koffi’s daughter, Aminata—or “Amina,” as they affectionately called her—was coming back home to Côte d’Ivoire, and they were hoping to offer her a role in the family business.