Boosting inclusive businesses' opportunities through the adoption of scrum: an execution strategy to enter low-end markets

Abstract

As consumer markets in Western industries are saturated, the Bottom of the Pyramid has become increasingly important as a future mass market. Nevertheless, it remains difficult to adequately address the needs of low-income consumers. Approaches such as inclusive business have become more significant in both the literature and in practice. However, it is still unclear how inclusive business structures can be designed. Given the importance of networks based on local partnerships and knowledge transfer as key factors for success, this research proposes taking an agile approach to frame inclusive business approaches. Based on the Scrum framework, this study creates a conceptual model: the Inclusive Business Scrum Approach. Referring to the execution level, the model illustrates how inclusive business can emerge. It thus not only helps to address the 'how' of inclusive business, but it also considers topics related to the heterogeneity of partners and the composition of the team.