Sustainability Challenges and Solutions at the Base of the Pyramid

Abstract

Foreword Stuart L. Hart Introduction. Farewell to pyramids: how can business and technology help to eradicate poverty? Prabhu Kandachar, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, and Minna Halme, Helsinki School of Economics, Finland Part I. Inclusive markets and BoP strategies 1. Understanding the markets of the poor: a market system approach to inclusive business models Christina Gradl, Emergia Institute/Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, and Sahba Sobhani, Afke Bootsman and Austine Gasnier, United Nations Development Programme 2. Lights on or trade off? Can base-of-the-pyramid approaches deliver solutions to energy poverty? Emma Wilson, Business and Sustainable Development Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Lyuba Zarsky, Monterey Institute for International Studies, Brian Shaad, Partnerships in Development, Ltd, and Ben Bundock, freela Part II. Local enterprises at the BoP: cooperative efforts 3. WIZZIT: mobile banking for the poor in South Africa Brian Richardson and Nicolas Callegari, WIZZIT South Africa 4. The GP Community Information Centre: helping the poor through technology A.H.M. Sultanur Reza, Head of Community Information Centre, Grameenphone, Bangladesh 5. Edenor SA: energy and development for the base of the pyramid Miguel Angel Gardetti, Centre for Study of Corporate Sustainability, Argentina Argentina Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab, and Ma Griselda Lassaga, Centre for Study of Corporate Sustainability, Argentina 6. Pro-poor enterprises and the base of the pyramid concept: learning from natural plant product ventures in South Africa Cori Ham and Wolfgang Thomas, Stellenbosch University, South Africa 7. Integrating poverty reduction and environmental protection among BoP producers: Van Chang craft village in Vietnam Nonita T. Yap, University of Guelph, Canada 8. The challenges and opportunities of creating sustainable shared values at the base of the pyramid: cases from sub-Saharan Africa Samuel Petros Sebhatu, CTF Service Research Centre, Karlstad University 9. SEWA members: wheels of the pyramid. A case study Reema Nanavaty, Self Employed Women's Association, India 10. Reutilisation of glass residues and social and environmental sustainability in Brasilia Adriana Villela, Leila Chalub Martins, Maria de Fatima Makiuchi and Donald Sawyer, University of Brasilia, Brazil 11. Sustainable solid waste management using a base-of-the-pyramid approach John Stutz, Tellus Institute, USA 12. Small is beautiful: solar product and market development should be scaled to the actual needs of end-users in the developing world K.M. Arkesteijn and A.E. Maaskant, Free Energy Europe, The Netherlands, and P. Steemers, Umeme Jua Ltd Part III. Are BoP consumers and citizens included? 13. Consumer integration into innovation processes: a new approach for creating and enhancing innovations for the base of the pyramid (BoP)? Aline Kramer and Frank-Martin Belz, Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany 14. Research methods for subsistence marketplaces Madhu Viswanathan, Roland Gau and Avinish Chaturvedi, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA 15. Investments at the base of the pyramid: reducing poverty through sustainable asset development Janet Boguslaw, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, USA, and Mary Ellen Boyle, Clark University Graduate School of Management, USA Part IV. Capabilities, opportunities and challenges for developing BoP business by MNCs 16. Empowering creativity: a design-led innovation experience based on value co-creation and user insights Simona Rocchi and Yasushi Kusume, Philips Design, The Netherlands 17. Affordable communication for rural communities Mika Skarp and Raj Bansal, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Raimo Lovio and Minna Halme, Helsinki School of Economics, Finland 18. Understanding business models at the BOP: lessons learned from two South American utility companies Juliana Mutis, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), and Joan Enric Ricart, IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain 19. Finding value and sustainability at the base of the pyramid Naomi Wynburne and Rosalind Wilson, Emerging Markets Group (EMG) Ltd 20. Fortifying the business model: the case of Tetra Pak and the Nasarawa State school feeding programme in Nigeria Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Ulrich Steger, Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management, IMD 21. Building dynamic capabilities for the base of the pyramid: a closer look at firm practices Patrick Vermeulen, Judith Bertisen and Jac Geurts, Tilburg University, The Netherlands 22. Opportunities and challenges for multinational corporations at the base of the pyramid Christine Keating and Tara Schmidt, London Business School, UK Part V. Sustainability challenges and solutions 23. Transforming innovation and development practice in the Global South? Myths, realities, and the prospects for base-of-the-pyramid approaches James T. Murphy, Clark University, USA 24. The environmental (un)sustainability of the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) philosophy: a governance perspective Frank Wijen, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands 25. Sustainable development at the BOP: on integrated approaches beyond trade-off thinking Rudiger Hahn, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat Dusseldorf, Germany 26. When CSR Met BoP: ethical concerns at the base of the pyramid D. Kirk Davidson, Mount St Mary's University, USA 27. Towards Human Development through the Market: a comparative review of business approaches benefiting low-income markets from a sustainable consumption and production perspective Burcu Tuncer, Fisseha Tessema, Martin Herrndorf and Nadine Pratt, UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), Germany, and Martin Herrndorf, University of St Gallen, Switzerland