What does a Goat Have to Do with Development? Diasporas, IT, and the Case of Thamel.com*

This chapter outlines the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) approach, emphasising the '12 Principles for Innovation’, as described by C. K. Prahalad. It focuses on three myths built into these innovation principles- the consumer education myth, the emptiness myth, and the scale and transferability myth-are confronted through detailed discussions showing how the assumptions behind them fail to address the realities of consumers, markets, enterprises and entrepreneurs in developing countries. The chapter deals with a synthesis of these analyses, comments about why BoP thinking is important to consider, and with recommendations about how BoP strategies might be transformed so that they more effectively contributes to sustainable development and poverty alleviation programmes. BoP thinking seeks to transform the relationships between multinational corporations and poor people in the Global South through a dramatic reframing of growth and innovation strategies at the corporate level. Innovation in BoP markets requires significant investments in educating customers on the appropriate use and the benefits of specific products and services.

Purpose – While it has been speculated for some time that technology market development at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) will create millions of new entrepreneurs in developing countries, as the BOP is the largest untapped market, to date, there is hardly any macro‐level cross‐country study investigating the extent to which such market development at the BOP influences new business formation “rates” in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of technology market development at the BOP in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in influencing new business formation rates in developing countries.Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on cross‐country data from developing countries from World Resources Institute and the World Bank. Several steps were taken to ensure robustness.Findings – First, a connection is established between a developing country's level BOP market for ICT and the county's “rate” of new business formation. Second, it is suggested...

PurposeResearch has not yet captured nor synthesized the supply chain (SC) adaptations exercised by various base of the pyramid (BoP) initiators for successful BoP business. This is a crucial shortcoming that the study has taken a step to address, with the aim of advancing theory in BoP supply chain management (SCM). The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on Carter et al.’s (2015) theory of the SC and use a multi-method approach combining systematic literature review and embedded case studies based on the secondary data.FindingsThe authors compare BoP SC adaptations of MNCs, local companies, NGOs, social enterprises and governments and develop propositions. The authors find that SC adaptations exercised by BoP initiators are influenced by their sense making of institutional and agency drivers at the BoP, and contingent on whether the poor are engaged as recipients or value co-creators.Practical implicationsThe authors develop a multi-initiator understanding of SC adaptations for BoP business. This is useful for BoP initiators who struggle to leverage their BoP business as well as for those who are considering entering the BoP. The authors offer these entities insights for aligning strategy and developing capabilities for BoP markets.Originality/valueThe authors develop an original model of BoP initiator-based configurations of SC adaptations for BoP business. As such, the authors contribute toward advancing BoP SCM theory and practice by mapping substantive concepts and their relationships associated with BoP SC adaptations.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the drivers of customer participation for value co-creation among bottom of the pyramid (BOP) customers. In addition, the difference, if exists, between the perception of customer and marketers belongs to this segment about the drivers of customer participation is also studied.Design/methodology/approach– Qualitative study has been conducted to investigate the drivers of customer participation for value co-creation in BOP market. Data collection are done through in-depth interviews from BOP customers and marketers. Spearman rank correlation is used to find out the relationship between the BOP customers and marketers responses.Findings– The findings enrich understanding of value co-creation in the BOP market by suggesting the various drivers that instigate BOP consumers to participate in value co-creation activities. The study also shows a strong relationship between the customers and marketers perspective on what drives BOP customers to participate in value co-creation.Research limitations/implications– The study is conducted qualitatively hence results cannot be generalized. The sample used for data collection is limited to one state of India.Practical implications– Twenty-seven factors are identified that an organization can leverage or develop to successfully practice value co-creation in the BOP markets.Originality\value– The paper provides a comprehensive view to help organizations manage value co-creation through customer participation in BOP market. According to author's knowledge, no prior study in BOP as well as on value co-creation literature discusses empirically the drivers of customer participation in value co-creation.

There is a continuing debate among scholars concerning the existence of a fortune at the bottom of pyramid (BOP). While some scholars argue that there is a profitable market at the pyramid base, others argue that targeting poor people as customers could lead to unethical business practices. With the aid of preliminary study, this paper explains that there is a fortune to be made at the BOP if the community is treated as the entrepreneurs than as mere consumers. Nevertheless, for them to develop their own venture in order to reduce poverty is not an easy task due to various hindrances. Therefore, this paper provides insights into the under-researched area of comprehending the impediments that triggered the BOP community readiness to venture into business development. Converting the BOP into active entrepreneurs has become the agenda of the Malaysian government to eradicate the poverty by the year 2020 and thus this paper is expected to provide preliminary findings of the barriers that prohibit them to become entrepreneurs. A series of interview was conducted with a sample of ten BOP communities from Northern Region in Malaysia. In-depth, one-to-one interviews were conducted among them to probe into their outlook on this matter. The findings highlighted on the key factors that hamper the BOP community to create new ventures, new insights and experiences towards entrepreneurship. In sum, this study generates agenda for researchers to reach more conclusive evidence about the concept of entrepreneurship among the BOP community in Malaysia.

There is a continuing debate among scholars concerning the existence of a fortune at the bottom of pyramid (BOP). While some scholars argue that there is a profitable market at the pyramid base, others argue that targeting poor people as customers could lead to unethical business practices. With the aid of preliminary study, this paper explains that there is a fortune to be made at the BOP if the community is treated as the entrepreneurs than as mere consumers. Nevertheless, for them to develop their own venture in order to reduce poverty is not an easy task due to various hindrances. Therefore, this paper provides insights into the under-researched area of comprehending the impediments that triggered the BOP community readiness to venture into business development. Converting the BOP into active entrepreneurs has become the agenda of the Malaysian government to eradicate the poverty by the year 2020 and thus this paper is expected to provide preliminary findings of the barriers that prohibit them to become entrepreneurs. A series of interview was conducted with a sample of ten BOP communities from Northern Region in Malaysia. In-depth, one-to-one interviews were conducted among them to probe into their outlook on this matter. The findings highlighted on the key factors that hamper the BOP community to create new ventures, new insights and experiences towards entrepreneurship. In sum, this study generates agenda for researchers to reach more conclusive evidence about the concept of entrepreneurship among the BOP community in Malaysia.

The Problem Research on South Korean women entrepreneurs in the information technology (IT) industry is limited, and thus learning how they start and develop their businesses will address a gap in the literature. In addition, as our previous study on women entrepreneurs in Korea encompassed all industries, we did not sufficiently capture how women entrepreneurs in the IT industry started and developed their businesses. We feel a strong need to conduct a follow-up study on three women entrepreneurs who (a) started an IT business to become independent; (b) have stayed in their businesses for approximately 20 years; and (c) became role models as women entrepreneurs in the industry. The Solution We conducted semi-structured interviews with three women entrepreneurs in the IT industry and analyzed each case on three themes: motivation, challenges, and success factors. Although each case has its distinctive features, we found that all cases had success factors in common: technical expertise, positive outlook, adherence to business principles, work centrality, and networking. Particularly, the three women entrepreneurs’ positive outlook was the key success factor that helped them overcome challenges they faced in business development. The Stakeholders Given the study findings on women entrepreneurs’ personal factors (e.g., positive outlook, technical expertise) and external factors (e.g., networking), human resource development (HRD) practitioners can develop leadership programs to share those success factors with aspiring women entrepreneurs in Korea and other countries so that they can develop their own competencies and strategies from early on.

Information professionals in a globalized world: Digital inclusion initiatives in Brazil: Improving education and information seeking behavior through government‐academic partnerships

The dynamic development in the field of Diaspora and Transnational entrepreneurship reveals a wide range of challenges and perspectives. These intensely tense up ‘conventional wisdom', stretch knowledge frontiers, and simultaneously expose fundamental paradoxes in the characterization of ethnic minorities' diaspora and transnational groups in the context of their entrepreneurship. Prior efforts at researching and advancing knowledge in this sphere have been hugely complicated, not less by the problematic of nomenclature but by researchers' application of terms. Against this background, this chapter aims to expand current understandings on the dialectic, dilemma, and paradoxical signals emitted by the events of diaspora and transnational entrepreneurship's economic activities both theoretically and practically. The significance resides in its capacity to enlarge our understanding of the dynamic process of individual agency in cross-border entrepreneurial relations.

This study explores the role of local networks of transnational diaspora entrepreneurs in their countries of origin (COO). Drawing on findings from two extensive case studies, we show that contrary to current literature, local networks particularly family ties maybe counterproductive of diaspora entrepreneurs as they engage in transnational entrepreneurship. We discuss the implications of our findings in relation to literature particularly when diaspora entrepreneurs’ COO are developing countries, saddled with weak institutional arrangements and environments.

In recent years, we have witnessed a surge in academic interest towards migrants and their entrepreneurial endeavours. This has resulted in valuable insights about immigrant, transnational, ethnic and diaspora entrepreneurship. By reviewing 158 articles published in the fields of migrant entrepreneurship, transnational entrepreneurship, ethnic and diaspora entrepreneurship over the last decade, the author maps the migrant entrepreneurship field according to the level of analysis and suggests potential avenues for the development of the field. Blurred boundaries between different streams of literature can potentially lead to duplication of efforts and harm cumulativity of knowledge. Therefore, the author summarises the key findings at each level of analysis, identifies the gaps and most pressing research questions. The author concluded that the field would benefit from (1) more specific definitions and assessment of whether observed findings stem from immigrant-, transnational-, ethnic- or diaspora-related factors; (2) appreciating the multilevel nature of the phenomenon; and (3) clarifying the boundary conditions. This review contributes to the accumulation of knowledge in two ways. First, it synthesises the findings in the fields of transnational, immigrant, ethnic and diaspora entrepreneurship under the framework of migrant entrepreneurship. Second, it suggests potential research directions across three levels of analysis and in-between those levels.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the value co-creation at bottom of the pyramid (BOP) using social media and to investigate how it is impacted by age, gender and peer influence. Design/methodology/approach A BOP approach provides sustainable profits by involving low-income producers and consumers by way of co-creating values. The focus of the BOP approach in the business environment in this study is to establish co-creation among the different stakeholders at the BOP level. With the help of a literature review and related theories, a conceptual model has been developed. The model has been tested statistically for validation using a survey by considering 314 usable respondents. Findings This study has focused on the impact of different issues such as age, gender and peer influence concerning the consumers at BOP segments involving in co-creation activities. The study finds that people at BOP segments emphasize more social media usage compared to the influence of peers in the context of co-creating values. Research limitations/implications Co-creation at BOP is a new approach. This study is unique research where it identifies the impact of gender, age and peer influence at the BOP level consumers for co-creation activities. The study also highlights the influence of social media on BOP consumers for co-creating values. The model so developed along with the findings of this study contribute to the overall body of knowledge in this area which has a wider theoretical and social implication. Practical implications The proposed model in this study can help organizations to understand the impact of age, gender, peer influence on value co-creation activities at BOP using social media. This study can help managers of the organizations involved in co-creation at BOP to formulate an appropriate strategy to get engaged with the customers at BOP. Finally, this study can motivate customers to value co-creating and engaging with organizations. Originality/value This study has primarily identified the impact of age, gender and peer influence for the consumers at BOP segments and is involved in different co-creation activities. The study has been mainly conducted in India, an emerging economy. None of such studies has been conducted in the emerging markets. Thus, this study claims to have possessed its uniqueness.

In this article, the author examines the transition from ethnic enclave to diaspora/transnational entrepreneurship by Black African ethnic entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom through interview/case study approaches. Key issues at stake are whether diaspora/transnational entrepreneurship is a kind of adaptive process in self-actualization, economic empowerment, or competitive advantage or a strategy of reintegration with the country of origin. Leveraging duality of opportunities results in subjective successful business performance and personal contentment of the diaspora entrepreneurs. Transnational entrepreneurship is crucial to business growth in Africa. This is particularly true with diaspora transfers to Africa playing a significant role in social, economic, and business developments.

Perceived Impacts of Access to Telecom at the Bottom of the Pyramid

The purpose of this paper is to make a systematic review of the literature on role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in sustainability of the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) markets by studying the impact of ICT on innovation development at BOP. BOP markets are those segments of the global markets that have an income of about two to four dollars or less and are untapped fortunes for the business (Prahalad, 2002). BOP is fraught with dearth of infrastructure and resources which makes it hard for business firms to work out viable and sustainable strategies as the separations between the producers and end users are much wider in these markets compared with developed markets. Use of ICT helps reduce these separations by developing shared innovations with the people at BOP. Systematic literature review approach has been adopted to analyze the peer-reviewed journals for the period 2000 to 2019 using Google Scholar and Science Direct. BOP, ICT and Shared Innovations were the key words used in this search. Our findings suggest that ICT has significant role in development of shared innovations at the BOP markets as it bridges the physical market separation with its internet and web-based networks. This research has implications for busines managers, as it will guide them in making viable and sustainable strategies to run their businesses in these huge un-tapped markets.