HarvestWISE:Harvesting Wisdom for Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship

se-in-bangladesh

In many developing countries those living in poverty are unable to participate in markets due to the weakness or complete absence of supportive institutions. This study examines, in microcosm, such an institutional void and illustrates the starety and activities employed by an entrepreneurial actor in Bangladesh in addressing it.

profitable-business-models-in-the-context-of-deep-poverty

The bottom of the pyramid (BOP) in the global distribution of income has been promoted as a significant opportunity for companies to grow profitably.  Under the BOP approach, poor people are identified as potential customers who can be served if companies learn to fundamentally rethink their existing strategies and business models.  This involves acquiring and building new resources and capabilities and forging a multitude of local partnerships.  However, current BOP literature remains relatively silent about how to actually implement such a step into the unknown.  We use two BOP cases to illustrate a strategic framework that reduces managerial complexity.  In our view, existing capabilities and existing local BOP models can be leveraged to build new markets that include the poor and generate sufficient financial returns for companies to justify investments.