24.01.2018: Exploratory case study research on business initiatives at the Base of the Pyramid through system dynamics modelling

24.01.2018 | 16:00-18:00h | Wilhelmshöher Allee 73 | Raum 0426

Vortragender:
Prof. Dr. Stefan Gold, Universität Kassel 

Abstract:
Businesses are said to play a crucial role in tackling the great challenges in emerging and developing economies such as poverty, health, and education. Since the seminal papers by Prahalad and co-authors in 2002, there has been continuously growing research on business for and with the Base of the Pyramid (BoP)—i.e. the bottom tier of the world income pyramid. Business initiatives for improving the living conditions of the very poor have been investigated mostly by conceptual approaches and qualitative case study research so far. This talk presents a complementary approach for analyzing the conditions and facilitators of effective BoP initiatives: system dynamics modelling based on empirical case study data. It presents research results on two cases: the Grameen-Danone Joint Venture producing and distributing fortified yoghurt among rural population in Bangladesh, and a corporate community involvement initiative by Tata Chemicals Magadi in Kenya.