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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Environmental economics > Sustainability
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Sustainability Challenges and Solutions at the Base of the Pyramid - Business, Technology and the Poor (Hardcover)
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Sustainability Challenges and Solutions at the Base of the Pyramid - Business, Technology and the Poor (Hardcover)
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Around the turn of the millennium it had become painfully evident
that development aid, charity or "global business-as-usual" were
not going to be the mechanisms to alleviate global poverty. Today,
there is little dispute that poverty remains the most pressing
global problem calling for innovative solutions. One recent
strategy is the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) concept developed by
Prahalad and Hart, which relies on entrepreneurial activity tapping
into the previously ignored markets of the economically most
disadvantaged. It is a process requiring innovations in several
disciplines: technological, social and business.This book covers a
number of areas. First, much of the current BoP discussion
emphasises targeting products to the needs of the poor. But do we
actually know what the real needs of the poor are? This book takes
a bottom-up human-centred approach and examines examples that truly
engage the poor in BoP product and service development. What types
of needs assessment methodologies are indicated considering the
cultural differences in BoP countries? Are the existing
methodologies adequate? Do they need to be redefined and
redeveloped? Second, the book considers how we can balance poverty
alleviation and stimulate economic growth without stressing the
ecosystem. Tragically, the poor are hardest hit by the adverse
effects of environmental deterioration such as water shortages,
climate change or the destruction of habitats. While the economic
welfare of the poor is critical, the BoP approach must balance its
inherent paradox of encouraging greater consumption while avoiding
further pressures on environmental sustainability. The link between
the BoP approach and sustainable development is a key feature of
this book. Third, it looks at innovation and asks what kinds
of"bottom-up" innovation (open source, technological, social and
business) support BoP initiatives (and sustainable
development)?Fourth, the book deals with the relationship between
development assistance and BoP. Is a BoP strategy the antithesis to
development aid or can these two co-exist or even complement each
other?Finally, the book raises questions about the relationship
between corporate responsibility and BoP. Is BoP a new form of
corporate neo-colonialism or a new form of corporate
responsibility? Although the BoP concept has unleashed an extensive
and generally enthusiastic response from academics, businesses,
NGOs and governments, the knowledge domain around this concept is
still in the early stages of development. This book addresses that
need with a focus on the needs of the end-users - the poor - as a
starting point for BoP products and innovations. With contributions
from both supporters and critics, it provides a treasure trove of
global knowledge on how the concept has developed, what its
successes and failures have been and what promise it holds as a
long-term strategy for alleviating poverty and tackling global
sustainability.
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