BA612

Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid

Professor Ted London

Credits: 2.25

Section 1: Fall B 2009 (Oct. 27 – Dec. 8)

Tuesday-Thursday, 12:40-2:10pm

Three Friday Sessions (Nov. 6, Nov. 20 & Dec. 4), 9am-noon

Section 2 (Evening session): Fall B 2009 (Oct. 27 – Dec. 8)

Tuesday, 7-10pm

Three Thursday Sessions (Nov. 5, Nov. 19 & Dec. 3), 7-10pm

Course Overview

This course focuses on the growing interest in exploring new poverty alleviation perspectives and the increasing appreciation of a larger role for market-based ventures in serving the needs of the poor.  It is designed to provide practical tools and frameworks for developing and evaluating business approaches that can productively address unmet societal needs for those at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP).

The BoP Perspective aligns business-oriented incentives for growth, innovation, and profits with the development community’s efforts to create a more inclusive capitalism.  Fundamental to the BoP Perspective is mutual value creation; a synergistic relationship between the pursuit of profits and the alleviation of poverty. As such, we will explore the innovative business models and partnerships required to enter BoP markets and carefully assess the unique impacts of these market-based approaches on poverty alleviation.

To best help students gain a first-hand understanding of the BoP perspective, we invite experts involved with BoP ventures around the world to serve as guest speakers. Past speakers include from Vijay Sharma from Unilever in India, Hector Ureta from CEMEX in Mexico, Late Lawson from CARE in Central America, Sebastian Fries from Pfizer, and Brian Trelstad from Acumen Fund.

For more information, please contact Ted London – tlondon@umich.edu