As you consider your course options for Fall 2008, I wanted to make you aware of a relatively new course at the Ross School of Business: BA612 – Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid.
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 and those involved with BoP projects around the world to serve as guest speakers. Past speakers include Brian Trelstad from Acumen Fund, Vijay Sharma from Unilever in India, Hector Ureta from CEMEX in Mexico, and Marcos Neto from CARE in Central America.
BA612 – BUSINESS STRATEGIES FOR THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID
Section 1: Fall B (Oct. 27 – Dec. 9) Tuesday-Thursday, 12:40-2:10pm; Three Friday Sessions (Nov. 7, Nov. 21 & Dec. 5), 9am-noon
Section 2: Fall B (Oct. 27 – Dec. 9) Tuesday, 7-10pm; Three Thursday Sessions (Nov. 6, Nov. 20 & Dec. 4), 7-10pm
As corporations search for new avenues of profitable growth and innovation, they are increasingly targeting a unique opportunity--the four billion poor that are at the base of the economic pyramid. In addition, non-profit organizations working at the base of the pyramid are increasingly using business strategies to generate excess revenues to achieve societal goals. These markets present a unique strategic opportunity to develop new sources of growth and create profitable enterprises, while simultaneously raising the quality of life of four billion people and addressing the social and environmental challenges associated with a growing gap between the rich and poor.
This course is interdisciplinary and integrates concepts of strategy, international business, poverty alleviation, and sustainable enterprise to stimulate the leadership skills and competitive imagination needed to explore these issues and design strategies for the base of the pyramid. Through a combination of cases, readings, lectures, videos, and outside guests, class sessions will engage students in discussions aimed at: 1) identifying the business opportunities associated with serving base of the pyramid markets; and 2) developing the strategies and business models required to enhance value creation for both the enterprise and those at the base of the pyramid.
For more information, please contact Ted London – tlondon@bus.umich.edu