This document summarizes a research paper that investigated key factors influencing the success of multinational ICT companies in Base of the Pyramid (BOP) markets in Africa. The research analyzed 10 case studies of ICT projects through literature reviews, case reports, and interviews. Three key factors emerged: 1) BOP strategy and business model, 2) partnerships, and 3) product and service development. The paper argues that successful contributions in developing countries made through ICT depend partly on the health of relationships between partners.
Cooperation issues in developing the BOP marketAnand Sheombar
The basic argument of this paper is that successful contribution of ICT to development goals is partly dependent on the nature of the cooperation between partners. Thus if there is a need to assess the contribution of ICT, then one needs to look further than just the basic quantitative measures and include cooperation issues as criteria for success.
The balancing act of optimised value creationAnand Sheombar
The analysis revealed three high level factors that may need to be aligned in order to
ensure optimised value creation of BOP ventures. These three factors are BOP strategy,
partnerships, and products & services development. It is also confirmed that neither BOP
strategy nor partnerships nor products/service development can be synthesised
independently from the rest. There is a delicate balance and interaction between the three
where all three are interdependent and mutually influence each other.
Published in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Impact of
Base of the Pyramid Ventures, Delft, The Netherlands, 16 - 18 November, 2009.
Cooperation issues in developing the BOP marketAnand Sheombar
The basic argument of this paper is that successful contribution of ICT to development goals is partly dependent on the nature of the cooperation between partners. Thus if there is a need to assess the contribution of ICT, then one needs to look further than just the basic quantitative measures and include cooperation issues as criteria for success.
The balancing act of optimised value creationAnand Sheombar
The analysis revealed three high level factors that may need to be aligned in order to
ensure optimised value creation of BOP ventures. These three factors are BOP strategy,
partnerships, and products & services development. It is also confirmed that neither BOP
strategy nor partnerships nor products/service development can be synthesised
independently from the rest. There is a delicate balance and interaction between the three
where all three are interdependent and mutually influence each other.
Published in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Impact of
Base of the Pyramid Ventures, Delft, The Netherlands, 16 - 18 November, 2009.
This paper aims to explore the factors influencing the ability of firms to compete in globalised markets. The Austrian and evolutionary economics and the endogeneous growth literature highlight the role of innovation activities in enabling firms to compete more effectively - and expand their market share. On the basis of these theories, and using a large panel of firms from several Central and East European Countries (CEECs), this paper attempts to identify the factors and forces which determine the ability of firms to compete in conditions of transition. The competitiveness of firms, measured by their market share, is postulated to depend on indicators of firms' innovation behaviour such as improvements in cost-efficiency, labour productivity and investment in new machinery and equipment as well as characteristics of firms and their environment such as location, experience, technological intensity of their industries and the intensity of competition. To control for the dynamic nature of competitiveness and the potential endogeneity of its determinants, and to distinguish between short and long run effects of firm behaviour, a dynamic panel methodology is employed. The results indicate that the competitiveness of firms in transition economies is enhanced with improvements in their cost efficiency, productivity of labour, investment and their previous business experience while stronger competition has a negative impact on it.
Authored by: Iraj Hashi, Nebojsa Stojcic, Shqiponja Telhaj
Published in 2011
A Study of National Innovation Systems of GCC countriesBrowne & Mohan
A robust NIS system is a prerequisite for building a successful nation. With huge amount of wealth at their disposal, GCC countries are taking initiatives to transform themselves into knowledge based economies from oil based economies. This paper evaluates the current NIS of GCC countries, shows where they stand when compared to other countries, and how they can learn from countries like Singapore, Brazil, Malaysia, USA and Norway to make their NIS more effective.
THE JAPANESE TRANSFORMER INDUSTRY A CASE STUDY OF ITS COMPETITIVENESSijcsit
Transformers are one type of magnetic component used in relevant structures like power Switch supplies. Transformers are the necessary parts in all products involving electricity, for the alteration of current voltage during the processes of power generation, transformation, transmission and distribution .Relevant discussions in Japan concerning transformers have centered on power industries and power systems. Transformers for household and business use are mostly categorized under electronics-related industry, one of the ten major consumer electronics industries (most of the mare middle and small-sized firms).Relevant literatures primarily focus on the study of related technology, with little attention paid to the competitive edge and future prospects of transformer-related industries. Case studies indicate that Japanese enterprises are disappointed with the governmental efforts and assistance directed to the improvement of existing technologies. As the executive director of one of the transformer associations in Japan pointed out, no advancement has been shown in this technology for nearly the last 20years.Most companies can improve themselves only in reaction to errors; the lack of specialized knowledge derived from research strongly decreases the industry's progressive power and postpones its development. Japan has lagged considerably behind Europe and the US in this aspect. The transformer companies in Japan will have great difficulty in cultural and language communication if they invest in foreign countries. In this study, experts and scholars in the fields of industry, government and academia are interviewed. Questionnaires are issued to the object companies and a comparative case study is conducted to analyze the influencing factors on the competitive edge and strategies in Japan in the hope that an effective reference for improving industrial competitiveness can be available for the government and the companies
Challenges and opportunities for the business sector in the fight against poverty .The case of Brazil’s Amazon River estuary. Maria José Barney e João Meirelles Filho
Standardization in a Digital and Global World: State-of-the-Art and Future Pe...Ian McCarthy
We discuss how the standards emerge from an interaction between three main sources, the standards standard-setting organizations (SSOs), the competitive market forces, and the government. We present a framework (see Table I) that highlights how these sources differ and work together to shape the standardization in a digital and global context. Also, using this framework, we introduce the contribution of each article of this issue and their contribution to some of the major issues that the standardization is facing today in a digital and global world. We conclude with the suggestions of avenues for future research on this topic.
Editorial: User Innovation and the Role of Creative ConsumersIan McCarthy
In recent years, the phenomenon of creative consumers has attracted much research interest. In 2012 for instance, approximately 70 articles in business publications referred specifically to the concept of creative consumers. This and earlier work on creative consumers has helped us to understand who they are, what they are, what they do, and why their activities and outputs are increasingly important to companies. For no longer do business leaders obsess that ideas and innovation must originate from their own firm’s R&D resources. To be competitive, firms now recognise there is significant value in sourcing ideas and innovations from the market place (Kuusisto and Kuusisto, 2013). Like other business activities, including marketing, manufacturing and logistics (see McCarthy and Anagnostou, 2004), innovation is becoming more open, and more outsourced to users, and this is changing the boundaries of the origins, development, and ownership of ideas and intellectual property.
This paper aims to explore the factors influencing the ability of firms to compete in globalised markets. The Austrian and evolutionary economics and the endogeneous growth literature highlight the role of innovation activities in enabling firms to compete more effectively - and expand their market share. On the basis of these theories, and using a large panel of firms from several Central and East European Countries (CEECs), this paper attempts to identify the factors and forces which determine the ability of firms to compete in conditions of transition. The competitiveness of firms, measured by their market share, is postulated to depend on indicators of firms' innovation behaviour such as improvements in cost-efficiency, labour productivity and investment in new machinery and equipment as well as characteristics of firms and their environment such as location, experience, technological intensity of their industries and the intensity of competition. To control for the dynamic nature of competitiveness and the potential endogeneity of its determinants, and to distinguish between short and long run effects of firm behaviour, a dynamic panel methodology is employed. The results indicate that the competitiveness of firms in transition economies is enhanced with improvements in their cost efficiency, productivity of labour, investment and their previous business experience while stronger competition has a negative impact on it.
Authored by: Iraj Hashi, Nebojsa Stojcic, Shqiponja Telhaj
Published in 2011
A Study of National Innovation Systems of GCC countriesBrowne & Mohan
A robust NIS system is a prerequisite for building a successful nation. With huge amount of wealth at their disposal, GCC countries are taking initiatives to transform themselves into knowledge based economies from oil based economies. This paper evaluates the current NIS of GCC countries, shows where they stand when compared to other countries, and how they can learn from countries like Singapore, Brazil, Malaysia, USA and Norway to make their NIS more effective.
THE JAPANESE TRANSFORMER INDUSTRY A CASE STUDY OF ITS COMPETITIVENESSijcsit
Transformers are one type of magnetic component used in relevant structures like power Switch supplies. Transformers are the necessary parts in all products involving electricity, for the alteration of current voltage during the processes of power generation, transformation, transmission and distribution .Relevant discussions in Japan concerning transformers have centered on power industries and power systems. Transformers for household and business use are mostly categorized under electronics-related industry, one of the ten major consumer electronics industries (most of the mare middle and small-sized firms).Relevant literatures primarily focus on the study of related technology, with little attention paid to the competitive edge and future prospects of transformer-related industries. Case studies indicate that Japanese enterprises are disappointed with the governmental efforts and assistance directed to the improvement of existing technologies. As the executive director of one of the transformer associations in Japan pointed out, no advancement has been shown in this technology for nearly the last 20years.Most companies can improve themselves only in reaction to errors; the lack of specialized knowledge derived from research strongly decreases the industry's progressive power and postpones its development. Japan has lagged considerably behind Europe and the US in this aspect. The transformer companies in Japan will have great difficulty in cultural and language communication if they invest in foreign countries. In this study, experts and scholars in the fields of industry, government and academia are interviewed. Questionnaires are issued to the object companies and a comparative case study is conducted to analyze the influencing factors on the competitive edge and strategies in Japan in the hope that an effective reference for improving industrial competitiveness can be available for the government and the companies
Challenges and opportunities for the business sector in the fight against poverty .The case of Brazil’s Amazon River estuary. Maria José Barney e João Meirelles Filho
Standardization in a Digital and Global World: State-of-the-Art and Future Pe...Ian McCarthy
We discuss how the standards emerge from an interaction between three main sources, the standards standard-setting organizations (SSOs), the competitive market forces, and the government. We present a framework (see Table I) that highlights how these sources differ and work together to shape the standardization in a digital and global context. Also, using this framework, we introduce the contribution of each article of this issue and their contribution to some of the major issues that the standardization is facing today in a digital and global world. We conclude with the suggestions of avenues for future research on this topic.
Editorial: User Innovation and the Role of Creative ConsumersIan McCarthy
In recent years, the phenomenon of creative consumers has attracted much research interest. In 2012 for instance, approximately 70 articles in business publications referred specifically to the concept of creative consumers. This and earlier work on creative consumers has helped us to understand who they are, what they are, what they do, and why their activities and outputs are increasingly important to companies. For no longer do business leaders obsess that ideas and innovation must originate from their own firm’s R&D resources. To be competitive, firms now recognise there is significant value in sourcing ideas and innovations from the market place (Kuusisto and Kuusisto, 2013). Like other business activities, including marketing, manufacturing and logistics (see McCarthy and Anagnostou, 2004), innovation is becoming more open, and more outsourced to users, and this is changing the boundaries of the origins, development, and ownership of ideas and intellectual property.
TOWARDS A FRAMEWORK OF COOPERATION ISSUES IN BASE OF THE PYRAMID PROJECTSAnand Sheombar
The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to take one step closer towards a framework of cooperation issues in so-called BOP projects, specifically in the ICT arena, with the ultimate aim of developing a way to assess factors that may present a risk to the success of these projects. This framework could serve as the foundation for further research into developing a diagnostic instrument for this purpose.
Towards Social Impact - A multistakeholder perspective on Human rights and bu...CNV Vakcentrale
Als vakbeweging richten CNV Internationaal en partnervakbonden wereldwijd zich op de arbeidsrechten, die een specifiek onderdeel vormen van de mensenrechten. Als het gaat om social impact in verantwoord ketenbeheer, dan leggen vakbonden het accent op de leef- en werkomstandigheden van werkenden die van begin tot eind in de keten actief zijn.
Bedrijven die hun eigen CSR-beleid serieus nemen, investeren daar ook financieel in. Om die reden alleen al is het goed om oog te hebben voor de social impact van het MVO-beleid:
Meer over dit onderwerp is te lezen in deze publicatie uitgegeven ter gelegenheid van de HUMAN conference 2015 door CNV Internationaal, ICCO, PWC en VBDO.
Meer over CNV Internationaal en MVO: www.cnvinternationaal.nl/mvo
InstructionsWrite a paper about the International Monetary Syste.docxvanesaburnand
Instructions
Write a paper about the International Monetary System that addresses each of the following issues:
· Define the International Monetary System and outline the history of the system.
· Describe and provide examples of what is meant by “currency regimes,” and define selected types of regimes and form an argument for selecting fixed exchange rate and arguments for selecting flexible exchange rates.
· Describe and define the creation of the Euro and discuss the benefits as well as the problems associated with the creation of this currency.
Support your paper with at least five (5) resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included. Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.
Length: 5-7 pages (not including title and reference pages).
Eiteman, D., Stonehill, M., & Moffett, M. (2016). Multinational business finance. Boston, MA: Prentice-Hall.
Read Chapters 1, 2
This is a major resource, however, I think the assignment can be accomplished without it. I can’t seem to be able to download the book.
The global company's challenge.
Authors:
Dewhurst, Martin1
Harris, Jonathan2
Heywood, Suzanne
Aquila, Kate
Source:
McKinsey Quarterly. 2012, Issue 3, p76-80. 5p.
Document Type:
Article
Subject Terms:
*International business enterprises
*Emerging markets
*Economies of scale
*Contracting out
*Risk management in business
*Business models
*Executives
*Financial leverage
*Globalization
*Research & development
Developing countries
Company/Entity:
International Monetary Fund DUNS Number: 069275188
Aditya Birla Management Corp. Pvt. Ltd.
International Business Machines Corp. DUNS Number: 001368083 Ticker: IBM
NAICS/Industry Codes:
919110 International and other extra-territorial public administration
928120 International Affairs
541712 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
541711 Research and Development in Biotechnology
Abstract:
The article focuses on the management of risks, costs, and strategies by international businesses in emerging markets. It states that the International Monetary Fund reported that the ten fastest-growing economies after 2012 will all be in developing countries. It mentions that technology company International Business Machines expects by 2015 to earn 30 percent of revenues in emerging markets compared to 17 percent in 2009, while Indian multinational conglomerate Aditya Birla Group earns over half of its revenue outside India and has operations in 40 nations. It talks about the benefit of economies of scale in shared services enjoyed by large global companies and comments that the ability to outsource business services and manufacturing is benefiting local busine.
(Ivo Pezzuto) Turning Globalization 4.0 into a Real and Sustainable Success f...Dr. Ivo Pezzuto
Innovation 4.0, Globalization, Growth and Prosperity, Diversity, Social Inclusion, and Sustainability. Striking a balance among all these goals in a highly complex and uncertain global business and geopolitical environment for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Global governance and the interface withbusiness new instit.docxbudbarber38650
Global governance and the interface with
business: new institutions, processes and
partnerships
Partnered governance: aligning corporate
responsibility and public policy in the global
economy
Atle Midttun
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to note the remarkable expansion of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Taking this as point of departure, it aims
to discuss the potential for aligning CSR-oriented industrial self-regulation with public governance to fill
some of the governance gap in the global economy.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a conceptual discussion, empirically
underpinned by three case studies.
Findings – The paper finds that it is plausible, and empirically supported by the case studies, to
conceive of a considerable role for CSR based self-regulation in the global economy. A central
precondition is the ability of civil society organizations to establish ‘‘moral rights’’ as credible voices for
‘‘just causes’’ in a media-driven communicative society, and thereby put pressure on brand sensitive
industry. The paper finds that corporate self-regulation may fill a larger part of the governance gap if
public policy is oriented to engage with industry in a partnered mode.
Research limitations/implications – The paper establishes a conceptual base for exploring the
governance implications of CSR, casuistically underpinned by three case studies. Further studies are
needed, however, to explore the scale and scope of partnered governance in the global economy.
Practical implications – The paper provides insights into an approach to increase governability of the
global economy.
Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in exploring the implications of CSR for governance,
and for highlighting how the governance potential may be enhanced by reorientation of public policy.
Keywords Governance, Corporate social responsibility, Globalization, Regulation
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
The late twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries have seen increasing economic
globalization in the form of both globally extended capital markets and extended
outsourcing of production in global supply systems across the world. After three decades of
predominant liberalist orientation, the international economy remains strongly
pro-commercially biased.
International governance of social and environmental concerns has been relatively much
weaker, reflecting the lack of resourceful engagement by committed powerful actors and
PAGE 406 j CORPORATE GOVERNANCE j VOL. 8 NO. 4 2008, pp. 406-418, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1472-0701 DOI 10.1108/14720700810899158
Atle Midttun is based at the
Norwegian School of
Management, Oslo,
Norway.
The author is grateful to the
Research Council of Norway for
support to this article under the
projects ‘‘C(S)R in Global Value
Chains’’ and ‘‘Sustainability for
the 21st Century: Overcomi.
TheCompetitiveness And Economic Performance OfRegency/City In East Java Indon...iosrjce
The studyaimed to analyze the typology of competitiveness and economic performance of East Java’s
regencies/cities, and investigate the influence of regional competitiveness to ward their economic
performance.Moreover, the study appliedquantitative research approach which employedsome analysis
instruments, namely: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Regression Analysis and Region Typology.
The resultsshowed: 1) The typology of competitiveness of regionswhich includes category I, II, III and IV were
31.58%, 26.32%, 15.79%, and 26.32%; 2) Competitiveness which compriseregional strength indicator, public
service facilities, and investment climate proved to affect economic performance; 3) The investment climate had
the greatest role compared with regional strength and public service facilities aspects; 4) Regional strength
aspects that contributed significantly to the competitiveness was the quality ofhuman resources; 5) Obligatory
functions service to provide educational infrastructure hadgiven largest contribution to the determinant of
regioncompetiveness.
One of the best ways to learn a concept is to teach a concept, and i.docxcarlibradley31429
One of the best ways to learn a concept is to teach a concept, and in this assignment it will be necessary for the learner to understand and explain the concepts from
Modules 1
and
2
in a 7–10-slide PowerPoint presentation. The Internet will be a great resource for completing this assignment because the learner can use keyword phrases to pull the specifics needed to cover the topics and complete the assignment.
You have been asked to create a PowerPoint presentation to train a group of new employees for Future Trends Financial Firm on key concepts of emerging markets. Include the following in your presentation:
Identify and explain key concepts of emerging technologies, highlighting their use and availability for emerging and developed markets.
Define and describe common industry concepts including: institutional voids, business groups, technological capabilities, changing income distribution, and bottom of the pyramid. Please be sure that the correlation between concepts and various markets is appropriate.
Develop a 7–10-slide presentation in PowerPoint format, utilizing at least two scholarly sources. Apply APA standards to the citation of sources.
Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Information from Module 1:
In
Module 1
, you will begin your journey into understanding the concept of EMs. This module’s discussion question and assignment are both designed to help in building the foundation knowledge of understanding EMs.
What is an EM? According to Investopedia (n.d.), an EM is, “A nation's economy that is progressing toward becoming advanced, as shown by some liquidity in local debt and equity markets and the existence of some form of market exchange and regulatory body” (para. 1).
EMs surfaced in the 1970s as
less developed economies
. Countries that are considered EMs possess certain distinguishing traits. Some of the common traits are:
Demanding culture
High rates of immigration
Fragmented market
Growing youthful population
Investors are shifting their investments to EMs because of their potential long-term growth rate (Johnston, 2011). One of the main reasons EMs are rapidly growing is due to the countries' visible economic advancements. According to EPFR Global, a fund tracking company, investors invested more than $50 billion into EMs in 2012 (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2013).
Investopedia. (n.d.).
Emerging market economy
. Retrieved from
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/emergingmarketeconomy.asp
Johnston, M. (2011, November 23).
5 factors to consider in choosing an emerging markets ETF
. Retrieved from
http://seekingalpha.com/article/309867-5-factors-to-consider-in-choosing-an-emerging-markets-etf
Bloomberg Businessweek. (2013, January 31).
The top 20 emerging markets
. Retrieved from
http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/2013-01-31/the-top-20-emergi.
Similar to Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of multinational ICT companies in Base of the Pyramid markets (20)
EOOH: the Development of a Multiplatform and Multilingual Online Hate Speech ...Anand Sheombar
Presentation of paper at IIMA 2022 conference. Abstract of the paper:
Purpose: This short paper describes the dashboard design process for online hate speech monitoring for multiple languages and platforms.
Methodology/approach: A case study approach was adopted in which the authors followed a research & development project for a multilingual and multiplatform online dashboard monitoring online hate speech. The case under study is the project for the European Observatory of Online Hate (EOOH).
Results: We outline the process taken for design and prototype development for which a design thinking approach was followed, including multiple potential user groups of the dashboard. The paper presents this process's outcome and the dashboard's initial use. The identified issues, such as obfuscation of the context or identity of user accounts of social media posts limiting the dashboard's usability while providing an important trade-off in privacy protection, may contribute to the discourse on privacy and data protection in (big data) social media analysis for practitioners.
Research limitations/implications: The results are from a single case study from the dashboard development's first one and half years. Still, they may be relevant for other social listening or online hate speech detection and monitoring projects involving big data analysis and human annotation.
Practical implications: The study emphasises the need to involve diverse user groups and a multidisciplinary team in developing a dashboard for online hate speech. The context in which potential online hate is disseminated and the network of accounts distributing or interacting with that hate speech seems relevant for analysis by a part of the user groups of the dashboard.
Keywords: online hate speech, social media analysis, big data, anonymisation, social listening.
Digital development and Online Gender-Based ViolenceAnand Sheombar
Online talk held for Cordaid 18th November 2021, on the concept of digital development, and what online gender-based violence (GBV or eVAW) means for the activities of international development NGOs.
Digital in motion - digital trends for development NGOs 2019Anand Sheombar
Presentation & overview of digital trends (using a hype cycle made by ICTworks) that are present in the context of international aid and development activities from development NGOs. This presentation was part of the Digital in Motion session at the Innovation Festival 2019 organised by Partos and The Spindle https://partos.nl/innovationfestival2019/sessions-workshops/#c1829
Reflections On Social Media Use Along The Academic Research Life CycleAnand Sheombar
This short paper presentation at 12th IADIS International Conference on Information Systems (IS 2019) argues for the need for discussion on the role social media could have in the research life cycle, particularly for Information Systems (IS) scholars. ICTs are pervasive, and their societal impact is profound. Various disciplines including those of social sciences are present in the online discourse and join the public debate on societal implications of ICTs and scholar are familiar with web tools for publishing. Information Systems scholars could not only further explore the possibilities for joining that online discourse, but also could explore the potential social media may have for activities related to the research life cycle. In this paper we do not focus solely on social media as a data collection source but regard their merits as a channel for scholarly communication throughout the whole research life cycle, from the start of getting inspired to conduct a research, finding collaboration partners or funding, through suggestions for literature, to the stage of research dissemination and creating impact beyond the own scientific community. This paper contributes an original approach to research communication by combining the research life cycle with practical insights of how social media can be applied throughout each phase of that lifecycle. We conclude with some questions debating the stance that (future) IS scholars are prepared to become the digital scholar that can manoeuvre well on social media for scholarly communication.
Applicability Assessment Framework for Organisational Social Media Use by Dev...Anand Sheombar
Poster accompanying short conference paper that suggests an initial applicability framework based on earlier research and the literature review of organisational social media use by NGOs in the context of international development. It aims at providing guidance to these NGOs when assessing the implementation of social media for development purposes. The applicability of this artefact will be tested by development NGOs.
The presentation provides reasons for using social media in research activities and communication. Various social media are linked to the Research Life Cycle.
The original presentation was held at a research group meeting at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, June 2014.
Presentation IT MNCs and the BOP for TNO IT4D group December 2009Anand Sheombar
The presentation was delivered at the office of TNO IT4D group.
It highlights the research conducted on multinational ICT companies and the Base of the (economic) Pyramid.
The presentation includes extra slides at the end that elaborate the key findings.
BOP conference presentation paper "The balancing act of optimised value ...Anand Sheombar
Presentation about paper "The balancing act of optimised value creation",
Proceedings of the International Conference on Impact of
Base of the Pyramid Ventures, Delft, The Netherlands, 16 - 18 November, 2009.
Cooperation Issues In Developing The BOP Market - AMCISAnand Sheombar
The basic argument of this paper is that successful contribution of ICT to development goals is partly dependent on the nature of the cooperation between partners. Thus if there is a need to assess the contribution of ICT, then one needs to look further than just the basic quantitative measures and include cooperation issues as criteria for success. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was therefore to take one step closer towards a framework of cooperation issues in so-called BOP projects, specifically in the ICT arena, with the ultimate aim of developing a way to assess factors that may present a risk to the success of these projects. This framework could serve as the foundation for further research into developing a diagnostic instrument for this purpose.
Presentation by Gilbert Silvius for paper "Cooperation issues in developing the BOP market", AMCIS Proceedings , San Francisco, USA, August 2009.
BOP and ICT MNCs: Base of the Pyramid approach reflected on the strategy of m...Anand Sheombar
The Base of the Pyramid (BOP) comprises the majority of the world population. However, the majority seemed to be neglected by multinational companies, until recently. Since the landmark publications of Prahalad & Hart much more attention is attributed to the BOP.
This research examines the attention some multinational ICT companies have given to the BOP so far. A case study research was conducted of 5 projects involving multinational ICT companies, which were studied as separate case studies for this thesis, all in the geographical space of Africa.
Qualitative data was collected using the multiple case study method and the data was analyzed for emerging patterns. The cases were analyzed on three main units of analysis, namely the BOP businesses model & strategy, the products & services and the partnerships needed for engaging with the BOP community.
It was found that regarding BOP businesses model & strategy an assessment of the BOP business model qualities is useful. The study revealed in all cases a hybrid view of market creation and socio-economic development by (ICT) companies engaging with the BOP, dubbed a hybrid form of BOP 1.0 & 2.0 strategies. The research also suggests that for successful BOP ventures alignment is needed between “BOP Business model & strategy”, “Partnership” and the “BOP Product & Service development”. The BOP products and services development confirmed the presence of disruptive innovation and innovation blowback. It was found that problems with partnerships revolve around six core categories namely driving force factors, skill factors, input-output factors, socio-cultural factors, systems factors, and trust factors.
This thesis research was conducted by Anand Sheombar
Ontwikkelen Van De Base Of The Pyramid Markt - Projectie Magazine 2009Anand Sheombar
Onderzoek naar succesfactoren in businessmodel/strategie, partnership en product en service ontwikkeling in BOP projecten van multinational ICT bedrijven actief in Afrika.
The Partnership Health of ICT Projects in Developing Countries - Pacis 2009...Anand Sheombar
The basic argument of this paper is that successful contributions in developing countries that are made with, and through, ICT are partly dependent on the health of the relationship between partners. The research was conducted in 10 projects involving multinational ICT companies. It was found that problems with partner cooperation revolve around six core categories namely driving force factors, skill factors, input-output factors, socio-cultural factors, systems factors, and trust factors.
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𝐓𝐉 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐬 (𝐓𝐉 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬) is a professional event agency that includes experts in the event-organizing market in Vietnam, Korea, and ASEAN countries. We provide unlimited types of events from Music concerts, Fan meetings, and Culture festivals to Corporate events, Internal company events, Golf tournaments, MICE events, and Exhibitions.
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Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of multinational ICT companies in Base of the Pyramid markets
1. This paper was submitted as work in progress to the “oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development
Academy 2010: Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations” Its content does not re-
flect the positions of the oikos Foundation or the United Nations Development Programme.
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations
Anand Sheombar:
Discovery of key factors that may influence the
success of multinational ICT companies in Base of
the Pyramid markets
This is a work in progress. Please do not cite without permission of the author:
Anand Sheombar
PhD student, Manchester Metropolitan University & Utrecht University of Applied Sciences
Research Centre Innovation and Business, Padualaan 101,3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
anand.sheombar@gmail.com
Abstract
This overview paper presents results of an investigation into the nature of key factors that
may influence the success of multinational information and communication technology
(ICT) companies in their efforts to engage with the Base of the Pyramid (BOP).
The research was conducted in 10 BOP projects involving multinational ICT companies in
Africa. ICT is relevant here because of frequently high expectations that it contributes
positively to development goals. A study of the BOP literature reveals that several ele-
ments need consideration when trying to create value in developing areas. In addition it
emerges that these elements are somehow interdependent. Qualitative data was collected
using the case study method and the data was analyzed for emerging patterns.
The analysis revealed three high level factors that may need to be aligned in order to en-
sure optimized value creation of BOP ventures. These three factors are BOP strategy, part-
nerships, and products & services development.
2. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 2 of 19
Furthermore this paper argues that successful contributions in developing countries that
are made with, and through, ICT are partly dependent on the health of the relationship
between partners. It would therefore be necessary to study the factors that may influence
the health of the relationship between partners in ICT related projects in developing coun-
tries.
Keywords
Base of the Pyramid, case study, partnership, partnership cooperation, partnership health,
partnerships for development cooperation problems, information and communication tech-
nology, multinational companies.
3. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 3 of 19
1 Introduction
Sustainability is not just about balanced use of natural resources, but also about a bal-
anced distribution of the material prosperity of the world's population. That is, unfortu-
nately, not yet the case and this seems not to be a priority in rich countries. Four billion
people in the world have a purchasing power of less than three thousand dollars per year
(WRI, 2007). For this 'Base of the Pyramid "(BOP), as this poorest part of the world's popu-
lation has been labeled(Erik Simanis, Hart, & Duke, 2008), until recently played no signifi-
cant role in the global economy. This is a serious mistake according to leading manage-
ment gurus and researchers (S. L. Hart, 2007; C. K. Prahalad, 2005). They see great oppor-
tunities for sustainable development of both multinational companies as well as the poor-
est people in the world, if the BOP as a market of micro consumers is included. BOP-
communities, also known as “Bottom of the Pyramid”, “Pro Sustainable market” or “poor
markets”, are apparent in many countries in different parts of the world. These communi-
ties are not uniform, but have some characteristics in common:
- Most people live in rural areas or in slums in urban areas.
- The education level is low, especially among women.
- There is a lack of many services.
- Informal economy is omnipresent.
- People at the bottom of the pyramid, often in relation to pay more for the same
products than people in wealthier countries; this is known as the 'BOP Penalty ".
The poorest part of the world's population drew until recently little attention of multina-
tional companies. Senior management gurus and researchers such as Prahalad (2005; 2006)
and Hart (2008; 2007) have ruled out these misconceptions with arguments and have en-
couraged multinational companies to invest money and resources in BOP-projects. To
achieve this, a change of ‘mindset’ is needed. Instead of regarding the poor as a problem
that is far removed from the business strategy and objectives, they can certainly be seen
as a potential market of micro consumers and even as a source of unprecedented inspira-
tion and innovation.
The BOP-literature reveals two arguments as to why multinational companies would initi-
ate BOP-projects. In the first place a commercial motive (S. L. Hart, 2007; C. K. Prahalad,
2005): there are opportunities for a potentially growing market or for new (sustainable)
innovations that sometimes can be introduced later in other (top of the pyramid) markets.
In addition, the theme of corporate social responsibility (S. Hart, 2007; C. K Prahalad &
Hammond, 2002; C.K. Prahalad & Hart, 2002): there is a possibility of contributing to the
society.
The central question however is how multinational companies in a businesslike successful
manner and sustainable way can enter the BOP-market and be of service. Figure 1 sketches
4. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 4 of 19
the interactions studied in this research: those between the multinational ICT Company
and the local partner and those with the targeted market: the Base of the Pyramid market
(BOP).
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines the ICT sec-
tor as ICT economic activities (industries) where production, goods and services are pri-
marily intended to fulfil or enable the function of information processing and communica-
tion by electronic means, including transmission and display (OECD, 2007). For the pur-
pose of this paper this definition is used to identify case studies of multinational ICT com-
panies (ICT MNCs).
For clarification purposes it needs to be mentioned that in this research project the
relationships that ICT MNCs have with local partners was identified as always including a
local for-profit organization and sometimes also including local non-profit organizations
who act as intermediaries.
Figure 1: Illustrative diagram of research area.
The next section provides a brief overview of literature on this topic.
2 Literature review
The literature reveals a large variety of variables that can influence the success of BOP
projects. Hammond and Prahalad (2003) for instance iterate factors like overcoming exter-
nal barriers, risk sharing, changing management perceptive and market intelligence. Seelos
(2008) recommends to build partnerships with organizations that already are serving the
poor and to develop a business model that supports an increase in the real income of
people at the BOP. This eventually expands the customer base. According to a WBCSD
study, the three building blocks of sustainable business with the poor are related to the
business model, the partnership and the value creation which can be identified as the
product/service development (WBCSD, 2004).
5. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 5 of 19
A thorough review and analysis of the literature however reveals a recurring pattern of
three high level variables, or perhaps more appropriately referred to as categories of va-
riables, namely BOP business model/strategy, product & service development and partner-
ship health. This deconstruction of Figure 1 in the these “variables” (which are the units of
analysis for this research) is based upon the identification made by for instance Prahalad
(2005) that a different business model is needed for the BOP, and that other partnerships
are involved and furthermore products and services need to be tailored to the needs of the
people of the BOP. Alongside this Simanis et al. (2008) have stressed the importance of
partnership in the context of the BOP. These three variables are depicted in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Three (categories of) variables.
BOP business model/strategy refers to “the value an organization offers to various custom-
ers and portrays the capabilities and partners required for creating, marketing, and deli-
vering this value and relationship capital with the goal of generating profitable and sus-
tainable revenue streams” (Osterwalder, 2006). In our research this was refined by using
Klein’s business model qualities to assess those suitable for the BOP environment (Klein,
2008).
Product & service development refers to the successful delivery of those to the BOP and
abiding the 4As, namely Affordability, Acceptability, Availability and Awareness that have
proven to be essential for business success and for creating value while serving the world’s
poor (Anderson & Markides, 2007; C. K. Prahalad, 2005). This 4A-framework has to be
aligned with sustainability aspects. Otherwise products and services designed for the BOP
will lead to an unsustainable and unviable situation (Kandachar, 2008b).
Partnerships refer to “an association between two or more persons, groups, or organiza-
tions who join together to achieve a common goal that neither one alone can accomplish”
Mullinix (2002). A specific issue of interest in this area is the nature of the partnership and
interaction between ICT MNC and local partners. This has been investigated by several re-
searchers, for instance Das and Teng (2001); Kramer et al. (2007); Seelos and Mair (2007)
and (Erik Simanis, et al., 2008), and it is acknowledged that the success of such projects is
dependent on the health of the relationship between partners. London and Hart (2004)
6. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 6 of 19
have stressed the need for partnerships as a way of overcoming resource scarcity and the
lack of appropriate capabilities.
3 RESEARCH PROCESS
3.1 Research Method
As a research method, the case study is used in many situations to contribute knowledge of
group, organizational, social, political, and related phenomena. It has been a common re-
search strategy in social and political science, but has found usage in business and econom-
ics where for instance the structure of a given industry is investigated. As Yin (2003) states
“…the case study method allows investigators to retain the holistic and meaningful charac-
teristics of real-life events…“.
Each individual case study consists of a "whole" study, in which facts are gathered from
various sources and conclusions drawn on those facts. For this research the use of multiple
case studies is preferred in order to be able to generalize and raise solid evidence.
3.2 Sources of evidence and data collection
The research presented in this paper focused on multinational ICT companies, active on
the continent of Africa. In almost all BOP-projects of these companies cooperation with a
local partner, whether or not for profit, was present. As a research method the case study
approach has been used. In total, ten case studies were examined; all related to multina-
tional ICT companies that have set up BOP-projects. An overview of the projects is in-
cluded in table 1. Table 1 lists the participating companies, some details about the pro-
jects they were involved in as well as the sources of evidence that were used in each case.
Project Description MNCs Local
partners
Source(s) of information
M-Pesa Mobile payments
& banking
Vodafone
(Safaricom
in Kenya)
microfinance
organization
Faulu-Kenya
Case reports, website, research
papers, cf. (DFID, 2007; Hughes &
Lonie, 2007; Lonie, 2007;
Morawczynski, 2007; Vaughan,
2007), interview with sr. manager
of company involved.
Village Phone in
Uganda
Rural shared
telephone facility
Grameen &
Nokia
Nine microfi-
nance institu-
tions (MFIs)
and a cellular
provider, MTN
Case reports, website, research
papers, cf. (Grameen-Foundation,
2008; Keogh & Wood, 2005;
Knight-John, Zainudeen, & Khan,
2005; Lakshman, 2007; Nokia,
7. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 7 of 19
Uganda. 2006; Tetelman, Keogh, & Wood,
2004), interview with sr. manager
of company involved.
Village Connection Rural local phone
network in the
village
Nokia-
Siemens
(NSN)
Local
entrepreneurs
Case reports, website, research
papers, cf.(Granath, 2007; Nokia-
Siemens, 2007; Schwartz, 2008),
interview with sr. manager of
company involved.
Unlimited Potential Various ICT activi-
ties aimed at
emerging mar-
kets.
Microsoft NGOs, local
authorities,
community
Case reports, website, research
papers, (Bossicard, 2007;
Microsoft, 2007) interview with
manager of company involved.
i-Community in South
Africa
Telecenter. HP Mogalkwena
Telecenter
Case reports, conference pro-
ceeding, research papers.(Didier,
2003; McFalls, 2008; WBCSD,
2005)
World ahead (e.g.
Class-mate PC)
Sustainable tech-
nology for users in
developing coun-
tries.
Intel Local
government /
civil society
Case reports, online multimedia,
research papers, cf. (eLA, 2007;
Intel, 2006, 2007) interview with
sr. manager of company involved.
Digital Bridge Bringing connec-
tivity to the un-
connected
Alcatel-
Lucent
ATD Quart
Monde in
Madagascar,
research paper, Web page cf.
(Alcatel, 2006; Alcatel & Infodev,
2005), interview with sr. manager
of company involved.
Communication for
all
Bringing
communication to
all.
Ericsson Health care
NGO
Conference paper, cf. (Fontanini,
2006; Nielsen, 2008), interview
with sr. manager of company
involved.
Table 1: Participating companies and their projects.
We have examined three main units of analysis, namely: the BOP business model and the
strategy, the partnership, and the development of products and services for the BOP. The
business model and strategy determine the blueprint and the direction in which the enter-
prise's BOP-project is intended to head to. Partnership is an essential element and directly
identified as the first commandment of successful BOP-projects. It is also important to
develop products and services that have popular appeal in the BOP community. That is why
these three aspects are of importance when it comes to determining the success of BOP-
projects.
As can be seen the targeted organizations consisted of either ICT MNCs or internationally
operating NGOs who closely collaborated with an ICT MNC in its projects. In order to obtain
a consistent group of participating organizations and projects they were selected on the
basis that they were operating into and within Africa.
8. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 8 of 19
The second selection criterion was that the MNC or NGO was involved in a project aim at
the BOP market. The third criterion was that it should be an ICT related project; in prac-
tice that meant that MNC should be an ICT MNC or that the NGO collaborated with the ICT
MNC.
The result was the identification of (and access to) these10 separate projects involving a
variety of organizations and partners that could participate in the investigation. Within
each project a variety of sources were used for data collection
A combination of different sources can provide more reliable data, and for the purpose of
the research reported in this paper the focus has been on the first three mentioned. The
first two sources provided secondary data, whilst the interviews served as sources for pri-
mary data.
Semi-structured interviews were used for the purpose of this study and key respondents
were asked to comment about certain events and issues. The discussions revolved around
the topic of problems related to cooperation with partners and issues and success factors
related to this. All the respondents gave permission for recording the interview. These in-
cluded 8 interviews with senior members of ICT MNCs and NGOs. The interviewees were
either directly active in the described projects or were seeing to its outcome.
3.3 Data analysis
For analyzing case study evidence Yin (2003) suggests three strategies for general use: one
is to rely on theoretical propositions of the study, and then to analyze the evidence based
on those propositions. A second is to use rival explanations by setting up a framework
based on these rival explanations. The third technique is to develop a case description,
which would be a descriptive framework around which the case study is organized.
For the purpose of this research multiple cases were described and cross-analyzed, effec-
tively following, in part, the suggestions by Yin (2003) of a more specific analysis technique
called cross-case synthesis. However for this project word tables, as suggested by Yin
(2003), were not used, but rather the basic coding techniques of grounded theory as sug-
gested by Glaser and Straus (1967) and Glaser (1978).
The analysis process consisted, in simplistic terms, of a search for patterns in the data;
recurring issues, in other words. These were categorized into groups and these categories
developed and became more robust as the analysis continued.
9. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 9 of 19
4 FINDINGS
4.1 Research results
The test case studies have resulted in an understanding of the aspects that can contribute
to the success of a BOP-project. The results of the study indicate that there is a link be-
tween a well thought out BOP business model and strategy, product and service develop-
ment tailored to the BOP-target group and a partnership with a local party (whether or not
for profit) to reach the BOP-people. It is therefore a holistic approach to these three ar-
eas, on the basis of which we explain the results below.
4.1.1 BOP business model and strategy
In many successful projects people of the BOP community are included as a seller of the
developed product. Their role in the value chain is not only of crossing the bridge with the
BOP consumers. Yes, they are micro consumer with money, despite the fact that is a little
bit, and they are critical when it comes to value for money. But the BOP entrepreneurs or
sellers act as invaluable information distributors, because many BOP consumers need told
be informed about the possibilities of the products. This educational marketing is generally
better accepted due the low threshold effect of a familiar face, which is a member of the
BOP community. This makes the project more embedded in the BOP community. The em-
beddedness in the BOP community ensures sustainable (social and economic) development
of the community and additionally the provision of affordable products for the BOP.
For example, the introduction of mobile payment and banking using M-Pesa in Kenya has
ensured that the 'unbanked ", the people who do not have a bank account, now can use
banking services by means of a mobile phone. They will be able to transfer money from the
city to the countryside. Often, the men reside in the city, and they can without losing a lot
of money to travel or commission send money to their families. They can sometimes save
on mobile accounts, while at regular bank they cannot open an account. The commission
rate of M-Pesa is many times lower than those of regular banks. That is why this option of
mobile banking has become very popular. In 2009, there were already some five million M-
Pesa users in Kenya out of a population of 35 million people. M-PESA also provides em-
ployment because there are many M-Pesa agents on the streets. They assist people to
transfer money. Even NGOs have in emergency situations made use of M-Pesa to send
money to those who needed help.
All the surveyed companies have set up a special program to coordinate their BOP initia-
tives. In this way BOP-projects can be directed from a single group and is human capacity
for the projects earmarked for the program. A separate organization unit can let it operate
effectively and follow metrics and long term goals suitable for the BOP market (it is advis-
able to take into account the benefits of other stake holders, e.g. social value and sustain-
ability impact). However, this does not mean that the BOP venture is being isolated from
10. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 10 of 19
the rest of the company. Its existence ought to be embedded within the company’s organi-
zation strategy.
Sometimes at companies in which the BOP projects are initiated on the basis of corporate
social responsibility, staff from other departments of the company is working temporarily
in the projects. According to the respondents this results in higher employee satisfaction
because they feel comfortable with the company’s concern with society.
In strategies for developing BOP markets, a shift can be seen (Erik Simanis, et al., 2008).
The BOP 1.0 strategy focus is on selling to the poor, whereas BOP 2.0 strategy focus is on
co-creation & co-venture. Hart argues that it is natural companies began with resizing,
modifying their product to make it affordable to sell it to people at lower income levels.
However these BOP 1.0 corporate strategies often failed to take into consideration from
the perspective of the poor themselves (Hart, 2007a). According to Hart the answer lies in
co-creating the business. This requires a new strategy and business process: Co-Venturing.
All cases exhibit BOP 1.0 aspects, but this black & white distinction is ambiguous in several
cases. In those cases, one could speak of a hybrid BOP strategy resulting in a situation
somewhere between a BOP 1.0 and BOP 2.0 strategy. The BOP presents not a marketing
problem, not a technology problem but a business model challenge (Hart, 2007a). A new
business model brings the need of partnership with often new (non-traditional) stake-
holders.
4.1.2 Partnership
In virtually all cases we saw joint ventures with a local partner. Non-traditional partners
with whom the multinational firm collaborated included NGOs, the BOP-community itself
or the local authorities. Multinational firms, in order to reach BOP-markets which are often
to be found in developing countries, will establish partnerships with a non-profit organiza-
tion or with the local authorities. These parties have the necessary knowledge and con-
tacts. In a partnership with any other party it is to be expected that the objectives differ.
But in a partnership with a non-traditional partner that is certainly the case. The mutual
interests have to be clear and the benefits of the cooperation of all parties should be con-
cerned.
The notion that the success of projects is related to the partnership between stakeholders
in development efforts in general is not new. London and Hart (2004) show that successful
ventures include (proactively) developing relationships with non-traditional partners, both
profit as well as non-profit organizations. When it comes to ICT related projects, Kramer et
al. (2007), similarly suggests that strong partnerships have the potential to expand eco-
nomic opportunity. Jenkins (2007) for instance found that collaboration allows partners to
share knowledge and information, pools scarce or diverse assets and resources, access new
sources of innovation, create economies of scale and enhance the legitimacy of the par-
ties’ own individual activities. Mullinix (2002) essentially suggests that partnerships are
11. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 11 of 19
being seen as an important way to address complicated problems. Entrepreneurial success
can be enhanced by partnerships with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) because of
their localized knowledge, social embeddedness and neutral dealing with diverse stake-
holder groups (Justin, Geoffrey, Ireland, & David, 2010).
It is interesting for the multinational company to work with a local partner to obtain local
market information, to explore an emerging market, to be able to test new products, and,
of course, to be able to make a profit. For the BOP-community an affordable product is
required, or time or cost savings that result from a product (consumer’s surplus) or the
income generation factor of the product. The latter means that the BOP-consumer with
the product generates revenue that by far exceed the costs of the product.
However, it is clear from the literature that these partnerships require some attention,
and that purely creating a partnership does not guarantee success. Das and Teng (2001) for
instance regard trust is an important factor of successful partnerships. The study identified
a number of issues that made the partnership less flexible and in doing so, harmed the
result of the BOP-project .These issues were described in two previous papers (Silvius,
Sheombar, & Smit, 2009; Smit, Sheombar, & Silvius, 2009) and are classified in a number of
factors, supported by relevant theoretical perspectives in those papers, that have to do
with: driving force, skills, input-output, socio-cultural, system, and trust. The factors are
shown in the table 3, and in addition, a number of examples from the research. In the ex-
amined BOP projects attention was paid to these factors in order to mitigate their negative
impact. There was no standard recipe for acting.
Factor Description Quote or example
Driving
Force
• Problems arise when the goal
and purpose of the project
are different for each part-
ner, and when these differ-
ences are not acknowledged.
• The different foci on results
versus process by different
partners.
• The tendency of ICT MNCs to
be technocratic or technology
driven.
“If there is not a sustainable model, mutual benefits
the project will fail.”
“[Western] consultants are result driven, whereas in
developing countries the emphasis lies on the process
[of collaboration]”
“ICT consultant, often male, are technology focused.
ICT becomes the aim instead of the means”
12. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 12 of 19
Skill • unrealistic expectations
about local skills and
knowledge
• ICT MNCs struggle to deal
with the diversity in skill
levels found at the local
environment.
“You have this underestimating of knowledge…we
have forgotten that there already exists some
knowledge… [of ICT]”
An example is the Nokia project for shared telephony
in Uganda where it was found that skill and
knowledge levels vary greatly from one individual or
partner to the next.
Input-
Output
• difficulties that may arise as
a result of unequal
investments / risk sharing by
partners in projects.
“If ‘Company X’ helps to grow ICT development and
the local ecosystem then there needs to be protec-
tion of intellectual property”
The nature of the cooperation transforms from a
partnership to employer-employee relationship.
Socio-
cultural
• Difficulties related to cultural
differences between
organizations and countries.
• Culture shock.
The differences in operation culture between profit
and nonprofit organizations and the difficulties it
brings in cooperation.
“IT MNCs in general want to act fast, whereas the
local partner has a different, slower, pace, which
causes some friction”
“IT Consultants are not always mentally prepared for
the challenge they face on site”
Systems • Systems integration prob-
lems.
• Actual usage of implemented
systems tends to be different
from the intended usage.
One example is that of the M-PESA project in Kenya
where the integration of systems with the local part-
ner's back-office was a noteworthy obstacle.
An example comes once again from the M-PESA pro-
ject in Kenya, where the original intention was micro
financing, but in reality users only utilized the sys-
tem to make person-to-person payments, effectively
making the installed micro-loan systems redundant
(Hughes and Lonie, 2007).
Trust • Base of confidence
• Reporting in a favourable or
positive way
• Expectation management
“It starts with mutual understanding: the local
partner has to understand what the IT MNC wants
and vice versa. Trust is essential…”
”The local partner has the tendency to tell you what
you want to hear”
13. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 13 of 19
“Sometimes IT consultants promise more than can be
delivered or they expect that local partner will do
more”
Table 2: Overview of observed factors in BOP ICT projects that affect partnership
health.
4.1.3 Products and services development
Innovation is the best if companies have people on the ground, to find out what the com-
munity needs and wants. This can not be developed in a far R&D lab away from the BOP
community. In all the presence within the community was of inestimable value for the
product development. The contribution of the BOP community ranged from participation in
ethnographic research to co-develop products and services (co-creation). Learning form
local partners and in particular the BOP-community is one way to tap into new knowledge
sources and thus making use of local intelligence (Boyer, 2003; WBCSD, 2004). Lehr (2007)
recommends involvement of the potential users early in the design process. Design of
products and services for the BOP requires an integral, multi-disciplinary approach and
social, business and technological innovations (Kandachar, 2008; Kandachar & Halme,
2007).
Furthermore the input of the BOP-people, who acted as the local entrepreneur in the value
chain of the product, was used for the improvement of the product. The information that
was captured “on the ground” was crucial for the success of the project and for the suc-
cessful development of the product or service which was needed in the BOP-community
and that, of course, would meet the needs of the multinational company itself. For a
proper understanding of the conditions in the BOP business environment, multidisciplinary
teams (including ethnographic research) were deployed combining product designers, soci-
ologists and anthropologist who contributed to the product development.
5 Conclusion
5.1 Holistic approach
The investigation has revealed that BOP-projects have to take into account the specific
characteristics of the BOP. This is reflected in the three areas that are examined in the
study, namely the BOP business model and strategy, the partnership and the development
of products and services for the BOP. The results of the study indicate that there is a
‘causal’ linkage between a well-thought-out BOP strategy, a correctly chosen partnership
with a local party, and the product and service development tailored to the BOP-consumer
14. Discovery of key factors that may influence the success of ICT MNCs in BoP markets Sheombar,15
July 2010
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010:
Inclusive Partnerships for Sustainable Market Innovations 14 of 19
target group. Therefore it is a holistic approach to these three factors (see Figure 3). It
was found that there are certain factors that influence the value creation. They are BOP
business model & strategy, product & service development and partnerships. Each of these
variables has certain characteristics.
- In the case of BOP Business Model & Strategy its characteristics refer to the quality
of the business model and strategy.
- In the case of Product and Service development these characteristics refer to the
processes involved in development of products and services
- In the case of Partnerships these characteristics refer to the type of partnership,
the processes involved in the creation and development of the partnership, and the
performance of the partnership.
Figure 3: Recommendations for BOP projects in relation to the alignment of BOP busi-
ness model & strategy, partnerships with non-traditional parties and product & service
development.
These three factors are aligned in successful BOP-projects. As a starting point for the
alignment any of the three factors can be taken. For example, the developed product or
service can determine the partner choice, the distribution channel, and so on. Similarly
15. Work in Progress – please do not cite without permission of the author
oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2010: Growing Inclusive Markets 15 of 19
the BOP-business model and the partnerships will determine what product or service is
being developed in the end. It is also possible that in the practice in a particular BOP-
project not every tuning direction may be present. As long as these three areas of interest
in one way or another are connected and aligned, the BOP-project can increase the chance
for a successful outcome. This alignment has been further discussed in a previously pub-
lished conference paper (Sheombar, Smit, & Silvius, 2009).
In particular, the investigation revealed that the partnership of a multinational ICT com-
pany with a local partner can have a number of bottlenecks. Bottlenecks that have to be
addressed to increase the health and thus the efficiency of the partnership and, conse-
quently, of the BOP business model, and the products and services. These factors are cate-
gorized in a provisional framework as shown in table 3 and discussed in detail in separate
papers (Silvius, et al., 2009; Smit, et al., 2009). A fairly small sample of projects (10) was
used and these projects were only those that specifically involved local for-profit
organizations. The question of whether these findings can be generalized to other ICT
projects or even other development projects can only be answered through further
research.
The recommendations as set out in figure 3 are not a recipe for success, but they can help
to mitigate risk and increase success of a BOP-project of a company. Successful projects
show a combination of a strategic market approach, a viable economic business model,
surprising partnerships and solutions in the form of products and services that fit the needs
of the local BOP community.
5.2 The relevance for practice
The relevance and applicability of the findings for practice is that stakeholders can use the
three elements and their accompanying recommendations as a guide when entering and
dealing with each other in BOP projects. Figure 3 also provides companies with a useful
resource for further improving their own operations when engaging with the BOP. On the
other hand NGO representatives might find the recommendations useful for understanding
the benefits companies seek in partnerships with them when engaging with the BOP.
In practice this research could inspire multinational ICT companies to investigate the pos-
sibility for engaging with the BOP. Those companies that already have engaged with the
BOP might pay notice at the differences between the researched multinational ICT compa-
nies. Furthermore it highlights the importance of partnerships for reaching the BOP and
cooperation with non-conventional partners. Both engaging with the BOP and cooperating
with non-conventional partners require a different mindset and preparation of company
employees and management. In the cases it is apparent that long term goals are more real-
istic than shot term targets. Companies could define metrics for these. It is advisable to
train staff for potential culture shock aspects when staying “on the ground” in the BOP
community. Furthermore cross-cultural management skills and mutual understanding are
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needed for improving the partnership with non- conventional partners. The identification
of the issues that affect the health of the cooperation might be useful.
Ecological sustainability is a challenge for business, but academics argue that BOP strate-
gies (in conjunction with clean technology) might proof to be invaluable for companies,
leading to a competitive advantage. To conclude on this: it is advisable that management
has long-term targets set for BOP ventures and use appropriate metrics to measure its out-
put. Employees involved with BOP projects should be staying significant time on the ground
for better engaging with the BOP and understanding the needs.
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