News
July 2010
14.07.2010 - The 2010 SEED Awards are now open!
The SEED Initiative identifies and supports promising small scale social and environmental entrepreneurs around the globe, entrepreneurs that while working towards a greener economy also tackle poverty, marginalisation and social exclusion. This year there is a focus on Africa. The deadline for applications is 16th August 2010. Director Christina Gradl has supported the initiative since 2005 as a volunteer consultant. >
14.07.2010 - Country profiles about CSR in Morocco, Tunesia, Bangladesh and Kenya now available on CSR WeltWeit
Four new country profiles were published on CSR WeltWeit, the German platform for responsible business abroad. They provide information about the CSR expectations in Morocco, Tunesia, Bangladesh and Kenya as well as relevant areas of activity, existing examples and useful contacts. >
09.07.2010 – Every drop makes a difference! - Emergia Associate starts his own social venture to provide the rural poor in India with access to lighting, water and pest control
Boond means “a drop” in Sanskrit – but it is much more than “a drop in the ocean”! The social venture aims to provide the rural poor access to lighting, clean water and pest control through innovative financing schemes: People from all over the world can become a “Boond supporter” by paying for a product such as a solar lamp or a water filter upfront while buying rural artisan made products likes Jute bags, coin purses, shawls, scarfs etc.. The product can then be manufactured by Boond and offered to low-income consumers, who pay for the product over the course of a year in small interest installments. After a year, the Boond supporter is refunded if desired but gets to keep the wonderful artisan made items from Boond. Boond wants to unite people on a cause and change mindsets by showing that every “drop” makes a difference! Their model is transparent, simple and commission based involving the rural people impacted in every step of their supply chain. More information, success stories, pictures and updates are available at www.boond.net
02.07.2010 - Rules need to take account of existing systems to effectively enable inclusive business models, finds 3rd Expert Dialogue
Governance plays an important role for inclusive business models at three different levels: within the company, with the company, and for the company. Guided by inputs from academics and role plays based on company examples, 25 experts from the development, business and academic domain discussed how rules could enable inclusive business models. One key insight was that rule setting processes need to take account of existing formal and informal institutions to be effective. Ideally, they can build on existing rules and enforcement systems. Discussions also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the ultimate target group - low-income communities - have a voice in the rule setting process. >
June 2010
29.06.2010 - 'Learning to insure the poor' launched by Allianz in Paris
Aiming to share its experience in how to design, deliver and scale sustainable microinsurance products and to help set the right course for next steps, Allianz has published a new microinsurance report, "Learning to insure the poor". The new report is based on research, conducted by the Emergia Institute, to consolidate the wealth of insights Allianz has gained in the first years of developing its microinsurance business. Key facts on the state of microinsurance today, case studies on existing Allianz microinsurance projects and perspectives from experts on the future of microinsurance round out the report. The report was launched during a panel discussion with stakeholders in Allianz French headquarters in Paris. >
22.06.2010 - Companies need a 'safe space' to share learnings, finds 4th Inclusive Business Lunch
"How can we learn from others?" Around 20 representatives of the Berlin business and development community discussed this question during the fourth Inclusive Business Lunch. Together with our partner Nick Tewes, Corporate Affairs Vice President at Allianz, we shared some insights on the matter from our recent documentation project "Learning to insure the poor" to quick off a vivid exchange. One key insight was that the openness of companies to share information about challenges and successful strategies depended on their control over the information. Sharing was easier in anonymous benchmarks or within off-the-record peer spaces. Moreover, companies need to get a clear return from their own willingness to share information, e.g. through peer information or market data.>
01.06.2010 - Emergia directors write about partner selection for inclusive business models
An in-depth case study of Masisa's 'Casa Melhor' project in Brazil finds that linkages to other relevant players critically determined the success of the project's partnerships. The forestry and furniture company develops local carpenter entrepreneurs with three distinct local partners. Christina Gradl and Aline Krämer, directors at the institute, and Fausto Amadigi of Masisa compared the various resources these partners contributed to the project and concluded that functional relationships determined the success of the projects. >
May 2010
15.5.2010 - Training manual now available for analyzing sustainable ventures in developing countries
A training manual is now available for "Towards Triple Impact - Toolbox for Analyzing Sustainable Ventures in Developing Countries". Our 2009 publication introduced a set of three analytical tools to systematically develop sustainable ventures. The training manual provides all the material and background information that is required to run a training on these tools: guidelines and notes for the trainer, an annotated presentation, and three cases that can be used for group exercises and discussions.
The manual is based on a series of trainings by UNEP with support from the Emergia Institute in Cambodia, Lao Republic and Vietnam in October 2009. The manual documents the content and considerations of the training to enable others to implement it independently. Trainings can be offered by a variety of organizations, including business schools, chambers of commerce and business associations, private sector development and entrepreneurship programs, banks and other financial institutions.
6.5.2010 - Emergia moves into a new home in Berlin Mitte!
We celebrated our beautiful new office in Brunnenstraße 192 with an adequate housewarming party. There is reason enough to be happy. Not only do we have a grill, a foosball table and three sunny balconies (like any decent start-up). We also have some dear colleagues right next to us: the social investors from GEXSI, the coexistence expert Torsten Sewing from CommUnity, social business venture capitalist David Diallo and soon the decision makers from the Decision Institute. We call it flat share for the future!
April 2010
13.04.2010 - Call for Papers: oikos and UNDP invite young researchers to apply for the second Young Scholars Development Academy 2010
Organised by Emergia Associate Martin Herrndorf, the second annual oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy provides PhD students and young scholars working on poverty and sustainable development from a management or economics perspective a platform to present and discuss their ongoing research projects with fellow students and senior faculty. The programme encompasses graduate student presentations, guest lectures, professional development roundtables and social events.
Feedback will be given by fellow students and three internationally well-reputed researchers:
- Claudio Boechat, Fundação Dom Cabral, Brazil
- Geoffrey M. Kistruck, The Ohio State University, United States
- Patricia Marquez, University of San Diego, United States
Abstract Submission Deadline is the 15 May 2010 >
10.04.2010 - Business in Africa: Spotting pro-poor business opportunities in Kenya
In cooperation with Guido Zakrzewski from the German Chamber of Commerce, Essen, Emergia Associate Claudia Knobloch wrote an article on pro-poor business opportunities in Kenya. "Kenia auf dem Sprung" was published in the latest edition of the "Afrikapost", the leading German magazine on business in Africa.
01.04.2010 – Emergia director Genia Kostka teaches on Business in China at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
Since Februar 2010, Emergia director Genia Kostka holds the Dr. Werner Jäckstädt Endowed Chair of Chinese Business Studies at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. As a „Juniorprofessorin” (Assistant Professor), she teaches on sustainable development, chinese business, and international institutions. Genias focus research topics are business development and local governments in rural China.
March 2010
19.03.2010 - Management of PPPs is challenging but pays off, says GTZ
GTZ invited experts from the Berlin inclusive business expert community to the third brown bag lunch of the series organized by Emergia Institute and Microenergy International. Jana Kern, a project manager within the PPP programme, talked about her experience in implementing a partnership with MunichRe to provide flood insurance to poor communities in Jakarta, Indonesia. In the discussion, the 30 participants focussed on the challenges of aligning the different expectations and backgrounds of the various partners and stakeholders in one coherent, sustainable project. Still, partnerships with the private sector pay off for development, says Jana Kern, because social objectives can be reached more efficiently and effectively. >
01.03.10 - Study trip to the townships of South Africa
Five Danish companies visited the townships of Johannesburg to meet local businesses and community members and scout for inclusive business opportunities. The study trip was organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry in collaboration with FABCOS, a Johannesburg-based business association servicing primarily micro and small enterprises from townships. The trip took place from March 1 – 5, 2010. As a first of its kind, it was evaluated a great success by participants. >
January 2010
18.01.2010 - Shuan writes about the Dynamics of Rural Innovation
Shuan SadreGhazi was an invited author for a writeshop on the Dynamics of Rural Innovation. The aim of the writeshop was to publish a book that will be targeted towards Undergraduate and Masters students in Africa, as well as development practitioners aspiring to use innovation systems thinking in their work. The event took place 18-22 January and was co-hosted by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) and Wageningen University’s Centre for Development Innovation. Shuan's chapter was on private sector participation and value creation in rural innovation.
1.1.2010 - Design with the Poor: Aline Krämer receives Brazilian Management Research Fund Award
Aline Krämer and Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz (TUM School of Management) have teamed up with the Research Center for Design and Sustainability (Núcleo de Design e Sustentabilidade – NDS) of the Federal University of Paraná (Curitiba, Brazil) to research about how to innovate “from the bottom up”. In 2009, they conducted idea competitions in Brazilian shantytowns. The project had the objective to unveil needs and aspirations by giving low-income consumers a voice and an active part in the early stages of the product development process. The Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and the publisher Emerald honoured this project with the Brazilian Management Research Fund Award for the dissemination of management knowledge that also contributes to the social good. The funding grant will ensure the continuation of the project in 2010.
December 2009
11.12.2009 - PhD students discuss latest developments in research on inclusive business at the oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2009
To discuss their research projects that study inclusive businesses, fifteen PhD students gathered for the one-week oikos UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2009 in Kaubad, Switzerland from the 6th to the 11th of December, 2009. As they key part of the academy, participants presented study proposals and first research results focused on corporate strategies to reach the BoP, entrepreneurship, cross-sectoral partnerships or evaluation. The event was developed and co-organized by oikos PhD fellow and Emergia Associate Martin Herrndorf for the oikos Foundation and UNDP's Growing Inclusive Markets. The Mercator Foundation Switzerland also sponsored the event.
Please find more information on the event and its results on NextBillion.net
11.12.2009 - PlaNetFinance: increased investment accrues to only few micro-finance institutions
PlaNet Finance welcomed around 20 participants in their offices in Berlin Mitte for the second Inclusive Business Brown Bag Lunch titled "Micro-Finance as Social Investment". Delphine Bazalgette and her dynamic team offered in-depth knowledge on the financing side of the microfinance industry. In her presentation, Kathleen Welvers showed that while the volume of investment into the sector is steadily increasing and more and more private investors are pouring in funds, the number of institutions who benefit from these investments is fairly small. The largest part is absorbed by the 150 best performing MFIs globally, out of more than 10.000 such institutions. Participants dicussed the role of the public sector in creating this market and supporting newcomers. They were also interested in the potential to transfer micro-finance models to Germany.
4.12.2009 - UNDP brokers test tools for inclusive business model development
More than 40 UNDP experts for private sector engagement participated in a training on inclusive business model development in Mombasa, Kenya. Christina Gradl and Claudia Knobloch introduced them to communication strategies for engaging companies as well as practical tools to co-develop a business model with them. The participants then practiced the application of these tools with own business ideas. Using highly interactive meeting techniques, the training also generated a wealth of knowledge from existing experiences of the participants. Based on the training, a primer will be developed to support UNDP private sector focal points and brokers in their work with companies. The training was organized by the UNDP Growing Sustainable Business Initiative as part of a four day workshop.
November 2009
16.11.2009 – Impact of base of the pyramid ventures: The global BoP family meets in Delft
The international conference "Impact of base of the Pyramid Ventures" brought together over 200 experts on inclusive business in Delft, the Netherlands, from November 16 till 18. The event stood out due to the comparatively high participation of representatives from developing countries.
Emergia Institute co-hosted a workshop on Sustainable Consumption Production together with the CSCP. Martin Herrndorf and Christina Gradl presented tools for developing sustainable ventures. The workshop showed that such simple yet specialized tools were high in demand: a rapid assessment among the participants detected many demands on sustainable entrepreneurs, but hardly any standardized tools to support their endeavours.
Website of the conference: http://www.bopimpact.nl/Impact_of_BoP_Ventures/Home.html
03.11.09 - Emergia launches its primer "Entwicklungsgeschäfte" at the GTZ Haus in Berlin
Christina Gradl and Claudia Knobloch presented their publication "Entwicklungsgeschäfte" to the public at an evening event in the GTZ Haus in Berlin. This German primer shows companies why, how and where to develop inclusive business models. After opening speeches by representatives of BMZ and DIHK, both partners in this project, the co-authors briefly introduced the content of the report. After that, three rounds of discussions with practitioners provided an insight into the real-world challenges of actually developing inclusive business models. The conversations during the evening reconfirmed the key message of the publication: we have learnt quite a lot about doing business against poverty already, but there is still a long way to go to achieve scale!
Oktober 2009
15.10.09 - Genia Kostka talks about the future of sugar cane at the International Workshop on Sustainable Energy Crops and Biofuels Development in China and Asia
Genia Kostka participated in the “International Workshop on Sustainable Energy Crops and Biofuels Development in China and Asia” organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China (PRC). She presented the paper “The future of sugar cane in China and India – Supply constraints and expansion potential“ which was co-authored by her together with Christine Polzin and Jenny Scharrer. The main objective of this workshop is to initiate discussions and stimulate new ideas on biofules and bioenergy crops development, with special focus on Asia including the PRC. In this light, scholars, decision makers, and project developers were invited to discuss and maximize information exchange on the sustainable development of biofuels in Asia.
08.10.2009 - Shuan SadreGhazi talks about “Taking Innovations to the Poor” at GLOBELICS in Dakar, Senegal.
Shuan talks about “Taking Innovations to the Poor“ at the international conference GLOBELICS in Dakar, Senegal. GLOBELICS (Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems) is an international network of scholars who apply the concept of "learning, innovation, and competence building system" (LICS) as their framework and are dedicated to the strengthening of LICS in developing countries, emerging economies and societies in transition. The paper, which was co-authored together with Dr. Shyama Ramani and Prof. Geert Duysters, was based on a study on the practices of Sanitation activists in India.
Event link: http://globelics2009dakar.merit.unu.edu/
06.10.2009 - Shuan SadreGhazi talked about promoting pro-poor innovations at the international seminar on "Inclusive Business and Job Creation" at ICEI
Shuan SadreGhazi was invited to hold a presentation on promoting pro-poor innovations at the international seminar on "Inclusive Business and Job Creation", that took place in Madrid on October 6-7. The seminar was hosted by the Complutense Institute of Foreign Studies (ICEI) and supported by the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Immigration, who also organized the International Seminar.
The aim of the event was to reflect on the problems of poverty and access to employment. Participants were invited to share experiences regarding business at the bottom of pyramid as an opportunity for social change and integration of disadvantaged people in the economy.
Event link: www.ucm.es/info/icei/pdf/negocios.inclusivos.pdf
September 2009
17.9.2009 - Excerpts from publication "Entwicklungsgeschäfte" published on csr-weltweit.de
A dossier on inclusive business is now available on www.csr-weltweit.de. It introduces the concept of aligning business development and poverty alleviation, highlights challenges and describes innovative business models and organizational success factors. The website now also informs about inclusive business in Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Mexico and the Russian Federation.
The dossier is an excerpt from the publication "Entwicklungsgeschäfte", which will be lauched in Berlin on November 3.
17.9.2009 - Bertelsmann Stiftung publishes a white paper on tools for strategic CSR
The paper identifies four mega trends that will directly or indiractly influence the future activities of German companies. Starting from the opportunities and risks these trends create, the paper introduces tools and approaches companies can use to deal with these changes and enable long-term sustainability and growth.
Claudia Knowbloch and Christina Gradl supported the development of the paper. It can be downloaded here.
16.9.2009 - CSR Experts discuss approaches to aligning CSR and issue management
"An issue ignored is a crisis invited“, as Henry Kissinger once said. 16 experts from large German companies and intermediaries discussed what an effective issue management as part of a strategic CSR management could look like.
Recognizing and managing critical developments and trends earlyon can help a company to manage risks and leverage opportunities effectively. The increasing complexity of globalized value chains reinforces the need for systematic issue management tools and approaches.
The workshop was hosted by Bertelsmann Stiftung and PWC. Claudia Knowbloch from the Emergia Institute supported the design and documentation. Results from the workshop will available on csr-weltweit.de.
11.9.2009 - First Inclusive Business Brown Bag Lunch in Berlin with MicroEnergy
For the kick off of the Berlin Inclusive Business Brown Bag series, MicroEnergy International invited experts to their office at TU Berlin. Noara Kebir provided some food for thought on the challenges of quality assurance and consumer protection in low-income markets. She illustrated the difficulties arising from plagiarism, lack of legal enforcement and market transparency with own experiences in the energy sector. The 14 participants, representatives from Emergia Institute, Genesis Institute, GTZ and PlanetFinance, discussed potential solutions, such as delivering services instead of products, MFIs as effective negotiators for quality assurance, and better information platforms, e.g. by using the internet or mobile telephony.
PlanetFinance invites to the next BrownBag lunch on November 13th. The Brown Bag Lunch series will take place quarterly in the premises of one of our partner organizations. If you want to participate in the event, please send an email to c.gradl@no-spam.emergia.de
August 2009
31.08.2009 - Martin Herrndorf teaches on micro-insurances during a Summer School on "Development Policy" at the University of Cologne
Emergia Associate Martin Herrndorf has been awarded a teaching assignment at the University of Cologne for the Summer School on "Development Policy" organised by the Teaching and Research Centre on Latin America. In the track on "Poverty Reduction and Social Security", he will introduce approach, principles and actor constellations for micro-insurance. He will work with students on the perspective of building up and fostering a micro-insurance sector in a specific Latin American country.
Further information on: www.lateinamerika.uni-koeln.de/summerschool2009.html
July 2009
13.7.2009 - Emergia directors participate in the Kick-off Workshop of the Case Research Programme of UNDP's Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative
The second stage of the UNDP Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative (GIM) kicked-off with a workshop for Case Writers and Reviewers. Around 50 people from more than 30 countries came together to discuss in interactive sessions the objectives of the research programme, the case selection and next steps.
Christina Gradl, co-director of the Emergia Institute, has been working as a consultant for GIM since 2006 and lead the development of the concept and the research design of this second stage. Aline Krämer, also co-director of the Emergia Institute, will coordinate case writers from Eastern Europe and the CIS for the programme. The cases will provide the empirical basis for a regional report.
All in all, the Case Research Programme will produce more than 50 cases from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe & CIS. The cases will be written by researchers from the respective countries and aim provide empirical evidence on how inclusive business models are created, how other actors contribute to the business and what economic, social and environmental results the business created. The overall objective of this research effort is to understand, enable and inspire the development of more effective inclusive business models around the globe that will help to create new opportunities for better lives for many of the world’s poor.
June 2009
23.6.2009 - Students discuss "What are the challenges and opportunities of micro-insurance?" at the LMU, Munich
30 Students from various backgrounds attended a workshop on the challenges and opportunities of business models for low-income markets with the example of micro-insurance at the Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität, Munich. Claudia Knobloch (Emergia Institute) and Michael Anthony (Allianz SE) gave a general introduction to the subject. Thereafter, students developed strategies for an insurance company to enter low-income markets. The seminar was part of the series of events called "Business meets Ethics" and organised by the student network Sneep.
Claudia's presentation is available for download.
9.6.2009 - Jianghua Zhou and Genia Kostka present paper on public-private partnerships in China at the Joint Actions on Climate Change, Aalborg, Denmark .
Jianghua Zhou, Tsinghua University, and Genia Kostka, Oxford University, presented their newest research findings on public-private partnerships in China at the Joint Actions on Climate Change in Aalborg, Denmark. The authors presented the latest debates on BOP by Chinese Scholars, and argued that current concepts of BOP need to be adjusted when applied to the Chinese context. Findings suggest that in China both central and local governments have started to shift their poverty alleviation strategy towards relying on firms, including both state-owned as well as private firms. The arguments are based on two case studies - China Mobile (telecommunications) and Nanjing JiuKang (agricultural input sector) collected during fieldwork in China in 2009.
1.6.2009 - The Research Center for Design and Sustainability (UFPR) and the Emergia Institute launch idea competitions with low-income consumers in Brazil.
To develop new products and services for low-income consumers, the Research Center for Design and Sustainability (Núcleo de Design e Sustentabilidade – NDS) of the Federal University of Paraná (Curitiba, Brazil) currently conducts the research projects “Eco-Agregado” in partnership with the recycling company Soliforte. The project is funded by the Brazilian Innovation agency FINEP and Fundação Araucária. It is supported by the Emergia Institute, the TUM Business School and the NGO Alianca Empreendedora. Aline Krämer, Co-Founder of the Emergia Institute, coordinated and supported the implementation of the first phase of the project, which had the objective to unveil needs and aspirations of the target group and create first ideas for products and services. To give low-income consumers a voice and an active part already in the early stages of the product development process (the so-called “fuzzy-front-end”), idea competitions were conducted in two low-income neighborhoods to collect new product ideas for so far unattended needs. In total the idea competitions generated 48 ideas by low-income consumers, which will inspire the product designers involved on the subsequent phases of the project.
May 2009
20.05.2009 - Piera Waibel and Christina Gradl publish article on business opportunities in low-income markets in io new management
In io new management's special issue on innovation, Piera Waibel and Christina Gradl take a look at the innovation required to enter low-income markets. The key message: Serving the world poor as consumers can open new growth potential for companies from industrialized countries. However, business doesn't work 'as usual' in the slums and villages of the developing world. Successful businesses employ innovative models that leverage the strengths of other market players, including the poor themselves.
io new management is the leading Swiss management magazine. The full article can be accessed here.
19.05.2009 – Claudia Knobloch answered the question: “Is every slum a place for BOP-activities?” at the ICEP conference “Entwicklung findet Stadt” in Vienna.
120 experts from business, government, civil society and academia gathered for the Conference "Entwicklung findet Stadt" Siemens Forum in Vienna to discuss the challenges and opportunities of urbanisation in developing countries. Claudia Knobloch answered the question whether every slum was a place for business at the BOP. She confirmed the idea that poor urban areas offered many opportunities to include the poor into value chains. Slums are a hotspots of economic activity, albeit most transactions take place in the informal sector. But doing business in slums is not easy for outsiders: Formal businesses who aim at slum dwellers not only have to meet their needs, but also have to find innovative ways around widespread market constraints like fragmentary infrastructure or ineffective legislation.
The summary of all presentations and workshops is available here at the IBWE website.
Claudia's presentation is available for download.
April 2009
29.4.2009 - Regional UNDP GIM Initiative Eastern Europe and CIS kicks off with a working group meeting in Brussels
The UNDP regional office for Eastern Europe and CIS has launched its own Growing Inclusive Markets initiative. Through case studies on successful inclusive business models in the region as well as some market research data, the initiative seeks to raise awareness about the business opportunities of including poor and excluded people into value chains.
The initiative officially kicked off with a working group meeting in Brussels on April 29. The working group brings together representatives of donor organizations, business associations and academic institutions as well as the global UNDP GIM team. Christina Gradl acts as an advisor to the regional initiative. The working group provided feedback on the suggested selection of case studies and research approach. A report with the results of the research will be published early next year.
Christina blogged about the special challenges and opportunities for inclusive business in the region on the Unternehmen Armut Weblog.
March 2009
23.3.2009 - Christina Gradl presents findings of the UNDP report "Creating Value for All" to 400 participants of the International CSR Conference in Cairo.
400 experts from business, government, civil society and academia gathered for the International CSR Conference at the Marriott Hotel in Cairo to discuss the links between 'Investment and Responsible Business Practices'. Based on insights of the UNDP report "Creating Value for All", Christina Gradl presented the opportunities of developing inclusive business models. She also pointed to the constraint that challenge these models and promising strategies to find innovative solutions. UNDP is planning to implement the concept, for example via a project in the horticulture value chain.
20.3.2009 - Emergia Institute announces launch of German Primer on Inclusive Business for October 2009 in cooperation with BMZ, GTZ and DIHK
Many German companies can benefit from inclusive business development, and interest in this mostly untapped segment is growing. Currently, however, there is no German publication available that helps companies take the first steps into this new and challenging market. Emergia Institute is working to close this gap, and will publish a primer on inclusive business ('Entwicklungsgeschäfte') in October 2009. The German Ministry of Development Cooperation BMZ, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation GTZ and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry DIHK support the publication.
More information on the project is available here.
February 2009
26.2.2009 - During a brownbag lunch, employees of the Bertelsmann Stiftung discussed opportunities and barriers of business approaches for poverty alleviation with Christina Gradl.
Christina introduced the idea that poverty alleviation and business development can go together, using a number of examples ranging from microfinance to health store microfranchsing. Participants were intrigued by the idea, which many felt to provide a more accountable, sustainable and promising method than traditional government-driven development approaches. Participants also raised concerns regarding the viability of the concept in difficult circumstances such as conflict or corruption.
The presentation is available for download.
21.2.2009 - Engineering students learn about inclusive business model development as part of a course on Energy Entrepreneurship and Rural Electrification at TU Berlin
Students from all over the worls, Inclusing India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, attended a seminar on "Energy Entrepreneuership and Rural Electrification". The class forms part of the masters degree "Global Production Engineering" at Technischen Universität Berlin. As part of the seminar, Christina Gradl taught a class on innovative business models for low-income markets.