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Bottoms up: Delivering sustainable value in the base of the pyramid

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  • Mark Alan Heuer
  • Usman Khalid
  • Stefan Seuring

Abstract

Despite a wealth of expertise involving leading institutions over at least 15 years, a base of the pyramid (BoP) model resulting in scalability has yet to emerge. We posit that institutional gaps between BoP goals of developing human and social capital on one hand and a short‐term profit focus of business on the other contribute to the lack of scalability. We address this gap by proposing a social intermediary to link the BoP with firms involved in the BoP. The social intermediary will coordinate and interpret the informal market requirements of the BoP to the firm in a “bottoms up” approach. We illustrate the bottoms up approach through a case involving Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit, a German government agency, with the garment manufacturing industry in Pakistan. The case study involves implementation of labor standards and productivity in the Pakistan garment industry, resulting in improved productivity and labor standards enabling garment manufacturers to access global supply chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Alan Heuer & Usman Khalid & Stefan Seuring, 2020. "Bottoms up: Delivering sustainable value in the base of the pyramid," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1605-1616, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:29:y:2020:i:3:p:1605-1616
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2465
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    Cited by:

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    3. Poul Houman Andersen & Lars Esbjerg, 2020. "Weaving a strategy for a base‐of‐the‐pyramid market: The case of Grundfos LIFELINK," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3687-3701, December.
    4. Carolin Brix‐Asala & Stefan Seuring & Philipp C. Sauer & Axel Zehendner & Lara Schilling, 2021. "Resolving the base of the pyramid inclusion paradox through supplier development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3208-3227, November.

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