Sofie Van den waeyenberg and Luc Hens
The purpose of this study is to examine which changes companies need to implement in their transactional marketing strategy to sell to the poor when launching a product innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine which changes companies need to implement in their transactional marketing strategy to sell to the poor when launching a product innovation in low‐income countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper confronts the literature on the “bottom of the pyramid” with the diffusion of innovations theory in order to identify the country characteristics that call for marketing changes when entering low‐income markets. The authors investigate for one case (the Tata Nano) whether – and how – the company implements changes to respond to these conceptually identified challenges. The case study is systematically analysed and structured according to Kotler's four Ps.
Findings
The case shows that companies can create products with functionality and cost advantage for the poor without compromising on safety and comfort. Creating an innovative distribution system pushes costs and builds trust between the company and the customer.
Research limitations/implications
The study examines one case from the automobile industry. Marketers would benefit from multiple case studies.
Originality/value
The study's originality springs from the confrontation between the bottom of the pyramid and the diffusion of innovations theories. The study is valuable to marketers targeting the bottom of the pyramid. The case study is interesting because the industry (automobile) surprisingly targets a poorer non‐traditional customer base (the upper bottom of the pyramid).
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Describes the main structural lines of the Brussels master′s programmein human ecology. Delineates its relationships with the EuropeanCertificate of Human Ecology and the European…
Abstract
Describes the main structural lines of the Brussels master′s programme in human ecology. Delineates its relationships with the European Certificate of Human Ecology and the European Association of Human Ecology. In this way describes two complementary networking structures on human ecology (HE) in Europe. This overview of networking structures is complemented by an enumeration of national and international HE organizations in Europe. Discusses the possible involvement of the Society for Human Ecology in two rather recent international developments in the field: the growing number of academic initiatives in East European countries; and the evaluation by international panels of experts of interdisciplinary research products as state of the environment studies which otherwise escape the test of international scientific validation.
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Discusses the book of guidelines for environmental impactassessment on human health published by the Flemish Government in anattempt to introduce conformity in environmental…
Abstract
Discusses the book of guidelines for environmental impact assessment on human health published by the Flemish Government in an attempt to introduce conformity in environmental impact statements. Outlines these guidelines and how they should be used in an assessment. Discusses the interrelationship between the environment and human health.
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Transnational corporation (TNC)-led oil investments have been widely encouraged as a mechanism for the development of the Global South. Even though the sector is characterized by…
Abstract
Transnational corporation (TNC)-led oil investments have been widely encouraged as a mechanism for the development of the Global South. Even though the sector is characterized by major accidents, oil-based developmentalist narratives claim that such accidents are merely isolated incidents that can be administratively addressed, redressed behaviorally through education of certain individuals, or corrected through individually targeted post-event legislation. Adapting Harvey Molotch’s (1970) political economy methodology of “accident research”, this paper argues that such “accidents” are, in fact, routine in the entire value chain of the oil system dominated by, among others, military-backed TNCs which increasingly collaborate with national and local oil companies similarly wedded to the ideology of growth. Based on this analysis, existing policy focus on improving technology, instituting and enforcing more environmental regulations, and the pursuit of economic nationalism in the form of withdrawing from globalization are ineffective. In such a red-hot system, built on rapidly spinning wheels of accumulation, the pursuit of slow growth characterized by breaking the chains of monopoly and oligopoly, putting commonly generated rent to common uses, and freeing labor from regulations that rob it of its produce has more potency to address the enigma of petroleum accidents in the global south.
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The purpose of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Since the term “bottom of the pyramid” was coined, the poor living in low‐ and middle‐income countries have received increasing attention. The bottom of the pyramid attracts multinational companies because of its large population with pending demand, low consumer expectations and slight competition.
Practical implications
The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of knowledge transfer partnership (KTP)as a means for universities to generate and exchange knowledge to foster sustainable cities…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of knowledge transfer partnership (KTP)as a means for universities to generate and exchange knowledge to foster sustainable cities and societies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports on a series of separate yet interrelated KTPs between a university and the local authority in the North East of England, designed to enhance the environmental, social and economic performance of a large-scale urban housing procurement project.
Findings
Results from the partnerships indicate that KTPs may play a crucial role in developing capacity within local authorities tasked with creating sustainable cities and societies, whilst at the same time, enhancing skills and knowledge within the communities whom they represent and their industry partners.
Originality/value
The paper contributes an understanding as to how universities can act as a conduit for the generation and exchange of knowledge for sustainability. It presents a case study which examines how a series of KTPs can provide a useful mechanism for enhancing environmental, social and economic sustainability.
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Alhassane Camara, Anatole Goundan, Christian Henning, Luc Savard and Assane Beye
There is much evidence in the literature showing the benefits of input market participation on farmers’ welfare. The same is true for participation in marketing. However, there…
Abstract
Purpose
There is much evidence in the literature showing the benefits of input market participation on farmers’ welfare. The same is true for participation in marketing. However, there are very few studies on the expected benefit of input market participation and marketing. This study fills this gap by examining the issue in the Senegalese context for food and cash crops.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors estimate a multinomial endogenous switching regression using a highly detailed 2017 agricultural survey in Senegal. They first identify factors that shape farmers’ decision to participate in the input market and marketing and then assess the impact of market participation choices on farmers’ profits.
Findings
The results show that the most profitable market participation regime depends on the crop under consideration. For food crops, joint participation in markets maximizes profit per hectare, while for groundnuts, the main cash crop in Senegal, participation in the input market is not necessary to maximize farm profit.
Research limitations/implications
Using panel data would improve the quality of estimations (time-variant effects) and help to consider the role of risk in output and input markets.
Originality/value
This paper helps to characterize different profiles of farmers based on their market participation and crop choices and provide policymakers with recommendations for maximizing farmers’ profit.
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Dinko Dinkov and Stoyan Stoyanov
The Cyprus conflict is a classical case of protracted ethnic conflict with very obvious and important international dimensions. It is one of the major unresolved inter national…
Abstract
The Cyprus conflict is a classical case of protracted ethnic conflict with very obvious and important international dimensions. It is one of the major unresolved inter national conflicts, which for decades attracts the attention of the international community. The involvement of many countries and international organizations in the Cyprus conflict demonstrates the importance and seriousness of the conflict. During the last decades the conflict has cost a lot both for the Greek Cypriots and for the Turkish Cypriots. It claimed a lot of lives and caused serious economic damages and psychological destruction. The conflict began in the 1950s, erupted violently with blood shed at the end of 1963,and culminated in 1974 with the interventions of Greece and Turkey that led to the island’s current de facto division as the Greek Cypriot South and Turkish Cypriot North. Over the past 40 years many states have came out with various initiatives and have proposed various approaches for final settlement of the conflict. It also has been addressed by dozens of UN Security Council resolutions but all these have proved to be futile so far.
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Yaw A. Debrah and Ian G. Smith
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on…
Abstract
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.
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Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…
Abstract
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.