Overview

For customers at the top of the socioeconomic pyramid, traditionally served by business entities with rules and regulations set by governments, the process of creating value for customers and shareholders are relatively easier to converge than it is for customers who are in the bottom quarter of the socio-economic pyramid. This course will focus on how certain businesses have attempted to serve such segments. The course will explore business opportunities, challenges and limitations. We will examine the role of corporate social responsibility and creating shared value. We will also consider how new philanthropy attempts to serve that segment. The backdrop for class discussion will be sectors such as housing, hunger, healthcare and so on, both domestic as well as international. One of the main goals of the course will be to develop a contingency model regarding when business/nonprofits should participate and when they should abstain; we will also discuss the role of government.

Target Audience

This is a General Management course offered jointly with the Marketing Unit because of its focus on poor customers. The course is intended to bring a societal context to the many careers that students wish to aim for. Thus, it should have broad appeal to private sector and public sector entrepreneurs and managers. However, students taking this course should be forewarned that the course materials are not intended to address students’ career needs including those who wish to go into the nonprofit sector.

Syllabus

Through a mix of cases, books and guest speakers the course will attempt to identify the principal opportunities, challenges, and limitations of businesses and nonprofits in serving the poor. The course will examine the conditions under which economic returns are compatible with the creation of social value, and vice versa. Throughout the course, we will explore the intersection and overlaps of business with civil society and government, all three of whom have key roles to play.

Course Evaluation and Grading

60% of the grade will be based on class participation and 40% on the final paper.