Cracking the code for sustainable “BoP” business models
Unlearn the past to create the future ~ C K Prahalad In the half decade or more since I increasingly began to focus on the challenge of the emerging consumer opportunities among the lower income demographic of the developing world, I’ve yet to hear of an unconditionally successful business model specifically designed for this segment […]
Out of touch, out of sync: The future of American Design
Since I’m still in the mood to look back at the progress of the design industry in this past decade, let me bring up another article I’d spotted in FastCo as well. This one is from September 2011, titled “American Firms Now Embrace Design, But They’re Aging Fast. What’s Next?” written by FrogDesign’s Robert Fabricant. […]
Going nowhere fast: Looking back at a decade of design thinking
“He who doesn’t know where he came from doesn’t know where he is going” ~ African proverb Today, I came across an article in FastCo written by one of Monitor/Doblin’s people, Melissa Quinn, whose bio seems to imply she is responsible for selecting the right mix of professionals from both business and design. Reading What […]
Nielson puts the African opportunity in perspective
Nielson have released a new report called The Diverse Peoples of Africa covering 7 countries. While they focus on urban and peri-urban consumers, mostly earning USD200 a month and above, there is some fascinating information available in there nonetheless. This is one of them – the visual puts the facts in context, the emerging consumer […]
Fresh look at India’s consumer market
This report (PDF) by Yoshihiko Iwadare of Nomura Research Institute is only 15 pages long but manages to overturn conventional business strategy on its head in its framing and approach to new market entry for India’s emerging consumer markets. For more on the Indian consumer market today. This post was written by niti bhan and […]
The hidden digital divide: Energy consumption and infrastructure
Photocredit: Niti Bhan, Maua, Kenya Feb 2012 This is an ironbox. It is heated by placing glowing embers of charcoal inside and securing the lid. When hot, it is used to iron clothes. Variations of this design can be seen in use across India’s urban centers where the isteriwallah plies his trade, ironing clothes for […]
Lessons from working with Social Enterprises
Aisle Manager at Nakumatt By the end of my most recent project, I was convinced that the label “Bottom of the Pyramid” (or Base of the Pyramid) also known as “the BoP” was one of the biggest barriers for organizations seeking to serve these emerging consumer markets in the informal economies of the developing world. […]
Forced changes: Gmail and Google
I came here to write. Instead, I’ve been sitting here watching the screen, stopped in my tracks by the completely unfamiliar interface. The same thing happened yesterday in Gmail, as I found myself stockstill as my brain and fingers froze while racing to find the delete button. Don’t snatch away the familiar and comfortable without […]
Putting people first: the difference between “what” and “why”
Pondering the topic of contracts and creativity in yesterday’s post made me think about problem areas, how they’re identified and how they may be deconstructed. In simpler terms, the difference between the “what” and the “why”. Take two regions in a country, one far more fertile and having a better overall economy than the other. […]
The problem with contracts: rigid agreements trying to predict a creative process
The title of this post has been lifted from an email conversation with Dirk Knemeyer, where I was sharing my frustrations with a recent challenge I faced during the course of my work. I want to explore this further in writing, particularly since tweeting about it for the past couple of days helped me feel […]
