In September 2000, the United Nations set forth a Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015. While there is still much work to be done to reach this goal, the men and women who dwell at the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) are capturing the attention of corporate executives and senior managers.

More and more businesses are redefining their interactions with the poor from an obligation to one integral to continued business growth and profitability.Based on research presented at The Harvard Business School's first-ever conference on business approaches to poverty alleviation, Business Solutions for the Global Poor brings together perspectives from leading academics and corporate, nonprofit and public sector managers. The contributors draw on practical and dynamic how-to insights from leading BOP ventures from more than twenty countries worldwide.

This important volume reflects poverty's multi-faceted nature and a broad range of actors--multinational and local businesses, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and governments--that play a role in its alleviation. The book examines the characteristics, preferences, and habits of the poor. It includes illustrative case studies that explore the role of business in meeting the poor's basic needs for security, healthcare, housing and utilities. The contributors show how companies have successfully adapted their value proposition to the needs of low-income, and poor consumers in the retail, technology, and consumer good sectors. The book also reveals how the private sector can help facilitate the integration of the poor into the global production system. In addition, Business Solutions for the Global Poor outlines the challenges companies face when seeking to operate at the base of the pyramid and includes overarching business principles for serving the BOP.

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