MBA Program

Second Year

BOP Markets: Perspectives & Solutions

(Course Code)

Semester 3 (Fall)

Name of the Instructor: Prof. Satyam

Contact Details (+91-8930103999/ satyam@jgu.edu.in)

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

There are around four billion people living around the threshold of poverty across the globe. Business Schools have a
role to play in poverty reduction aligned with one of the sustainable development goals of United Nations, i.e.,
elimination of extreme poverty by 2030. This course is an attempt in that direction. We need to understand these
markets in order to design market-based solutions in particular for BOP markets in South Asia. Moreover, for any firm
wanting to succeed in these markets, it is essential that they understand these consumers, their context is
appreciated and appropriate marketing strategies designed to address their unique needs.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

You should be able to achieve the following at the end of this course:

 Understand and appreciate the context of consumers in BOP Markets across the globe with special emphasis
to emerging markets;
 Appreciate the challenges which they face in their day-to-day life and offer solutions to them;
 Know the different approached used by different stakeholders such as Government, Community
organizations, consumer and MNCs to address the opportunities/challenges;
 Appreciate the role of marketing as a solution providers for these kinds of context.

LEARNING GOALS
In addition to the specific course related objectives, this course is designed to achieve the following learning goals

1. Critical and Integrative thinking: Each student will be able to identify key issues in –BOP Markets--
management settings, develop a perspective that is supported with relevant information and integrative
thinking, to draw and assess conclusions. This learning goal will be measured through assignments and
submissions
2. Awareness of Global Issues affecting ……………..BOP market-related Decisions: Each student will be able
to identify key relevant global issues and be able to analyze the impact of the global environment on ----------
--------------------- BOP Markets, as compared with domestic market related management issues. This learning
goal will be assessed through ……individual assignments, group projects, and examination.
3. Interpersonal Awareness and Working in Teams: Each student shall demonstrate an ability to work effectively
in a team, exhibiting behavior that reflects an understanding of the importance of individual roles and tasks
and the ability to manage conflict and compromise so that team goals are achieved. (The team based case
and project presentation in the class will be a major component for measurement of this learning goal).
4. Effective Presentation Skill: Each student shall be able to communicate verbally in an organized, clear,
persuasive manner and be a responsive listener. (Class participation, case presentation and project
presentation will be used to assess effective oral communication).

TEACHING METHOD

The course will have a judicious mix of lectures and cases. Here the onus of learning will be with the student and the
instructor will be a facilitator. Instead of learning ‘what to do’, the cases will also be used as examples of real world
phenomenon where a particular issue or set of issues arises and good and bad practices are seen. The key to learning
this way is to see many examples and many situations and learning inductively from the different experiences of student
managers.

In addition to case studies, some marketing exercises will also be used to facilitate the learning of marketing concepts.
Some guest lectures will also be organized to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

TEAMS AND TEAM WORK

You will be informed about your team members and you should prepare cases for class discussion. You will have 4-6
members in your team. At the end of the term, each team member will be asked to grade other member’s participation
in the course work (P2P Review). The final grade may be adjusted downward by 5% if a person on a team has not
pulled his/her weight.
ATTENDANCE POLICY

Attendance to all the sessions is as per the university rules (minimum 75% excluding all leaves). The following
instances will also be treated as absence unless prior permission is taken

 Attending only part of the session, either entering or leaving during the break
 Arriving in class after the session is scheduled to begin

GRADING

The course grade will be determined on the basis of following:

Evaluation Weightage Nature Explanation

Item
Project 20% Group Presentation (Cross-company analysis) and Report
(Viva)
Individual 30% Individual An ethnographic story account (2-stage report submission
project followed by Viva)
Class 10% Individual (5% weight to attendance)
Participation
Case analysis 10% Group Case presentation

End Term 30% Individual

DELIVERABLES

Each student will turn in a maximum ten page report (1.5 spaced, 12 point font, Arial Narrow; exhibits extra) and submit
over email to satyam@jgu.edu.in on or before the mutually decided date. This project report submissions are only in
MSWORD format. Students are not permitted to copy from websites and they will be penalized if found copying/lifting
from the website (There will be a plagiarism check). However they can quote the source and accession at the end of
the text. Maximum permissible words will be 50 words in a sentence on continuous basis.

All word documents should be in standard report formats with required headings to make for easy reading. They should
be as per the above guidelines and on an A4 paper with 1-inch default margin. In general appendices and tables do
not count towards the page limit. Please use the tables and appendices in the report; otherwise the reader would get
the impression that there just there to add ‘weight’ to the report.

TEXT BOOK, COURSE PACKAGE AND OTHER READINGS

Although there is no textbook chosen to use in this course. Rather, a set of useful readings, cases, and exercises have
carefully been chosen. Some of the readings will be shared during the course. In addition, students should refer to the
textbook ‘Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid’ by C. K. Prahalad.

Cases and any other reading material assigned for reading will be provided to you during the course and will be
uploaded in the e-learning platform.

CLASS SCHEDULE (Each session is of 90 minutes’ duration)

Session No-1 The concept of BOP & Subsistence Marketplaces

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
a) The evolution of BOP concept
b) The evolution of subsistence marketplaces approach
c) Alternative intervention approaches

Readings
Readings Articles:
1. Serving the World’s Poor Profitably
2. Mirage of Marketing to the Bottom of the Pyramid: How the Private Sector
Can Help Alleviate Poverty
Case Title and Number
Pedagogy A mix of lecture and class discussion

Session No-2 & 3 The market at the bottom of the pyramid (Market Characteristics and identifying
target consumer segment; nature of market; development imperative)

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
a) Characteristics of BOP Markets
b) Environment analysis of low-income markets
Readings
Readings Articles:
1. Marketing to subsistence consumers: Lessons from practice
2. Understanding Subsistence marketplaces – Chapter from Madhu
Vishawanthan
3. Reality Check at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Case Title/ Number Arogya Parivar: Novartis BOP Strategy for Health Care in Rural India
Pedagogy A mix of lecture, class discussion and case presentation by the group
Session No- 4 & 5 Product and Services for BOP markets

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
a) Product strategies for BOP markets
b) How services are modified to co-create value in subsistence

Readings Chapter
Readings Articles:
1. Socially Responsible Distribution: Strategies for Reaching the bottom of the
Pyramid
2. The influence of marketing on consumption behavior at the bottom of the
pyramid
3. Developing Native Capability By Stuart L. Hart & Ted London

Case Title/ Number Godrej Chotukool: A Cooling Solution for Mass Markets
Pedagogy A mix of lecture, class discussion and case presentation by the group
Session No-6 & 7 Models for Interventions – CSR , Quasi CSR and for Profit Models

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
a) Analysis of alternate approaches
b) Overarching framework for market entry in BOP settings
c) Pros and cons of each approach

Readings Chapter
Readings Articles: Profits at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Case Title/ Number Constructing a Base-of-the-Pyramid Business in a Multinational Corporation: CEMEX's

Patrimonio Hoy Looks to Grow
Pedagogy A mix of lecture, class discussion and case presentation by the group

Session No-8 Basic services (Healthcare, Education, etc.) at the BOP

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
 1. How people lead lives in low-income context
2. Understand the challenges faced by poor
3. To analyze the current practices and come up with recommendations

Readings Chapter
Readings Articles
Case Title/ Number Case on Surgo Foundation intervention
Pedagogy A mix of lecture, class discussion and case presentation by the group

Session No-9 & 10 Entrepreneurship in BOP Markets & Framework for solution

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
a) How necessity drives entrepreneurship in subsistence
b) Difference between subsistence and transformational entrepreneurship
c) Concept of institutional entrepreneurship

Readings Chapter
Readings Articles:
1. Innovation from the inside out, by Sinam’s & Hart
2. Enabling Business Model innovation – Ted London
3. Fortune at the Bottom of the Innovation Pyramid: The Strategic Logic of
Incremental Innovations
4. The great leap driving innovation from the base of the Pyramid
Case Title/ Number
Pedagogy A mix of lecture, class discussion and case presentation by the group

Session No-11, 12 & 13 Financial inclusion in BOP markets (JDY, Mudra, Payment banks, etc.)

Objective of the session At the end of this session you will learn:
a) Financial lives of people at bottom of the pyramid
b) How financial decisions are taken in subsistence
c) How poor manage their financial portfolio to manage uncertainties
 Readings Chapter
Readings Articles
1. Business basics at the base of the pyramid by V Akula
2. New Financial Alternatives in Seeding Entrepreneurship: Microfinance,
Crowdfunding, and Peer-to-Peer Innovations

Case Title/ Number FINO Pay Tech Ltd.: Branchless Banking for the Rural Poor
Pedagogy A mix of lecture, class discussion and case presentation by the group

Session No-14 & 15 Course Review & Presentations

DELIVERY DEADLINES FOR PROJECTS/ASSIGNMENTS

To be announced in the classroom.