This is a book about how "western" firms can do business in subsistence markets, especially in the very poor parts of the world where the average income is in the hundreds of dollars a year. The focus naturally is towards developing large nations like India, China and others, such as Brazil or Russia (together the BRIC nations). The key intuition here is that firms need to think about what they do differently and develop their products differently if they are to succeed. The punchline is that th...

At first I was sceptical as it sounded like some rich guys (like Gates) will come and solve Bob's (sorry, BOP) problems, but as it appears, companies inside those countries are solving the problems themselves and are inventing what they need (well, because high end tech is privatized by Rentier-circus societies from the U.S. and Europe, i.e., "the saviors"). Then, I though, let it be, I'll give it four stars, because it's still interesting and makes me think a bit. And also, let's not forget, so...

While the author had some interesting ideas, he didn't sell me on the idea that large multinational corporation targeting extremely poor populations is good for the poor. I can certainly see the benefit for the corp but not for the people in poverty. Some distribution techniques might help a person here and there, but not as a solution to poverty in itself.Most of his examples were nonprofits or in one case, Grameen Bank, which while being a for profit business, it was designed with a social mot...

There may be a fortune at the bottom of the period, but pushing greater consumptive forces onto the poor is not the answer to eradicating poverty. I would like to think that one day the pyramid model could be turned into a diamond, with the majority of the world's population being middle class. But for this to ever be possible, we must empower the poor, not profit from them. I understand that profits introduce discipline and expand market scale, but there is something fundamentally wrong with th...

An elderly uncle of mine (my father called him Shachi da, I never got to know his real name) once went to Banaras just to read The Bhagwat Gita in its unabridged form under the supervision of a sadhu.I find myself fortunate to work for my present client as I would not have been able to appreciate this book if I read it before I worked here. To appreciate this book you need to be in a particular frame of mind. Thanks to my work, I am in such a frame of mind. I paid special attention to the chapte...

This book gives a effective picture of the reality at the bottom of the pyramid. What irks most people is that this book talks too much about how to sell to the poor than about how to uplift them.Yet... After reading it i have got quite a few insights at what can be done to get the poor out of poverty. While i disagree with Prahlad whose writing implies that the increased use of shampoo in rural india is an indicator of development.. private organisations have certainly helped make inroads into

This is a book to unlearn a few things and learn a lot of new concepts. If we keep the statistics aside, then it is a book that challenges its readers to see beyond the conventional logic. Read the complete review here https://wp.me/p6rxcY-3b.

The concept was very simple and good for companies who were not at all thinking about the poor, but I think that this book was a bit outdated when I read this. Because (a) companies do focus on profits from poor now (b) the notion of profits is no more the only factor for improving business or the lives of poor people. In fact, I would not like such an approach anymore in this heavily capitalist world because it doesn't ensure the benefit of the poor, but rather benefits of the company - which m...

For anyone looking for concrete examples as to how to follow a practical route to improving the lives of the poor, the case studies in this book are great. Prahalad is at his theoretical best here, putting together a simple blueprint which is extrapolated from the collective examples and experiences with a number of cases in a number of countries. The main issue I have with the book is the overarching emphasis on capitalism as a way out of poverty. One of the main tenets of the argument used by

It can get a bit repetitive and probably could have used more editing, but the ideas are worthwhile.

Refreshing approach to foreign development. Prahalad (who died recently) takes the viewpoint that developed, free-market countries got where they are through private-sector innovation. Sidestepping the vicious political debates around foreign aid, he instead lays brick after brick of solid case studies showing where multi-national corporations were able to transform developing economies by simply studying them and creating products suited to the people there. He shows how this process also trans...

Excellent study on how markets can be generate welfare.C. K. Pralhad presents an interesting study into how the Bottom-of-the-Pyramid markets are a rich source of market expansion. The symbiotic relationship that Dr. Prahalad has elaborated upon will benefit both the people at the BOP, as well as the companies seeking to expand here.This is not a book on political science. It is book focusing on solutions to develomental issues. It presents a detailed study of several cases from across the world...

The content was okay but the writing and particularly editing was the worst I've ever seen. There were sections that appeared to have each paragraph written by a different person and then slapped together without an editor's review. The same paragraph would appear consecutively with just a word change or two (this happened in two spots). Topics would be introduced, only to be re-introduced slightly later. Acronyms would never be defined. The same info would be covered over and over again but wit...

This is an interesting book with ideas for alleviating poverty, by shifting the way that we think about helping the poor. As we see them as consumers - a potential market - and focus on creating goods and services that they need at the right price we will help them and be forced to innovate and come up with better ideas that will help even more people.I admit there is a lot more I need to understand about business and economics in order to really understand each of the ideas and examples in this...

As much as I appreciate new approaches to addressing chronic underdevelopment and poverty, this ain't it. By trying to turn the world poor into a massive new market for large multinational corporations and investor groups, the bottom of the pyramid seeks to hook the world's underresourced into becoming mini-consumers. This is just a new twist on tired neo-liberal economic theory. After forty years working against this stuff it saddens me to see yet another "bold solution" that merely increases p...

'Fortune' came with a certain reputation and it certainly didn't live up to it. In fact, the word 'Fortune' in the title is a misnomer for nowhere does the author tell you how much money the featured entities make by serving the financially weak. And that makes the book just an appeal to the society's collective conscience, and not the strident call to action one had expected. The congratulatory messages from CEOs of the featured companies seem more like a returned favour than a meaningful endor...

A bolded statement on the first page of Chapter 1 reads:What is needed is a better approach to help the poor, an approach that involves partnering with them to innovate and achieve sustainable win-win scenarios where the poor are actively engaged and, at the same time, the companies providing products and services to them are profitable.This quote is a good leaping-off point for the root problems in the book. 1) By “sustainable win-win scenarios”, Prahalad refers to sustainability of profit. Whe...

This is a book with fresh, innovative ideas towards the eradication of poverty. It doesn't rail against capitalism and its exploitative instincts nor does it look at the world's poor with a condescending 'poor you' attitude. The basic proposition that the author makes is 'if we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognising them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up'. Though the author shows...

Bottom of the Pyramid or BOP is widely used in development circles and was first defined by Prahalad in an article which eventually grew into this book. The BOP refers to the billions of people who are living on only a couple dollars a day and thus have very little individual consuming power, but summed up across billions the opportunity is massive. Prahalad saw an enormous opportunity for businesses to focus on this group of people which he believed could simultaneously make profits and improve...

I liked this book because it helped me view the world's poorest population in a different light -- no more victim mentality, but rather as a huge market opportunity for companies willing to serve their unique needs. It's not easy and doesn't work in every case, but still interesting. Book is a bit dry, but full if interesting case studies that were new to me (and I read a lot of these types of books).