A Closer Look at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Global poverty exists today at a startling scale; while the exact numbers are debated, some estimate that four billion people worldwide live on less than two dollars a day. According to C.K. Prahalad, an Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer Award recipient, companies should not ignore these traditionally overlooked people, collectively dubbed the “Bottom of the Pyramid,” because of their considerable combined purchasing power.

If companies are innovative enough to create or tailor their products to the economic realities and life needs of these people, a significant profit can be won. The report is part of the Aspen Institute’s Closer Look at Business Education series, and it investigates how and why the BOP is being integrated into business school education.