Books: Brief Reviews

Here I put significant books and brief reviews about BOP business, though we will discuss the idea little by little aftertime, too. These are greatly helpful to understand BOP business and what is going on current business world.

Bible “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” by C.K. Prahalad
This is the bible of BOP business. What is BOP business?? How business can work for poverty reduction?? Why BOP can be targets of business?? This book gives answers for all of these basic questions about BOP business.

Also, books below would be helpful to understand BOP business and why MNCs and other social organization such as NPO are trying to use BOP business approach for poverty reduction and new business chance. Not only BOP business, those books also give the significant connection between business and social issues such as sustainability of the world.


1. "Capitalism at the Cross Road" by L.S.Hart
This author is a co-writer of "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" with C.K.Prahalad.
In this book, he tries to connect business with social issues such as environment, poverty in developing countries or peace building.
Not only BOP business, but there are also some ideas in this book which makes profit maximizing business relate to solving social issues.
This is one of my bibles to study "business and sustainability", and what I want to more and more students to share with for our future.

2. "World Inc" by Bruce Piasecki
This has basically the same idea with "Capitalism at the Cross Road" and tells the significant relation between business and sustainability.
This one sounds more business likely. I mean because the author is from business world while Hart is a scholar on business and sustainability, this book is written form realistic business views. I am really interested in the last few chapter about the changing of investor and invest and research companies. Once the flow of money would change, the impact on the world would be unbelievably huge. This book was one of the best seller books in US 2007, which means great number of business persons have read this idea.

3. "Creating the World Without Poverty" by Muhammad Yunus
He gained the novel peace award on 2006, pleased for freedom form poverty in Bangladesh though micro finance. This book is written for social business which can be related to the idea of "Business and Sustainability" by Hart or Piasecki. Yunus`s view see business as a tool for solving social issues, which is more likely to be on NPO sides. Bt still this tells great understanding for business and social issues, especially poverty.


Plus, this is not relating to BOP business or Business and Sustainability, but I really want people to understand Sen Amartya, who created "Capability approach" and gained the award of novel economics. Understanding his idea is indirectly crucial to understand the meaning of BOP business. Human development which was based on his approach is essential idea of development studies, which means significant to think BOP business, too. His idea is not taught out of development studies or peace studies, but if people really want to do business with social impact, his idea is crucial. I recommend the one named "Development as Freedom".


Also, I put some books which help understand and develop the idea.
"You can hear me know"
About Grameen Phone in Bangladesh as an example of BOP business
"Design for the other 90%"
This book gives surprising design for people in poverty with lots of real pictures.
"The new age of innovation"
The latest book by C.K.Prahalad, and some applying BOP business to the real bushiness cases