CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) / "BASE OF THE PYRAMID" (BOP)

The France BOP Learning Laboratory^TM is an initiative managed by IIES’s Social Innovation Centre. France BOP LLTM is part of IIES’s RSE/BOP axis and is organised together with other IIES teams.

What is the France BOP Learning Laboratory^{TM ?}

STATEMENT AND ISSUES

• The expression “Base of the Pyramid” (BoP) refers to the 4 billion people who live on less than $2 a day. This demographic group tends to be excluded from society and “modernity”. However, these populations have needs and are consumers but, due to lack of means, cannot afford many necessary services.
• For this reason, in addition to public policies and NGO initiatives, new viable economic models, “Social Business” and BOP markets/offers are being introduced. These new schemes will be able to respond to the needs of this population, using lasting (sustainable) solutions. These private initiatives work to decrease poverty and allow communities to gain economic stability.
• From a procedural point of view, these approaches benefit the most vulnerable populations, implementing social and organisational innovations to work towards a sustainable future economy. For businesses, these BOP markets represent a major learning and innovation issue, at the same time responding to their CSR strategies (in accordance with Iso 26 000).

FRANCE BOP LLab ^TM MISSION
A member of the BOP Network, France BOP LLTM bases its ideas and approaches on both the work of the BOP academic community (C.K. Prahalad, T. London, etc., S.L. Hart and the BOP LLTM team from Johnson School, Cornell University in particular) and on its own expertise in Social Entrepreneurship, management of tertiary sector businesses and CSR. The task of this expert experimentation laboratory is to develop ideas and knowledge on BOP markets, offers and strategies, through promoting experimentation with innovative models. This attempt considers the need for a critical and humble perspective on these new approaches, dealing with difficult situations and contexts.

THE FRANCE BOP LLab ^TM NETWORK
France BOP LLTM coordinates a network of BOP stakeholders (businesses, NGOs, public organisations, academic teams) allowing for knowledge and experience to be shared. The coordination of this network is based around idea sessions, presentations (from practitioners or academics), case studies, practical research, etc. and aims to feed into practice and instigate collaborative projects.

FRANCE BOP LLab ^TM PROGRAMMES / INVOLVEMENT

• Case studies
• Research-action, supporting pilot studies
• Sharing experience and knowledge between members and/or partners
• Creation of collaborative, multidisciplinary and multi-partner projects
• Promotion of France BOP LLTM and BOP Network activities
• Publicationss
• Organisation of conferences, seminars (targeted and/or mainstream multi-partner)

  THE FRANCE BOP LLab ^TM TEAM

• Rodolphe Vidal
• Fabienne Riom
• Marion Cesselin