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Peace Summit 2011

C.K. Prahalad's Legacy: Business for Poverty Alleviation

Friday, September 16th, 2011
8:30am to 12:30pm
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Theatre

Please find videos of the day's speakers below.

Download the 2011 Summit Program

C. K. Prahalad has left an indelible mark on strategic management and thinking by inspiring people and organizations to consider beyond “best practices” to “next practices.” This one-day conference focused on his legacy in the field of business at the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP). This concept that the private sector can play a role in helping alleviate poverty by including lower income segments of society into the market system, while at the same time achieving profits, is extremely appealing. It has appeal to both the business sector, which is always looking for new growth opportunities, as well as those interested in social change and concerned about the plight of the poor. Today if an Internet search for “bottom/base of the pyramid” is conducted, almost 13 million results appear. This is the power that his ideas have sparked in others to simultaneously generate social change and new business opportunities.

He invited us to consider the poor not as victims of poverty, but as resilient and creative entrepreneurs that are value-conscience consumers. He argued that the BoP markets have unmet needs as both consumers and producers and present opportunities for investment, growth and return on risk capital. Low-income markets offer a critical mass of customers, suppliers, distributors and employees that can help companies grow to become, and retain, market leadership. However, serving these markets efficiently and profitably calls for innovative approaches and the design of “next practices”.

This half-day conference brought together business leaders from around the globe who are designing and implementing the "next practices" for their organizations. Speakers included:

Antonio Aquino, President, CEO Ayala Land Inc and former President/CEO of Manila Water, Philippines
Jose Arteaga-Niepmann, CEO, La Huerta, Mexico/USA
Jane Chen, Founder and CEO, Embrace
Jose Luis Contreras, CEO Aon Bolivia, Bolivia
Michael Fuerst, Integrity and Corporate Citizenship Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Erin Gavin, Manager, Wireless Reach, Qualcomm
Ivar Pettersson, Regional Director of Operations Performance, Latin America and Africa, AES Corporation
Kapil Sharma, General Manager North America, Tata Sons Ltd.

This half-day event with industry leaders was part of a three-day conference that has invited academic scholars who are continuing the research and discussion started by C.K. Prahalad regarding business at the base of the pyramid. If you are interested in learning more about this three day event, please visit http://www.sandiego.edu/prahalad

We hope you join us for our 4th annual summit in 2012!