The Context:

University City describes itself as:
 

It is undeniable that immigrants are a tremendous economic force, both here, in the United States, and abroad. Their enthusiastic participation in international workforces, combined with a propensity to fulfill economic niches, creates for them a role as potential market catalysts. In the United States, and in other international settings, immigrants are predominantly an “untapped” market resource in and of themselves. Investigation into the nature of immigrant culture has sparked an interesting plan of action to integrate them further into our national business model.

YES! Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has given the nation something to shout about. In her recent budget presentation she spoke of a programme being launched by the government which, although it got very little if any press, ranks among the most important policy announcements in the last 20 years.

Stuart L Hart is the S C Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise and Professor of Management at Cornell University's Johnson School of Management. In his new book, Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems, Hart argues that companies can become the catalyst for a truly sustainable form of global development-and profit in the process. The book was published by Wharton School Publishing in March 2005.

KX Industries (Orange, Connecticut), the developers of an ultra
low price but high value water filter system says it has begun the search for partners to get the product to end users who desperately need it. The KX microbiological system filters water free of viruses, pesticides, and bacteria, and at average drinking water consumption levels, it will cost a family about 10$ per year.

34 people from the private sector, several government representatives, 17 universities, 11 NGOs, 7 social entrepreneurs, and the UNDP Argentina organisation were present.

The meeting aimed at establishing a conceptual framework and common language among participants. Mark Milstein of Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management brought forward a number of questions for the audience during his presentation: What is needed locally? What knowledge should be created? How could the process evolve here? Who wants to be involved? What are the next steps?

Members of the Argentina group are interested in the process by which companies get involved with the base of the pyramid, how to develop learning partnerships among, companies, NGO and the government. They are also interested in learning how BOP projects could be financed. A key worry theme appeared to be consumption and they raised a number of questions in the presentation. What is the influence of consumption in the BOP? How can consumption related negatives at the top of the pyramid and new consumption at the BOP be resolved? The idea is not to increase consumption, if not to decrease it at the top of the pyramid, many members felt.

The Learning Lab is already involved in two case studies were developed: Edenor and El Ceibal. The first one is about an electricity company that develops an innovative system in order to make people pay the amount of electricity to be consumed. The second one is about a microcredit project.

But there are challenges. A large number of NGOs are reluctant to engage the concept, say members. For this reason members organized a workshop with NGOs and social entrepreneurs. Members say they developed a workshop with NGO and social entrepreneurs so as to make easier communication for future activities, and to know about their point of view and experience with the base of the pyramid. We also wanted to open a dialogue space in order to explain the concept.

Also, the BOP group is engaging the Argentinian media. They had met with journalists of different media organisations informed them about the Learning Laboratory. After the first meeting took place, they have followed up with journalists again.

The group plans to meet next on June 15-16, 2006 in Buenos Aires. Their website (Spanish) is here. Miguel Angel Gardetti is their contact.

Attendees at the First Meeting

Companies: Edenor, Ledesma, ABN AMRO, Petrobrás, Repsol YPF, Transener, Clariant Argentina, Pan American Energy, Arcor, Quilmes, Estudio Beccar Varela, Grupo Nueva, ERM, Amanco Argentina, Transportadora Gas del Norte, SC Johnson, Tetra Pack, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Gas Natural Ban)

Mmembers of the Government: Secretary of Sustainable Development, Ministry of Work and Ministry of Social Development

NGOs: Avina, Ashoka, Equidad, Consejo Empresario para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Fundación Cimientos, El Ceibal, Fundación Aguas Argentinas, UNDP Argentina, Grupo de Fundaciones, Fundación PRODIS, Help Argentina

Universities: UADE, Universidad Austral - IAE, Universidad del Salvador, Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero, Universidad de Belgrano, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Universidad de Flores) and public universities (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia, Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires).

Monica Touesnard is with Centre for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson School of Business, Cornell University. He works on the Base of the Pyramid project.