Rethinking the base of the pyramid: Social responsibility, sustainability and the role of entrepreneurs

The base of the pyramid (BOP) represents a massive market, but not a wealthy one and the persistence of profound poverty highlights the universality of social needs and problems that can be addressed through corporate social responsibility (SR) and sustainable business models. MNCs are often called upon to provide goods and services to the BOP, but it remains unclear whether large firms will provide the most social value possible. In this study, we examine the BOP through the lenses of SR and sustainability and conclude that the incentives of large firms from economically dominant countries (EDCs) drive them to follow a SR model globally, while the incentives of entrepreneurs allow them to embrace sustainability as a differentiation strategy in BOP markets.