Search

We evaluate the strategies of the emerging market firms in the context of nascent industries. We use the Indian solar power industry as the empirical setting, against the backdrop of the evolution of the global industry, While in traditional industries emerging market firms learn from advanced economy multinational enterprises (MNEs) and slowly upgrade their capabilities, in the intensely competitive environment of nascent innovative industries, emerging market firms are exposed to global competition in their home market right from the early years. This shortens their catch-up clock. As a result, their long-term survival depends on their ability to catch-up fast, both in output and innovation capabilities. In the solar power industry, we find that innovations stem, in the main, from advanced economy firms. Further, Chinese firms are beginning to move from cost-based imitation to innovation. In contrast, with a few key exceptions, most firms in the Indian solar industry remain locked within a narrow niche of downstream site-based installation. Their operations are opportunistic, short term, and without specific catch-up goals, a scenario that does not bode well for the industry's future in India.

In this perspective paper we introduce the concept of social credits and a circular and social credit exchange. The proposal is to develop an credit exchange where individuals, organizations, and policymakers can help finance socially and environmentally beneficial programs and projects.

While a circular economy is increasingly being adopted in developed economies, with multinational corporations progressively adopting measures related to it, our knowledge of the reality in developing economies remains limited. Moreover, while new technologies, such as blockchain, might have important features that could impact circular economy frameworks, particularly in developing economies, their practical application remains to be seen, and academic literature is also scarce. This research addresses this gap and aims to provide conceptual clarity on how blockchains can be used in both circular and modified linear economy frameworks and the implications for social, environmental, and economic welfare. In order to do this, we have used two case studies from India to illustrate the application of this concept through a theoretical model based on Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom's seminal work regarding the eight design principles involving people's participation in protecting the commons. Merging the circular economy, blockchain, and Ostrom's seminal work, we advance a conceptual framework that allows us, from a holistic perspective, to create incentives and penalties for the different agents involved in the waste cycle, including the producers.

Earth’s capacity to sustain mankind is reaching a tipping point. Packaging waste is one of the critical problems that is leading to such a situation and a focus of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. However, large multinational enterprises look at their products and its packaging in a separate way, which leads them to think that when the product is consumed, their responsibility ends, leaving the government to deal with the issue of managing the packaging waste. Due to the complexity of the issue and the fact that this is particularly problematic in emerging markets, we used an in-depth and longitudinal case study analysis. We found that there were a desire and ability, with the use of the right technology, among urban groups to tackle the problem if with the right incentives to the different involved actors and from a holistic perspective. Our findings allowed us to advance a holistic framework based on incentives by using digitalization and new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. Doing so, we advance the theory in the circular economy by enhancing it with the use of new technologies and advance a resources value loop that adds to the product life cycle theory.

The paper covers the BAIF led National Agricultural Innovations Project is an initiative by ICAR and supported by the World Bank. (NAIP) (Component 3- NAIP has four component with component 3 on livelihood security) subproject which commenced in 2007 in 76 villages of five backward districts of Maharashtra India with the objective of developing a holistic solution for promoting sustainable livelihoods. Agriculture was the mainstay of livelihood in these areas; however usage of traditional methods, lack of proper irrigation facilities etc led to lower yields causing a ‘forced’ migration to the nearby urban centers. The sustainability approach involved integrated cluster development comprising of interventions that focused on: improved agriculture methods, livestock development, water resource development and forest based initiatives. This partnership between GO-NGO-people's organizations has positively impacted over 12,000 families in addressing their livelihood needs.

Exploring the markets in developing nations, as a business opportunity, has become attractive to multinational enterprises (MNEs) in recent years. This chapter connects the “base of the pyramid” (BOP) perspective with a case study of one of India’s oldest nongovernmental organization’s (NGO) attempts to accessing global customers and markets via e-commerce. It contributes to the nascent literature about the experience of grass-root-level organizations in using technology to seek global consumers. The chapter uses the backdrop of the booming Chinese and Indian e-commerce industries to present its point of view through a model that presents the inter-linkages among the MNEs operating in international markets and the developing economies.

A robust education system is the cornerstone for building a strong nation. Government of India led initiatives such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Right to Education Act are some efforts made to provide universal education to children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. However these efforts appear to have received a mixed response. Quality education still remains an elusive goal. A recent study (ASER, 2015) states that in rural India, half of the children enrolled in Grade V cannot read matter pertaining to Grade 2. Reading ability even among children enrolled in private schools in rural India is poor. Close to half of all the children lack basic skills in Math and English. Amenities such as usable toilets, availability of drinking water are lacking in rural Indian schools. The situation in the urban slums pertaining to education, is a relatively unresearched area and hence not much data is available regarding the quality and the impact. Against this backdrop, the paper describes the case of Prayatna which is a student led initiative to provide quality education to poor children living in the slum areas of Hinjewadi, Pune (Maharashtra). Since its inception in 2008, this NGO has helped 30 children. The dilemma for the NGO is to generate sustainable funding sources and motivate the beneficiaries, parents and volunteers which are accompanied by the challenges of managing varied aspirations.