GIBS Base of Pyramid Hub

www.gibs.co.za
Tashmia Ismail
ismailt@gibs.co.za

The GIBS BoP Hub works with multiple companies and arranges short courses, learning journeys into townships, engages in research and teaches BOP as a component on multiple corporate and academic programs. Our MBA programs also have a BOP elective in the second year. Below is a brief description of the distribution project. The GIBS BOP Hub has several corporate partners, Nestle, Nedbank, Adcock-Ingram, PepsiCo, BASF, and Nampak. We work with multiple corporations on smaller programs but these are paying and active BOP members. In 2011 after several business model workshops and learning journeys we developed a joint business model to attempt a pilot project in one of Johannesburg's townships called Diepsloot. The idea is to use the joint expertise and resources of our member firms to launch a collaborative distribution model. Part of the project is to partner with local 'spaza' stores to make them more competitive and include these micro entrepreneurs as partners in the distribution model.

Lab Contact

Lab Leader:
Tashmia Ismail
ismailt@gibs.co.za
Tashmia Ismail heads the GIBS Base of Pyramid hub. The purpose of this hub is to aggregate, codify and disseminate academic and business knowledge on the low income market space through dialogue and research in order to promote the concept of inclusive markets. In an effort to further the BOP agenda in Africa, Tashmia together with her GIBS BOP colleagues, has organized workshops, forums, publications, immersions and conferences in order to share best practice, discover operational models and encourage innovation. This in order for firms to profitably engage low income communities across the value chain by employing and procuring from and partnering with members of the BOP. Tashmia works with companies in crafting innovative and sustainable business models for low income markets through the collaborative efforts of stakeholders. The hub aims to create a neutral platform for dialogue and networking between like-minded companies, government, interested third parties and NGOS’s. The underlying philosophy of the GIBS BOP strategy is to encourage a symbiotic co-existence of the firm and community.