NextBillion brings together the community of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise.
Our Staff Writers and Editors offer insights on the latest news, events, interviews and other happenings from the development through enterprise and base of the pyramid universes
March 8, 2010 — 10:12 am
The rationale for why emerging markets are a source for disruptive innovations is simply because in order for a product or service to be successful, it has to be more affordable, easier to use, and offer more value then existing products on the market. I was recently referred to an article written by Niti Bhan on this topic...
January 28, 2010 — 08:16 am
If you haven't read Outliers, or Malcom Gladwell's previous books The Tipping Point and Blink, you are missing out on some of the most insightful, entertaining and mind opening dissection of human behavior. In Outliers, Gladwell explains what makes someone extraordinary successful.
January 8, 2010 — 01:26 pm
The year started with the world teetering on economic and financial collapse. The technology industry withered in general due to lack of demand. Intel, for example, reported its first loss in 21 years in the second quarter. As we head in to 2010, things seem to be on the mend, albeit slowly. So what will 2010 look like for ICT4D?
November 23, 2009 — 10:15 am
Over the last five years, the public and private sectors have introduced a number of initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide and bringing computers to under-served markets. Intel's World Ahead and the UN's Global Alliance on ICT Development are just two examples. Five years is enough time to assess how successful these initiatives are.
October 8, 2009 — 06:00 am
I guarantee that anybody reading this blog takes for granted the wealth of information at their fingertips. Looking for something? Google it. But for the billions of of people in the developing world that don't even have a mobile phone, what do they do?
September 15, 2009 — 04:00 pm
A summary from a panel featuring socially-focused venture capitalists and investment firms and the lessons they have learned over 10 years investing in social ventures, from small businesses to solar energy and micro-finance.
July 28, 2009 — 05:41 pm
In this article, I discuss the importance of disruptive business models, using the success of the Amazon Kindle as a disruptive innovation and business model to the publishing world. Unfortunately, what once could have been a device that could have had a significant impact to the BoP, is now another gadget for the well-to-do.
July 9, 2009 — 12:49 pm
Infodev and UNESCO have developed a new discussion and debate forum to explore the role of ICT in learning in developing countries. Called the Educational Technology Debate, it promotes a multi-week discussion over one month with two participants debating two sides of an argument, and additional user comments supporting or refuting either side.
May 28, 2009 — 09:44 am
The cynical view of Corporate Social Responsibility is that large corporations do it just to make themselves look good, or to help in some way to improve revenue growth or the bottom line. The opposite is what you read on the company CSR reports or web pages. But used strategically, CSR can improve a company's long-term growth while doing good.
March 31, 2009 — 07:00 pm
Thought leadership is recognition from the outside world that a company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates. Thought leadership is built on what others say about you. When you have it, companies look to you for insight & vision, journalists quote you, analysts call you.
