The emerging economies’ expanding middle class has been a saviour for multinationals during the global economic crisis. But with growth here already showing signs of slowing, researchers are increasing their focus into an even more innovative market - billions of very low-income people living in slums and rural villages, the so-called Base of the Pyramid (BOP).
“In the course of that project they have developed some products with wider applicability,” says Mezias. “The way they’ve addressed energy poverty is to use it as a testing ground for small-scale, sustainability products.”
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The average billionaire is now worth a little bit less than in previous years. The bottom-of-the-pyramid live on less than $100 a year, and comprise 4 of the 6 billion global population. So long as the billionaires\' money keeps sloshing and keeps the mechanism fluid, all will benefit. Even if the billionaires were to be worth a little bit less still, they\'ll still be pretty well off, but they will have helped the rest of humanity carry on with the merry dance of life.
on Apr 3, 2013