ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the issues of both poverty and global sustainability, while applying the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) strategy with a human-centred approach to develop products and services needed by the BoP community. It introduces the readers to the problems of one type of BoP producer, through an example of a metals reprocessing craft village in Vietnam. The book also presents a different type of 'BoP as producers': namely, natural plant product enterprises from South Africa that market to ethical consumers at the top of the economic pyramid. It discusses the implications of BoP strategies for environmental sustainability. The book focuses on the responsibilities of corporations in the BoP market, taking a cautious stand on the opportunities for corporations of BoP strategies. Technology development and radical innovations are a prominent part of the BoP approach.
