ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on interventions by private firms in peripheral regions where conditions are dire when compared to central locations. What have firms done to be successful in these locations as they address the problems of underprivileged populations? And what stands in the way of others doing the same? Companies need to overcome external (e.g., institutional voids) or internal barriers (e.g., inadequate processes) to be able to revert economic exclusion. With an in-depth examination of two cases, this chapter analyses the interconnectedness between what happens beyond organisational borders and what happens inside firms. Its main contribution is to uncover the imperative of combining systemic, organisational, and individual responses. Support from these different levels makes inclusive businesses possible. To take advantage of these opportunities, firms combine individual leadership, organisational alignment (allowing for loosely coupled business models), and collective pursuits. Leaders need to persist with a vision and support inching towards inclusive business models. At the system level, where institutional voids prevail, a company must work with others to create a market. Lead, align, and partner are required for these challenges. One without the other two cannot overcome the difficulties of economic exclusion.
