Social Entrepreneurship: 20/20 Vision by Year 2020 for the Base of the Pyramid Population | Business Strategy Case Studies

Details

Case Code : CLBS059
Publication date : 2009
Subject : Business Strategy
Industry : Eye Care
Length : 04 Pages
Price : Rs. 100

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Key words:

Social entrepreneurship, base of the pyramid, business model, sustainability, scaling up, adaptive lenses, British Scientist, Joshua Silver, Social entrepreneur

Note

* This caselet is intended for use only in class discussions.
** More comprehensive case studies are priced at Rs.200 to Rs.700 (US $5 to US $16) per copy.

Abstract:

In December 2008, the big news in all publications round the world was that a British scientist, Joshua Silver (Silver) had invented a pair of adaptive lenses that could be adjusted by the wearer to his exact prescription just by adjusting the amount of silicone fluid inside the glasses through a syringe. This social entrepreneur's aim was to distribute his glasses to all the poor people in developing countries who could not afford to see an optometrist or buy glasses but needed glasses. Most developing countries had very few optometrists and they were spread far apart. Silver's aim was to make these glasses at a cost of one or two dollars each and distribute them to the poor worldwide at the rate of 100 million pairs per year to reach the target of a billion pairs by the year 2020. However, Silver faced several challenges in his efforts to "scale up".

Issues:

» Business Model
» Base of the Pyramid
» Entrepreneurship
» Social Entrepreneurship

Introduction

In December 2008, it was reported worldwide that a British scientist had created a unique pair of glasses that the wearer could adjust to his/her specific prescription without professional help and that one million pairs would be distributed to the base of the pyramid population in India within a year...

Questions for Discussion:

1. Analyze the pros and cons of the adaptive lenses from the user’s point of view. How can the product be made sustainable considering its design and awkward look?

2. What are the challenges before Silver in achieving his social mission of making his novel glasses available to one billion people by the year 2020? According to you, what business model should he adopt to achieve this?

Social Entrepreneurship: 20/20 Vision by Year 2020 for the Base of the Pyramid Population *