Last Mile Delivery - Special issue 12 (2014)

Safe drinking water for rural populations in India: An effective service delivery model by Naandi Foundation - Manoj Kumar and Rohini Muckerjee (Naandi Foundation)

Abstract: This articles analyses how Naandi Foundation has evolved a community-based model in which a water treatment plant is set up in a village after testing the available source of water for nature of contamination. Using appropriate treatment technology, this plant (which is designed to cover the entire village population) is operational for 5 to 8 hours every day and residents of the village are mobilised to collect their daily household’s need of drinking water from here at a nominal user-fee of Rs 4 (USD 0.08) for 20 litres. 

Keywords: access to water, rural India, Social Business, community engagement, innovative public-private partnerships
Thematic: Poverty and Access to essential services
 

Challenges and opportunities of the last mile for the base of the pyramid: The case of Brazil (Edgard Barki and Juracy Parente - FGV-EAESP)

Abstract:  The last mile in distribution offers many challenges for organizations to access the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) market. This paper analyses how companies in Brazil are managing to effectively serve these markets. Small retailers located in these regions have developed very strong emotional bonds with their clients, becoming fierce competitors to large global retailers. 

Keywords: base of the pyramid, distribution, marketing channels
Thematic: Societal issues and Governance

Last mile delivery in low income communities: The Sekulula spaza express experiment in South Africa (Pierre Coetzer and Nicolas Pascarel - Reciprocity)

Abstract: After stressing the importance of the market in the survival strategies of European populations, the article highlights the role, nature and structure of the networks of peddlers in pre-industrial Europe. Far from being limited to the distribution of new goods, these networks of peddlers were also agents of change through the circulation of new ideas.
 
Keywords:  Informal sector, Last mile delivery, Informal distribution
Thematic: Poverty and Access to essential services
 
 

Sharing cities: an innovative partnership between the Bel Group and street vendors: The experience in Ho Chi Minh (Jean-Marc Guesné - Bel Group and David Ménascé - AZAO Consulting)

Abstract : Street vendors and street food play a significant role in the informal sector in emerging markets. Street vendors stand as a primary source of supply in terms of food purchase for low-income consumers. However, their work is threatened by the rapid modernization of economies in developing and emerging countries and the evolution of the food retail industry. Furthermore, harassment, thugs, corruption, and economic insecurities hamper the street vendor’s daily life. 
 
Keywords: Informal sector, Street vendors, Inclusive business, Multi-stakeholder partnership.
Thematic: Societal issues and Governance
 
 

JITA Social Business Bangladesh Limited- “Reaching the unreachable in Bangladesh” (Saif Rashid - JITA Bangladesh)

Abstract: This article analyses how the NGO Care has created with various stakeholders a new social enterprise –JITA. By integrating distribution channel, market creation model, research initiative and multi dimensional partnerships JITA is exploring a powerful platform that empower women, create employment opportunities and educating as well as building access to underserved consumers. 
 
Keywords: Rural marketing, Community engagement, Social business, Base of the pyramid, Inclusive business
Thematic: Environmental economics
 
 

The Last Mile: Gateway to rural empowerment in India (Sanjeev Rao and Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy - Gateway to India)

Abstract: This article focuses on exemplary projects conducted by organizations who are providing access to key services and goods by creating new markets in rural India. Reaching “the last mile” is a key issue in India, which complexity is often overlooked by multinational fi rms. This article aims at providing a framework to help understanding innovative strategies to reach low-income consumers in India through innovative partnerships.
 
Keywords: Rural India, Community empowerment, Base of the pyramid, Rural distribution, Rural marketing
Thematic: Poverty and Access to essential services