The Book Club

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Comment by Craig Wilson on June 25, 2008 at 1:29am

Hi, Zahid invited me to put a few words on my book, Make Poverty Business. See below.
Poor people in developing countries could make excellent suppliers, employees and customers but are often ignored by major businesses. This omission leads to increased risk, higher costs and lower sales. Meanwhile, businesses are asked by governments and poverty activists to do more for economic development, but their exhortations are rarely based on a proper business case. ‘Make Poverty Business’ bridges the gap by constructing a rigorous profit-making argument for multinational corporations to do more business with the poor. It takes economic development out of the corporate social responsibility ghetto and places it firmly in the core business interests of the corporation, and argues that to see the poor only as potential consumers misses half of the story. The book should be read by international business managers seeking to increase profits and decrease risk in developing countries, and by development advocates who seek to harness the profit motive to reduce poverty.