NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Internet Revolution Reaches India’s Poor

Manohar Lakshmipathi does not own a computer. In fact, workmen like Manohar, a house painter, are usually forbidden to touch clients’ computers on the job here. BANGALORE: Manohar Lakshmipathi does not own a computer. In fact, workmen like Manohar, a house painter, are usually forbidden to touch clients’ computers on the job here. So you can imagine Manohar’s wonder as he sat dictating his date of birth, phone number and work history to a secretary who entered them into a ...

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International Herald Tribune (link opens in a new window)

Wheels of Misfortune

Small cars have had it good for quite a while, but the market could undergo a drastic transformation with the advent of ultra-cheap, small cars led by the Tatas’ Rs 1 lakh model. The Tata car, the stuff of dreams millions of potential vehicle owners haven’t yet dared to dream, is slated to roll out of its factory in Singur, West Bengal, in 2008. The state government has done everything in its powers to facilitate the project, from land acquisition to fiscal breaks. At t...

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Central Chronicle (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Faculty, Students to Develop Plan to get Clean Water in Poorer Homes

Faculty and students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are setting out to discover whether applying business principles to public health problems can result in solutions that will save lives in developing countries with limited access to safe drinking water. The Carolina Global Water Partnership has been established to bring together experts from UNC?s School of Public Health, Kenan-Flagler Business School and Kenan Institute-Asia. They will focus on increasing the ...

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Huliq (link opens in a new window)

Poverty Must Not Be Ignored

First, the concept of a government-wide programme to tackle poverty needs to be expanded to a nationwide programme to change the profiles of our poorest communities. Second, the engagement of business and other organs of civil society in a war on poverty needs to be actively encouraged. This must go beyond social investment. It must align funding with charter requirements, the active pursuit of bottom of the pyramid opportunities and with the government’s responsibility for gover...

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Business Report (link opens in a new window)

Revving Up: How Globalisation and Information Technology are Spurring Faster Innovation

IF YOU want a motorcycle, go to Chongqing. Although this dusty central Chinese city of drab office buildings and perpetually grey skies is better known as the gateway to the enormous Three Gorges Dam, it is also the two-wheeler capital of the world. Led by the region’s pioneers, China now makes half the world’s motorcycles. But more important than the numbers produced is the way these motorcycles are made?especially the way designers, suppliers and manufacturers have organised themselves...

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The Economist (link opens in a new window)

Doing Business with the World ? The New Role of Corporate Leadership in Global Development

Poverty remains the main challenge facing the countries that will be the home of 85% of the world’s population in the decades to come. Some 2.7 billion people worldwide continue to subsist on less than US$2 per day. The challenge facing the global community is to eradicate extreme poverty and to foster economic development that benefits all while preserving natural habitats and biodiversity. Business is a core human activity, and it will be instrumental in bringing about sustainable developm...

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WBCSD (link opens in a new window)

Unitus Announces New Partnership with MokshaYug Access

Partnership will help MYA to reach 1,000,000 of India’s working poor by 2010. The microfinance expertise of Unitus and their ability to integrate it into innovative business models will help MYA develop a supply chain model which leverages microfinance to vastly improve the livelihoods of India’s rural poor. MYA is delighted to be a Unitus partner.? Redmond, WA (PRWEB) October 10, 2007 -- Unitus, Inc., a worldwide leader in scaling innovative solutions to global poverty, today announc...

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PR Web (link opens in a new window)

For Home Business Entrepreneurs: The Business of Beating Poverty

Elizabeth Abiebhode is a married mother of four who lives in one of the poorest countries in the world, but it seems as if somebody forgot to tell her that. Elizabeth is a retailer in one of Nigeria?s largest bustling open-air markets. There, she spends her days selling fresh produce trying to earn enough money to support her family. October 10, 2007 ( PowerHomeBiz ) - Toronto, Ca ---? Elizabeth Abiebhode is a married mother of four who lives in one of the poorest countries in the world, but it ...

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Power Home Biz (link opens in a new window)