Organizational Challenges of Multinational Corporations at the Base of the Pyramid: An Action-research Inquiry

François Perrot (1)

1 X - École polytechnique

To what extent and how does a multinational corporation adapt its strategy and organizational capabilities in order to address markets at the Base of the Pyramid? This paper builds on the results of a three-year action-research program conducted with Lafarge, a global building materials company and introduces a strategic framework which opposes two types of approaches of such markets: a licence-to-operate approach, and a business opportunityseeking approach. The article analyzes how the company moved from the first to the second approach and discusses the implications in terms of organizational capabilities of with each approach.

Mots clés: Base of the Pyramid; Multinational Corporation; Action-research

Domaines: Gestion et management; Economies et finances

François Perrot. Organizational Challenges of Multinational Corporations at the Base of the Pyramid: An Action-research Inquiry. 2013. ⟨hal-00771299⟩