Abstract

The case discusses US based SC Johnson’s involvement in designing and testing the Base of Pyramid (BOP) protocol. Since its inception, the company had initiated several corporate social responsibility initiatives for the benefit of its employees, environment and the communities in which it operated. When BOP protocol was launched in the year 2004, SC Johnson proactively extended its support to the protocol. In order to test the protocol, a team was sent by SC Johnson to Kenya to create mutual value for the company and the communities. The team went about testing the protocol in three stages and established a new channel to market SC Johnson’s products to the BOP consumers. The company also worked with the Pyrethrum farmers in Kenya to find a sustainable source of natural pyrethrum. The success in few of the BOP ventures led SC Johnson launch new products targeted specifically at BOP consumers.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of the Base of Pyramid protocol
• Examine the needs of the consumers at BOP
• Analyze SC Johnson’s efforts towards creating mutual value for the company and the communities in which it operated
• and Evaluate sustainable business opportunities for MNCs in BOP markets.

Keywords

SC Johnson, Base of the Pyramid Protocol, Corporate Social Responsibility, Societal Marketing, Base of the Pyramid Markets, BOP Strategy, Global Environmental and Safety Actions, Greenlist, Building the Ecosystem, Enterprise Creation, Mutual Value Creation, Malaria Prevention Program, Sustainability, Poverty Alleviation