Degree Name
MA in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management
First Advisor
Tatsushi Arai
Abstract
The Base of the Economic Pyramid (BOP) business aims to alleviate social issues of developing countries, particularly these with low-income population, through business means by including the BOP population in the value chain as customers, producers, sellers, and business partners while private enterprises assure their profit.
How do corporate philosophies of Japanese private enterprises influence its practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and base of economic pyramid (BOP) business? A Japanese scholar that Japanese companies intrinsically possess traits potentially may be strengths upon BOP business implementation. With an emphasis on influence of corporate philosophy on the practice of CSR and BOP business, six Japanese companies were studied through literature review, document collection, and interview in order to explore potential application of corporate philosophy as a negotiation tool for field practitioners and private enterprises to build partnerships for innovative ways of development work through BOP business in the development field.
Major finding derived from this study demonstrated; 1) corporate philosophies served as a foundation for the practices of CSR and BOP business to some extent, however 2) influence of corporate philosophies on the BOP business implementation seemed indirect and weak while that of CSR was easily observed, 3) symbiosis and harmony appeared as a common core value of the studied corporate philosophies.
Although the finding cannot be generalized as a nature of a case study, it is recommended to examine implication of a company’s corporate philosophy and its practice of CSR and the BOP business in order to assess existence of mutual value and interest for successful partnership and co-implemented project.
Disciplines
Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics
Recommended Citation
Matsumoto, Akane, "How Do Corporate Philosophies Of Japanese Companies Influence Their Practice Of The Base Of The Economic Pyramid (BOP) Business And The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?" (2012). Capstone Collection. 2485.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/2485