Research at the Base of the Pyramid "Developing a New Perspective"

Research at the Base of the Pyramid
"Developing a New Perspective"

May 18-20, 2006
Ann Arbor, Michigan

The William Davidson Institute and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan was pleased to host Research at the Base of the Pyramid: Developing a New Perspective. This conference was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 18-20, 2006 and is the first of what is anticipated to become an annual event.

The broad purpose of this conference was to bring together a multi-disciplinary community of leading Base of the Pyramid (BoP) scholars to explore what is truly new and unique about the BoP. We looked to co-create a research agenda for the field that conceptualizes the BoP as both a context to study existing theories and as a setting in which to develop new theory within and across existing disciplines.

The goal of the conference was to support the generation of new knowledge uniquely related to research on the BoP and to create additional opportunities to have this research shared across a broad audience of academics and practitioners. 

Specific results from this conference include:

1. Jointly constructing what the BoP field might be and creating a conceptual map of potential priority areas for future research.
2. Identifying interesting and important BoP-oriented research questions that can make a theoretical contribution to business, international development, and other fields of inquiry.
3. Beginning to articulate core components, surface embedded assumptions, and exploring boundary conditions of a potential BoP theory. 
4. Encouraging collaborative research by gathering a scholarly community in one location. 
5. Exploring different outlets for future BoP research, including special issues of leading journals and edited books.

Attendance at this conference was by invitation only. Participants were asked to fund their own transportation costs to and from Ann Arbor. The William Davidson Institute covered food, lodging, local transportation and conference expenses in Ann Arbor for invited participants.

The conference design team included:

Ted London, University of Michigan
Bob Kennedy, University of Michigan
Stuart Hart, Cornell University

For more information about the outcome of the conference, please contact:

Kristen Roy
William Davidson Institute
University of Michigan
724 E. University Ave., Wyly Hall
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Phone: 734.936.0041
Email: royk@bus.umich.edu