ProfessoR
ProfessoR
Ted London is the Ford Motor Company Clinical Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is also the Area Chair of the Business Administration Department.
Teaching undergraduates, graduates and executives, he seeks to inspire and empower his students by providing the perspectives and skills they will need to lead enterprises that align economic returns and social impact. In his award-winning course, Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid, London emphasizes action-based learning, robust discussions and critical thinking. Doing so has meant creating a rich set of innovative teaching materials that illuminate the unique opportunities and challenges in building sustainable, scalable businesses in BoP markets. He infuses these efforts with interactive labs with visiting BoP enterprise leaders who seek actionable insights into some of their most vexing problems.
London’s teaching materials have been used in classrooms across the globe, including the majority of the top 25 business schools. His impact on and contribution to the BoP teaching domain was a key component in the Aspen Institute’s recognition of London as a Faculty Pioneer in 2016.
Teaching Materials:
Because of the lack of business school-oriented teaching materials in the BoP domain, London had the challenge – and opportunity – to develop his own materials, which includes an integrated set of cases, simulations, videos and teaching notes.
Each case was developed with specific learning goals in mind. These cases explore issues related to business model development, market entry strategies, capability development, non-traditional partnerships, smart subsidies, market creation, scaling, and assessing poverty alleviation impacts. Over the past few years, he has developed more than 15 cases, all with detailed teaching notes.
Walmart and USAID: The Evolution of a Global Cross-Sector Partnership
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This case explores the evolution of the cross-sector relationship between Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The case dilemma is to identify learnings drawn from these partnerships and determine how they can be applied to a more ambitious approach to collaboration that yields both significant social impacts and important business outcomes.
Constructing a Base-of-the-Pyramid Business in a Multinational Corporation: CEMEX’s Patrimonio Hoy Looks to Grow
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This case describes CEMEX’s Patrimonio Hoy, which is a startup initiative designed to help low-income customers construct their own homes. Israel Moreno, Director of Patrimonio Hoy, must present his recommendations to CEMEX’s top management that outline a growth strategy for the initiative and its expansion into new markets.
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Movirtu’s Cloud Phone Service: Funding a Base-of-the-Pyramid Venture
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Movirtu must decide whether a profit-oriented venture capital (VC) investment will fit its vision for both growth and social impact. Movirtu’s "Cloud Phone" software is designed for the nearly one billion people who cannot afford mobile phones. Movirtu provides phone sharers with a private number that sends and receives calls on any device. Movirtu already secured two seed-round impact investors. For its next round of financing, Movirtu was approached by TLcom Capital, a traditional VC firm. Students must decide: will having TLcom as an investor allow Movirtu to best achieve its financial and social goals.
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Building a Scalable Business with Small-Holder Farmers in Kenya: Honey Care’s Beekeeping Model
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Madison Ayer, CEO of Honey Care Africa (HCA), is looking to scale the business to generate more benefits for Kenyan small-holder farmers. He is seeking a better assessment of HCA’s impacts on farmers to attract investors for expansion. Ayer is also attempting to reduce side-selling by building stronger local relationships. Students are asked to identify opportunities to generate greater impact and enhance the enterprise’s value proposition.
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Cases available through WDI Publishing
Cases available through Harvard Business Publishing