The Complete Business of Serving the Poor:  Insights from Unilever's Project Shakti in India

V. Kasturi  Rangan; Dalip  Sehgal; Rohithari  Rajan

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Chapter | Business Solutions for the Global Poor: Creating Social and Economic Value | 2007

The Complete Business of Serving the Poor: Insights from Unilever's Project Shakti in India

by V. Kasturi Rangan, Dalip Sehgal and Rohithari Rajan

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Entrepreneurship; Poverty; Developing Countries and Economies; India;

Format: Print

Citation:

Rangan, V. Kasturi, Dalip Sehgal, and Rohithari Rajan. "The Complete Business of Serving the Poor: Insights from Unilever's Project Shakti in India." Chap. 13 in Business Solutions for the Global Poor: Creating Social and Economic Value, edited by V. Kasturi Rangan, John A. Quelch, Gustavo Herrero, and Brooke Barton, 144–154. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.

About the Author

V. Kasturi Rangan

Malcolm P. McNair Professor of Marketing

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Teaching Plan | HBS Case Collection | February 2020

Health Leads: Reaching for Impact

V. Kasturi Rangan, Sarah Appleby and Julia Kelley

Citation:
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Sarah Appleby, and Julia Kelley. "Health Leads: Reaching for Impact." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 520-005, February 2020. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2014 (Revised January 2020)

Gilead: Hepatitis C Access Strategy (A)

V. Kasturi Rangan, Vikram Rangan and David E. Bloom

Gilead had come up with an innovative drug for Hepatitis C, which affected 180 million people worldwide. The drug was priced at $1,000 a pill for the US market. Gilead had to decide how to price and market the pill in developing countries that bore the brunt of the disease. The company had earned accolades for its work in HIV/AIDS, where its innovative medicines now accounted for 60% of all patients on Anti-Retroviral (ARV) medicines. Much of this was accomplished through generic licensing, which brought a $10,000/year treatment regimen down to $100! Should the company replicate that strategy for Hepatitis C? If so, how would its US Healthcare customers, who were paying $84,000 per patient, react? On the other hand, Gilead had to balance the interests of its shareholders, who paid $11 billion for an acquisition that led to the new Hepatitis C drug.

Keywords: healthcare; Pharmaceuticals; pricing; Access to care; Emerging Markets; Health Care and Treatment; Price; Strategy; Ethics; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry;

Citation:
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Vikram Rangan, and David E. Bloom. "Gilead: Hepatitis C Access Strategy (A)." Harvard Business School Case 515-025, October 2014. (Revised January 2020.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2019 (Revised January 2020)

Jai Vakeel Foundation: Addressing Disability

V. Kasturi Rangan and Kairavi Dey

Jai Vakeel, a nonprofit organization in India, serves individuals with Intellectual Disability (ID), those with an IQ below 70. The organization was founded by the parents of a child with Down Syndrome, and they (and their next generation) steadily built the organization over 60 years to the become the largest such organization in India. Yet the organization served only some 1,000 children annually when there were millions more needing the healthcare, education, and skills to lead a decent life with ID. This case describes the evolution of the organization from the founder’s family (six decades) to the first CEO from outside. As Archana Chandra appointed in 2013 brings about several changes to the organization, she wonders how to scale the organization from the current 1,000 people it serves annually to at least 10,000 and then to the many millions who are in need.

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Transition; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; India;

Citation:
Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Kairavi Dey. "Jai Vakeel Foundation: Addressing Disability." Harvard Business School Case 520-010, July 2019. (Revised January 2020.) View Details

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The Complete Business of Serving the Poor: Insights from Unilever's Project Shakti in India

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