Publications
Publications
- September 2010 (Revised March 2011)
- HBS Case Collection
Gone Rural
By: Andre F. Perold
Abstract
Gone Rural employs 750 women in rural communities across Swaziland to produce handwoven baskets and other hand-crafted items. The women are mostly grandmothers caring for children orphaned as a result of the country's high AIDS-related death rate. The company has a strong social mission to improve the economic situation of these women and wants to grow rapidly. It has been very successful designing, making, and selling its products in the high-end global market place. It now needs to raise significant external capital to build new facilities. This may be the first time in its 18-year history that the company brings in external profit-minded stakeholders.
Keywords
Social Enterprise; Financial Management; Working Capital; Cost Of Capital; Capital Structure; Corporate Social Responsibility And Impact; Forecasting And Prediction; Swaziland
Citation
Perold, Andre F. "Gone Rural." Harvard Business School Case 211-016, September 2010. (Revised March 2011.)