Sustainability, Vol. 15, Pages 12817: Exploring BoP Generations through Business Model Innovation Lens: A Review and Framing

Sustainability, Vol. 15, Pages 12817: Exploring BoP Generations through Business Model Innovation Lens: A Review and Framing

Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su151712817

Authors: Mariana Voros Fregolente Marly M. Carvalho

The evolution of base/bottom of the pyramid (BoP) literature from BoP 1.0 to 3.0 prompted the need for fresh theoretical perspectives to address complex and persistent social issues. This article investigates BoP through the lens of business model innovation, using a literature review along with bibliometric, network, and content analyses, to map the intellectual and conceptual structure and understand the key variables relating to BoP business models. The research encompasses 161 articles extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Documents were screened manually and with the assistance of VOS Viewer 1.6.18, Biblioshiny 4.0, IBM SPSS 20, UCINET6, and NVivo12, using abductive and deductive coding techniques. The findings reveal a prevailing focus on the exploratory phase among the articles, with a predominant utilization of qualitative research methods, particularly centered on case studies. Interviews and public data sources constitute the primary sources for supporting empirical evidence. Notably, the majority of these cases pertain to emerging economies situated across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with India emerging as the most frequently cited country in the literature. Sectors, such as energy, healthcare, agrifood, finance, and telecommunications are studied, emphasizing themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Emerging themes include social entrepreneurship, frugal innovation, and inclusive business models. The research panorama encompasses a categorization of BoP enterprises based on their origin (top-down or bottom-up), their typology (commercial, assistance, or collaboration), and their interactions with BoP communities (either as customers or entrepreneurs). From an innovation standpoint, certain concepts emerged, notably frugal innovation and bricolage, accompanied by the incorporation of ecosystem theory and sustainability perspectives. The research also outlines a BoP business model framework, providing insights into key components favored by entrepreneurs in this realm.