Innovating for the Middle of the Pyramid in Emerging Countries

The transformation of emerging markets in recent decades has generated a new, growing, and very large middle class market, also known as the middle of the pyramid. This market segment, which is middle by the standards of emerging markets yet low by the standards of advanced economies, is extremely attractive for firms, but still understood and underserved. This volume presents detailed analyses of exemplary firms that have innovated products, services, and business models to fulfil the needs and desires of these new middle classes. It provides useful insights for managers, consultants, researchers, and students interested in emerging economies, and actionable lessons on how to innovate for a new and expanding market segment.

1. Innovating for the New Middle Classes in Emerging Countries Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra; 2. New Middle Classes in Medium-Income Countries Miguel A. Montoya and Francisco J. Valderrey; 3. Innovation that Saves Lives Miguel A. Montoya and Francisco J. Valderrey; 4. Education for Everyone Otto Regalado-Pezua and Daniel Lemus; 5. 'My House, My Pride' – The Housing Problem in the Middle of the Pyramid Lucia Rodriguez-Aceves, Jose Manuel Saiz-Alvarez, Edgar Muiz-Avila, and Mario Adrian Flores-Castro; 6. Banking the Unbanked – Innovative Business Models Championing the Financial Inclusion of Latin America's MoP Eileen Daspro and Jasenko Ljubica; 7. Great Products for the MoP Consumption Practices Miguel A. Lopez and Jorge Alcaraz; 8. It Is Show Time! Otto Regalado-Pezua and Ana Belen Perdigones; 9. Money, Money, Money – Innovating Access to Credit Mauricio Cervantes and Jose Moreno; 10. Inclusive Hedging – The Microinsurance Catalyst Arturo Bernal, Xiomara Vazquez, and Isai Guizar; 11. From Mission Impossible to Mission Accomplished! – Innovative Business Models Strengthening Poor Distribution Channels Jasenko Ljubica and Eileen Daspro; 12. Innovating for the Middle of the Pyramid in Emerging Countries – Doing Well by Doing Good Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra and Miguel A. Montoya.

Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra is Professor of International Business and Strategy at Northeastern University, AIB Fellow, and co-editor of Global Strategy Journal. He studies the internationalization of firms, particularly emerging market multinationals; capability upgrading, mainly technological capabilities; and governance issues, especially corruption in international business. He received a Ph.D. from MIT and an honorary doctorate from Copenhagen Business School.
Miguel A. Montoya is Full Professor and was the Director of the Graduate School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. He is country representative at AIB-LAC and a founding member of the Fudan Latin America University Consortium. He has published on international business and economics, particularly emerging market multinationals, trade and investment China-Latin America. He co-edited the book Mexican Multinationals published by Cambridge University Press. He received a Ph.D. from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain.