Is Co-Creation Always Sustainable? Empirical Exploration of Co-Creation Patterns, Practices, and Outcomes in Bottom of the Pyramid Markets

Stephanie Knizkov and Julia C. Arlinghaus
Additional contact information
Stephanie Knizkov: Institute for Technology and Innovation Management (TIM), Faculty of Business and Economics, RWTH Aachen University, 52072 Aachen, Germany
Julia C. Arlinghaus: Chair of Production Systems and Automation, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 21, 1-22

Abstract: Co-creation with the population at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) was identified as pivotal for realizing the full potential of the BOP proposition, simultaneously creating economic value for companies in BOP markets, as well as social value for the individuals residing in them. However, research on co-creation and its outcomes has remained predominantly simplistic, often assuming that introducing any form of co-creation in company operations will lead to increased social value and economic gains. A more nuanced exploration of the different ways in which companies operationalize the principle of co-creation across their supply-chain and whether these indeed facilitate such a clear win-win scenario for both parties, remains relatively scarce. In this paper we address this gap and delve into the supply chains of 135 micro, small, and medium sized ventures operating in BOP markets. We identify four overarching patterns of co-creation and ten categories of specific practices used to achieve them, and ultimately show how these patterns facilitate very different levels of social sustainability and economic benefits across the supply chain.

Keywords: sustainable development; inclusive development; sustainability; sustainable supply chain management; base of the pyramid; co-creation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/6017/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/6017/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:6017-:d:281530

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().