1 dollar shoe: is it enough?

Lots of numbers, but numbers talk sense

The World population has reached 7 billion on October 31, 2011

Among those 7 billion human beings: 

almost 1 in 7 people are hungry

almost 1 in 5 people live with less than 1,25$ per day, in the World

more than 1 in 2 people live with less than 1,25$ per day, in Sub-Saharan Africa

almost 600 million people live with less than 1$ per day in South Asia

In the UK there are not more than 63 million people, who live with around 63$ per day

Now, 

Adidas is going to launch a 1$ sneaker in India. 

Apparently, they tried to do the same in Bangladesh a year ago but it did not work as expected: the shoes cost them 3$ per pair, plus 3,50$ in import duty-only losses.

(Harbert Hainer, Adidas' CEO, "Adidas to launch $1 shoe in India" The Economic Times 21 Nov. 2011)

Bata provide very cheap flip flops in Bangladesh and in India (where a pair of sandals cost around 200/250 rupees, or 4 US dollars)

But..why such a big emphasis? 

Is it that extraordinary?

For sure, I truly sympathize and appreciate such big companies accepting such big challenges and I truly admire CEO's who are able to overcome all impediments and make investors accept those "crazy ideas" (which is perhaps the hardest job)

However, I keep on "bumping" into advertising such as:

$5 shoe warehouse 

dollar flip flops are back

scarpe tutte a 5 euro (all 5 euros shoes)

and...where do those ads come from? India? Bangladesh? Sub-Saharan Countries?

Well..they don't.

You can spot them online, to advertise locations in... New York, New Jersey, Colorado, ...

In Italy too (the high quality expensive shoes dreamland..)

Hopefully this can inspire further thoughts, and further challenges to present to CEO's in airport lounges (as Yunus thrilled Danone and Adidas CEO's)

Meanwhile, let's wait for After-Christmas big sales.

Happy Holidays !!



A pair of Bata flip-flops, given to the Bata Shoe Museum by their wearer, the Dalai Lama

I don't know how she does it! Lesson learnt?

I just followed a course on Business Engagement in Society.

I had to present to the class the profile of an expert working in the space and I chose to introduce Jane Nelson. 

Grew up in South-Africa and Zimbabwe, a bachelor in agriculture economics from the University of Natal in South Africa and a Master in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, as a former Rhodes Scholar and Rotary international student.

She worked for Citibank then attended the 1992 Rio Earth Summit: she never returned to the bank, worked for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Africa and started her Corporate Responsibility career. Director at the International Business Leaders Forum for sixteen years, where she's now a senior advisor. In 2001, she worked with the UN Global Compact in the office of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, got the Keystone Center's 2005 Leadership in Education Award and in 2009 she lead the track on Developing Human Capital for the Clinton Global Initiative.

...and today? My first reaction was “I don’t know how she does it”!

Director CSR Initiative and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Oxford; senior associate of Cambridge University Programme for Sustainability Leadership; working for Brookings, IBLF; in the boards of WEC, FSG, Imagine Nations Group; in the advisory councils of Initiative for Global Development

UNDPs Growing Inclusive Markets initiative, IFCs Performance Standards Review, Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, Instituto Ethos in Brazil, GE's Corporate Citizenship group, External Citizenship Advisory Panel for ExxonMobil ...

She wrote 4 book, more than 70 reports, coauthored 5 of the World Economic Forum's Global Corporate Citizenship reports...

Then I realized, I probably know how she does it. Passion, enthusiasm, belief.

I quote her: “the poorest people in terms of income have an incredible spirit"; “the importance of working together”; “development challenges […] no one individual actor can address on its own"; “Innovation in core business models and supply chains must be employed”.

Finally, she gave one incredibly simple, but surprisingly meaningful piece of advice in an interview:

“be an explorer!”.

The business of peace