For a change, IIM-A students try to tackle global poverty
Mahima Puri AHMEDABAD

 IIMS are proving to be not only about fat salary packages, corporate case studies and tackling business models for topnotch companies as a bunch of students from IIM-A are using their management studies to fight against global poverty. 

Driven by such a passion, 30 students of IIMAhmedabad have chosen to change the way Indian companies look at corporate social responsibility and philanthropy by initiating research in the field of Enterprise Solutions to Poverty (ESP). The initiative is being led by Nancy Barry & Associates (NBA), with Inter-American Development Bank, aims at mobilising around 150 MBA and MPA students from the leading institutes across the world including Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Wharton and China Europe International Business School. 

IIM-A, however, is the single institute with the largest number of participants, which includes 30 students and six faculty advisors. In India, the research has been sponsored by Tata Chemicals and IFMR Trust. The in-country MBA programs have formed teams with students from the US-based schools while faculty advisors will provide guidance and supervision in this process. The research, in its second year, includes 22 field studies across six developing countries. The research papers and field studies are expected to be ready by March-April this year. "The primary objective of the ESP Initiative is to have a positive impact on the incomes and assets of at least 50 million low income people over the next five years, in the six focus countries: India, China, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia and Kenya," says president NBA and former president of Women's World Banking Nancy Barry. An interesting fact is that these six countries, dominated by India and China, represent over 60% of the world's people who live on under two dollars a day. "But, these countries also produce over 60% of the GDP of emerging markets, with powerful local companies who are capable of mobilising the finance and organisations, to build competitive and inclusive business models, which will eventually serve the purpose," asserts Ms Barry. "The key areas are agribusiness, creating decentralised distribution systems, innovations in micro-finance, improving communication and enterprise networks. IIM-A students are participating in each of these four field studies which involve preparation of 'live cases'on various companies. This will help in building competitive and inclusive growth strategies, that engage large numbers of poor people as suppliers, distributors or consumers of products that build income and assets," says Vijayendra Haryal, a second-year post graduate programme (PGP) student of IIMA and co-ordinator of the initiative. Also, conducting cross cutting analysis of key issues and recommending measures of performance and impact for companies in the area, to help build transparency and strong results, will be the focus. In each of these four areas, private sector ESP Innovation Groups have been formed. These innovation Groups comprise of top managers of leading companies. The corporates who have already extended their support are S Sivakumar, chief executive, agribusiness, ITC (leading the group), with the members from Tata Chemicals Mahindra Shubhlabh Services Godrej Agrovet and Reliance Industries. 

The students of IIM-A also are involved in two other field studies with students of Wharton, on technology and micro-finance, and on building the mechanisms to spread the learning and engage a number of participants in Enterprise Solutions to Poverty.