Maua Programme: Bettering lives through the microdistribution of Wrigley products

This case study explores the design and evolution of Project Maua, a micro-distribution programme for Wrigley products operating in rural and urban Kenya established by Mars Catalyst. The pilot has been an experiment in how the Mars Corporation can become more mutual with its stakeholders. The programme has sought a win-win outcome through the extension of its business into Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) markets and newly engaging those in poverty in its distribution system. This Working Paper provides a deep dive into the goals and design of the programme, and uses an evaluative framework that focuses on human, social, and financial capital to outline how it works on the ground. The Maua programme has been fast growing and profitable and extended the corporation’s reach into new markets, while also creating a new economic opportunity for those living in poverty. We attribute the profitability and longevity of the introduction of novel management practices and programme design to the organization. This Working Paper highlights three new practices for Mars. Firstly, this work involved engaging non-profit partners. Secondly, it applied an entrepreneurial organisational model, which both increased the autonomy of participants and limited the company’s managerial burden. Finally, the pilot applied new, non-financial metrics for tracking performance. However, each of these innovations requires trade-offs, and as the programme has grown, it has also encountered challenges. These are also explored herein. As a detailed case study, this Working Paper contributes to a still small body of in-depth work on route-to-market programmes and efforts to expand businesses at the BoP. As we learn more through academic research and business case studies, this research will continue to challenge readers on the steps that Mars and other corporations should explore moving forward to become more mutual

Mutuality in Business: Future Governance Options for the Mars Corporation

This paper argues that ownership forms and governance arrangements will play a critical role in ensuring the future of mutual practices and outcomes for the Mars Corporation. Mutuality is one of the company’s five core principles, and members of Mars, Incorporated have increasingly been exploring how mutuality can be harnessed and embedded, thereby producing positive outcomes for both the corporation and its stakeholders. This paper looks specifically at how ownership structures can contribute to the mutuality of the corporation. There are plenty of member-owned ‘mutual’ businesses that fail to develop and implement the necessary policies and practices to take full advantage of their mutuality for business purposes: it is an opportunity lost. Conversely, there are non-mutuals, in the sense of organisations that are not member-owned, but which pursue mutuality as a business principle. These companies gain some advantage from so doing, but perhaps not to the full extent that would be possible were those principles to be supported by a degree of actual mutual ownership, and with less chance of that mutuality being sustainable. Companies that do not reward their employees or customers with any actual ownership stakes may nonetheless seek to engender a ‘sense of ownership’ amongst them: this may pay dividends, but it is likely to be more effective and sustainable if underpinned by a degree of actual ownership. This paper argues firstly, that to get the most out of mutuality, and to make it sustainable, requires a degree of mutual ownership. Using ‘trust’ or ‘foundation’ structures has proved successful at delivering such outcomes in a range of companies across the leading industrialised economies. Looking forward, to the question of how Mars Incorporated may choose to structure its own ownership and governance arrangements in the future, the company is involved in a range of interesting activities globally that might usefully seek to develop forms of mutuality with their suppliers and other ‘stakeholders’ in their distributional value chain. In so doing, Mars would be promoting mutual ownership within other, new companies. This would have three beneficial effects. First, it would strengthen the sustainability of those ventures themselves. Second, it would contribute positively to the degree of corporate diversity and resilience within those economies. And third, it would contribute in imaginative and innovative ways to the growth and development of the mutual sector itself, globally and over time

Smallholder Agriculture and Management Practices: Insights from the field

Increasing smallholder farmers’ yields has proven difficult and sophisticated industries have developed in order to address this problem. This study reports on the insights gained from interviewing various experts that work with smallholder farmers; it brings to the fore their insights on technologies and management practices that, in a sustainable way, may help to increase smallholder farmers’ productivity

Psychological Ownership: Effects and Applications

Psychological ownership (PO) can be an important tool for organizations to encourage productivity and certain desirable employee behaviours. In the organizational literature, PO is the sense of ownership over a “target”: not only physical objects, but a concept, a job, or the whole organization. It can express itself in positive ways, such as higher motivation; but it also has potentially negative effects, such as territoriality. This briefing looks closely at the literature to understand the various dimensions of PO, and how organizations can foster the positive aspects of it to help improve employees’ experiences in the workplace by fostering morale while contributing to productivity. By bringing together the most relevant research on the topic, this briefing also highlights areas that are still underdeveloped, such as collective PO, the role of culture, and the employee perspective

Bloom Programme: Micro-distribution of Mars Products in Manila

This paper provides an overview of the Bloom micro-distribution programme, an initiative spearheaded by Mars Catalyst and Mars Wrigley Confectionery Philippines that engages female sellers in Manilla, Philippines, as distributors of Mars Wrigley confectionery products. The case includes assessment of the multi-dimensional impact of Bloom on the 300+ sellers as well as the challenges the project faces. Data for this paper were drawn from documents provided by Bloom staff, key informant interviews, and surveys of sellers conducted by Bloom in 2016; the programme remains active

Remote (dis)engagement: shifting corporate risk to the ‘Bottom of the pyramid'

Untapped markets are often deemed institutional voids, terra incognita ripe with economic possibility. The conversion of institutional voids into viable markets has become the ambition of many corporations today, which view marginal and under-served areas such as urban slums as opportunities to achieve the dual aims of market growth and poverty reduction, particularly through ‘bottom of the pyramid’ (BoP) programmes. This article examines how firms manage institutional voids and the consequences of these approaches for workers through a case study of a BoP ‘route to market’ programme designed by a global food manufacturer in Kibera, Africa's largest slum, located in Nairobi. Instead of engaging with Kibera by upgrading informal markets or generating formal employment, the corporation focused on harnessing existing informal systems through composite arrangements of NGOs, social networks and informal enterprises, a strategy the authors term ‘remote (dis)engagement’. The article describes the logics and outcome of this strategy of formal engagement with informal markets, concluding that the BoP business model depends on ‘gig practices’ of flexibility, irregular work and insecurity to realize the much-heralded ‘fortune at the bottom of the pyramid’

Flagship individuals in biodiversity conservation

Flagship species are an important tool for mobilizing support for conservation. Here, we extend this concept to include individual organisms, whose characteristics, fates, and connections to people can garner public attention, attract conservation support, and spur activism. Flagship individuals typically share a similar suite of characteristics, including (1) species-level traits associated with charisma; (2) individual traits that are unique or distinctive; (3) a high degree of exposure to humans; and (4) a known, noteworthy life history or fate. The interplay between these characteristics and human agency establishes unique connections between flagship individuals and people, and generates widespread media attention. We discuss how the selection and promotion of flagship individuals can inspire empathy and, ultimately, conservation action. Finally, we identify the limitations of the flagship individual approach, while arguing that, if carefully and strategically implemented, it has the potential to produce substantial benefits for conservation policy and practice

Valuing breastfeeding: a qualitative study of women's experiences of a financial incentive scheme for breastfeeding

BACKGROUND: A cluster randomised controlled trial of a financial incentive for breastfeeding conducted in areas with low breastfeeding rates in the UK reported a statistically significant increase in breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks. In this paper we report an analysis of interviews with women eligible for the scheme, exploring their experiences and perceptions of the scheme and its impact on breastfeeding to support the interpretation of the results of the trial. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 35 women eligible for the scheme during the feasibility and trial stages. All interviews were recorded and verbatim transcripts analysed using a Framework Analysis approach. RESULTS: Women reported that their decisions about infant feeding were influenced by the behaviours and beliefs of their family and friends, socio-cultural norms and by health and practical considerations. They were generally positive about the scheme, and felt valued for the effort involved in breastfeeding. The vouchers were frequently described as a reward, a bonus and something to look forward to, and helping women keep going with their breastfeeding. They were often perceived as compensation for the difficulties women encountered during breastfeeding. The scheme was not thought to make a difference to mothers who were strongly against breastfeeding. However, women did believe the scheme would help normalise breastfeeding, influence those who were undecided and help women to keep going with breastfeeding and reach key milestones e.g. 6 weeks or 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: The scheme was acceptable to women, who perceived it as rewarding and valuing them for breastfeeding. Women reported that the scheme could raise awareness of breastfeeding and encourage its normalisation. This provides a possible mechanism of action to explain the results of the trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number 44898617 , https://www.isrctn.com

Interpreting household survey data intended to measure insecticide-treated bednet coverage: results from two surveys in Eritrea

BACKGROUND: As efforts are currently underway to roll-out insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) to populations within malarious areas in Africa, there is an unprecedented need for data to measure the effectiveness of such programmes in terms of population coverage. This paper examines methodological issues to using household surveys to measure core Roll Back Malaria coverage indicators of ITN possession and use. METHODS: ITN coverage estimates within Anseba and Gash Barka Provinces from the 2002 Eritrean Demographic and Health Survey, implemented just prior to a large-scale ITN distribution programme, are compared to estimates from the same area from a sub-national Bednet Survey implemented 18 months later in 2003 after the roll-out of the ITN programme. RESULTS: Measures of bednet possession were dramatically higher in 2003 compared to 2002. In 2003, 82.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 77.4–87.0) of households in Anseba and Gash Barka possessed at least one ITN. RBM coverage indicators for ITN use were also dramatically higher in 2003 as compared to 2002, with 76.1% (95% CI 69.9–82.2) of children under five years old and 52.4% (95% CI 38.2–66.6) of pregnant women sleeping under ITNs. The ITN distribution programme resulted in a gross increase in ITN use among children and pregnant women of 68.3% and 48% respectively. CONCLUSION: Eritrea has exceeded the Abuja targets of 60% coverage for ITN household possession and use among children under five years old within two malarious provinces. Results point to several important potential sources of bias that must be considered when interpreting data for ITN coverage over time, including: disparate survey universes and target populations that may include non-malarious areas; poor date recall of bednet procurement and treatment; and differences in timing of surveys with respect to malaria season