Design of Product Service Systems at the Base of The Pyramid

Abstract in UndeterminedThe Base of the Pyramid (BoP) consists of about two-fifths of the world population. This population can be categorized as poor with income of less than 2 dollars per day. It is important to alleviate poverty. One of the promising approaches to tackle the wicked problem of poverty is business development combined with poverty alleviation. In this approach, integrated solutions are necessary in order to address the diverse issues in the BoP. These integrated solutions are in the form of product service systems (PSS) rather than the conventional product-oriented or service-oriented solutions. In this paper, we explore different issues that need to be addressed in the PSS design at the BoP. We have also explored strategies used in this PSS design. We have used a case study to explain these issues and strategies. In addition, we have identified salient characteristics of the PSS design at the BoP

Local or Global? Approaches for New Product Development in Low-Income Countries

To increase opportunity and quality of life for people living in poverty, governments and non-government organizations (NGOs) sell products to low-income countries. These are typically products that can make fundamental changes to the quality of life such as water filters and solar lighting. However, there has been limited research to support the new product development (NPD) process for this unique category of products which has led to instances of sub-optimal solutions. This paper explores the nature of design and manufacture in these countries, and the impact of local and global approaches has on product development. Empirical data has been generated through interviews with ten senior staff from NGOs; ten product users, and observations of the NPD process in Myanmar. The findings identify that the development of products undertaken in developed countries could provide can provide high-quality solutions, but at the expense of user insight and local capacity building

What does security culture look like for small organizations?

The human component is a significant factor in information security, with a large numbers of breaches occurring due to unintentional user error. Technical solutions can only protect information so far and thus the human aspect of security has become a major focus for discussion. Therefore, it is important for organisations to create a security conscious culture. However, currently there is no established representation of security culture from which to assess how it can be manoeuvred to improve the overall information security of an organization. This is of particular importance for small organizations who lack the resources in information security and for whom the culture of the organization exerts a strong influence. A review of multiple definitions and descriptions of security culture was made to assess and analyse the drivers and influences that exist for security culture in small organizations. An initial representation of the factors that should drive security culture, together with those that should only influence it, was constructed. At a fundamental level these drivers are related to a formulated response to security issues rather than a reaction to it, and should reflect the responsibility allocated in a secure environment. In contrast, the influences on security culture can be grouped by communities of practice, individual awareness and organizational management. The encapsulation of potential driving and influencing factors couched in information security terms rather than behavioural science terms, will allow security researchers to investigate how a security culture can be fostered to improve information security in small organizations

Beyond Design; Inclusive innovations and well-being

Design EngineeringIndustrial Design Engineerin

New Market, New Challenge, New Opportunity (1): Overview of China rural healthcare & Design methodology

China has a largest population in the world (1.3Billion) and 0.9 Billion is rural population. Most of rural people earn less than US$3/day, and they are called “Base of the economic pyramid (BoP)”. Compared with high level market, BoP is a new market, which means a low individual profit, but a large population. This paper discusses the healthcare issues in rural China (BoP) and study their healthcare needs through field study and case studies. This research is carried out within the framework of “Design for Sustainability at Base-of-the-Pyramid (BoP)” programme of the School of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology. And the aim of this research is to provide a low cost advanced healthcare product design, which will meet poor’s needs and create a business case for commercial partners.Design EngineeringIndustrial Design Engineerin

Microscope and Mobile Phones: Product Development in Uganda

The paper presents a prototype design based on microscopy and mobile phone cameras that has the potential to greatly reduce misdiagnosed diseases and enabling information exchange among health workers in of rural areas of developing countries The paper was presented during the IST-Africa 2009 conference held from 6 - 8 May 2009 at Kampala. The conference focussed on the role of ICT for Africa's development and specifically on applied ICT research topics addressing major societal and economic challenges

Making the Capability Approach Accessible to Designers – Report of an On-going Exploration

Design EngineeringIndustrial Design Engineerin