"I think 'through Western eyes' is pertinent here. Too often managers view 'management' and motivation through 'Western eyes' and don't actually talk to their staff about their values and what motivates them to work…"
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Andrew Gray's Page
Latest Activity
Parveen Sultana Huda commented on Andrew Gray's status"Good luck Andrew! Keep us posted on the developments of iSchool. If possible - do share your excellent blogs with us from time to time. Nice meeting and knowing you."
Andrew Gray posted a status"I'm leaving BIF (at least for the time being) to focus on iSchool in the run-up to their launch. It's been great working with you all!"
Parveen Sultana Huda commented on Andrew Gray's blog post Is there such a thing as an exclusive business?"You need not look far - check out what we tried to do with Agora in the BIF Bangladesh protfolio for their perishable food categories.
Great blog Andrew - you always seem to come up with very interesting insights! I am sharing this in our FaceBook…"
A blog post by Andrew Gray was featuredIs there such a thing as an exclusive business?
A common challenge for inclusive business practitioners, much debated at last November's BIF team week in Malawi, is defining their field. If inclusive business is business activity that expands opportunities for the poor, doesn't any business operating in a poor country (or, arguably, elsewhere) count as an inclusive business? And if not, why not?One way to tackle this question is to turn it around and examine the counterfactual: are there businesses in developing countries that are clearly…See More
Andrew Gray posted a blog postIs there such a thing as an exclusive business?
A common challenge for inclusive business practitioners, much debated at last November's BIF team week in Malawi, is defining their field. If inclusive business is business activity that expands opportunities for the poor, doesn't any business operating in a poor country (or, arguably, elsewhere) count as an inclusive business? And if not, why not?One way to tackle this question is to turn it around and examine the counterfactual: are there businesses in developing countries that are clearly…See More
Andrew Gray commented on S McCullagh's blog post How do you solve a problem like diarrhoea?"Thanks for a great blog. In the meantime, if you ever happen to find yourself suffering from diarrhoeal illness in a developing-country village, take advantage of that amazing Coca-Cola supply chain and get yourself a can of flat lukewarm Coke.…"
Ruth Brannvall commented on Andrew Gray's blog post A muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners"Good piece, Andrew. Yes, just look at how many businesses started by Indians around Africa (and rest of the world), from them we can all learn a lot about scaling-up, especially in the service industry."
Caroline Ashley, Editor commented on Andrew Gray's blog post A muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners"Thanks for a really interesting and thought-provoking piece Andrew. We do need to understand where innovation comes from - in leaders and in companies. Certainly a good dose of input from outside the normal market is likely to be…"
Andrew Gray commented on Carolin Schramm's blog post Social Enterprise and Inclusive Business - Definitions from a Development Bank"So according to ADB you can't have an "inclusive business" unless there are millions of dollars involved? Clearly they're working to a different definition than BIF: several of the BIF-supported 'inclusive businesses'…"
Andrew Gray commented on Andrew Gray's blog post A muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners"Thanks Parveen. I agree, educating people who are innovative thinkers is key (this is the overriding ambition behind iSchool).
Though this could easily lead me into another blog about why countries like Zambia (I don't know the Bangladeshi…"
Parveen Sultana Huda commented on Andrew Gray's blog post A muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners"Interesting insight and of course a tricky one to balance. Bangladesh has also been careful about a foreign domination in their business and has a law which says that you have to have less than 5% employees who are foreigners to increase the foreign…"
Business Innovation Facility Hub commented on Andrew Gray's blog post Access to finance for inclusive businesses in Zambia"For more information about access to finance, visit our Know-how page, which explores the issues and challenges and provides links to further information.
Our December 2012 Newsletter also focused on access to finance, and…"
A blog post by Andrew Gray was featuredA muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners
The debate in Zambia around a new Companies Bill has caused worried looks on the face of at least one inclusive business entrepreneur. The proposed legislation would severely curtail the activities of foreign owned firms, limiting their ability to borrow money locally and the sectors in which they could operate. The most extreme provisions of this bill may never get passed into law, but the mere possibility was enough to trigger The Economist Intelligence Unit last month to…See More
Andrew Gray posted a blog postA muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners
The debate in Zambia around a new Companies Bill has caused worried looks on the face of at least one inclusive business entrepreneur. The proposed legislation would severely curtail the activities of foreign owned firms, limiting their ability to borrow money locally and the sectors in which they could operate. The most extreme provisions of this bill may never get passed into law, but the mere possibility was enough to trigger The Economist Intelligence Unit last month to…See More
Andrew Gray commented on Parveen Sultana Huda's blog post Can businesses sell nutritious products to the poor?"Interesting - keep us posted. The fragmentation of the biscuit sector in Bangladesh amazes me - I would've expected just a handful of big suppliers, not 76 companies. Won't this fragmentation make it more challenging to achieve scale? If…"
Profile Information
- Organisation
- BIF / IAP
- About My Work
- Part of the BIF / IAP team supporting the delivery of inclusive business projects in Zambia. Also working part-time for iSchool.zm, bringing e-learning to Zambian schools.
- Sector
- Consultant
- Country Interest
- Zambia
- Issues of Interest
- Inclusive Business: Value Chains, Inclusive Business: Products and Services, Low carbon and climate resilient business models
- Main Reason for Joining this Site
- Networking with fellow practitioners
Andrew Gray's Blog
Inclusive Business 101: A real-life question
QUESTION:
An African inclusive business is in the final stages of developing an exciting and revolutionary new product. However, the work has been long and tiring, there is great pressure to get a product to market before the initial funding runs out, and motivating staff is an increasing challenge...
The country has materialistic culture and most people are extremely short-term in their outlook. The company can afford to pay its staff slightly better than the public sector…
ContinuePosted on February 7, 2013 at 6:57 — 1 Comment
Is there such a thing as an exclusive business?
A common challenge for inclusive business practitioners, much debated at last November's BIF team week in Malawi, is defining their field. If inclusive business is business activity that expands opportunities for the poor, doesn't any business operating in a poor country (or, arguably, elsewhere) count as an inclusive business? And if not, why not?
One way to tackle this question is to turn it around and examine the counterfactual: are there businesses in developing countries…
ContinuePosted on January 29, 2013 at 15:30 — 1 Comment
A muzungu's defence - Why inclusive business needs foreigners
The debate in Zambia around a new Companies Bill has caused worried looks on the face of at least one inclusive business entrepreneur. The proposed legislation would severely curtail the activities of foreign owned firms, limiting their ability to borrow money locally and the sectors in which they could operate. The most extreme provisions of this bill may never get passed into law, but the mere possibility was enough to trigger The Economist Intelligence Unit last month to…
ContinuePosted on December 14, 2012 at 10:26 — 4 Comments
Sustainable business development or cargo cult? Local sourcing at Lumwana mine
On a group of islands in the South Pacific, the pre-industrial age ended quite suddenly in 1942. As the American military manoeuvred to block the Japanese advance into the Pacific, rural villagers who had previously considered the iron nails with which they banged together their huts to be the height of modern technology suddenly found their islands overrun with aeroplanes, trucks, machine guns, electricity, Coca-Cola and all the amenities needed to support a modern army of a hundred…
ContinuePosted on November 19, 2012 at 20:30
Comment Wall (1 comment)
- At 14:22 on June 15, 2012,
Irene Banda Mutalima said… I enjoyed reading your blogs Andrew. The problem of community schools is well highlighted. The need for appropriate interventions is huge.
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