The Impediments to Entrepreneurial Ventures among the Bottom of Pyramid Community in Northern Malaysia

Abstract

There is a continuing debate among scholars concerning the existence of a fortune at the bottom of pyramid (BOP). While some scholars argue that there is a profitable market at the pyramid base, others argue that targeting poor people as customers could lead to unethical business practices. With the aid of preliminary study, this paper explains that there is a fortune to be made at the BOP if the community is treated as the entrepreneurs than as mere consumers. Nevertheless, for them to develop their own venture in order to reduce poverty is not an easy task due to various hindrances. Therefore, this paper provides insights into the under-researched area of comprehending the impediments that triggered the BOP community readiness to venture into business development. Converting the BOP into active entrepreneurs has become the agenda of the Malaysian government to eradicate the poverty by the year 2020 and thus this paper is expected to provide preliminary findings of the barriers that prohibit them to become entrepreneurs. A series of interview was conducted with a sample of ten BOP communities from Northern Region in Malaysia. In-depth, one-to-one interviews were conducted among them to probe into their outlook on this matter. The findings highlighted on the key factors that hamper the BOP community to create new ventures, new insights and experiences towards entrepreneurship. In sum, this study generates agenda for researchers to reach more conclusive evidence about the concept of entrepreneurship among the BOP community in Malaysia.

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