Winter 2013 WDI Review
We’re excited to announce the addition of the William Davidson Institute (WDI) to our directory of Impact Sourcing advocates. Located at the University of Michigan, WDI is committed to researching the globalization of business services. WDI’s Base of the Pyramid project, in particular, makes them a great addition to Impact Hub’s research partners.
WDI’s Base of the Pyramid (BoP) project seeks out innovative, growing businesses and aligns them with the development community’s initiatives to improve capitalism on a global level. WDI’s work caught the attention of the Rockefeller Foundation, who awarded WDI a grant in support of research to explore Impact Sourcing opportunities. The goal of WDI’s research, as mentioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, is to set up a plan of action to provide economic opportunities to stimulate economic development in communities throughout the world.
WDI completed research in 20 countries to determine the potential for Impact Sourcing in those areas. Through this field research, WDI is providing a roadmap that shows the business process outsourcing potential in vulnerable or poor communities, detailing which tasks can be effectively outsourced to workers in those areas.
Through a blog series on Next Billion, WDI offers an in-depth look into the future of Impact Sourcing, including challenges that face the sector and tips on how service providers can overcome those challenges.
Robert Kennedy, executive director of WDI, is an accomplished offshoring expert, having authored the book The Services Shift: Seizing the Ultimate Offshoring Opportunity. Additionally, WDI’s senior research fellow, Ted London, has a specialty in BoP, having authored the book Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid: New Approaches for Building Mutual Value. Their expertise will be of great value as Impact Hub strives to bring Impact Sourcing knowledge to a wider audience.