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Case Study

Hindustan Lever (A): Leaping a millennium

By Ulrich Steger, Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Wolfgang Amann

14 pages

January 2006

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Reference: IMD-2-0122

This three part case series centers on a new business model developed by Hindustan Lever (HLL) to tap the business and sustainability potentials hidden in rural India. It focuses on a win-win partnership with rural, female self-help groups (SHGs). HLL assists SHGs to access micro credit, which is usually restricted. SHGs in turn buy HLL products and sell them in their villages in a decentralized way, thus creating various opportunities for rural communities such as training and income opportunities for women as well as better overall living conditions for their families. The A-case describes the cornerstones and key decisions reached during the inception phase of the project. It details the value chain and expected deliverables for the stakeholder groups. This first case of the series ends when the system has been set up and launched, but reveals none of the actual results.

Keywords

Rural Marketing, Sustainable Marketing, Consumer Goods, Corporate Sustainability Management

Settings

India
2001-2005

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note, Video

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