Economic Fairness
Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households
In the Headlines
27 April 2012Microfinance: Learning from a Great Innovation
Writing about brand innovation in Forbes, Dean Crutchfield uses the pioneering microfinance work of Ford and our grantee Grameen Bank as an example of the kind of “unique, true and selfless” idea that helps “solve problems, create value and change the world.” Encouraged by a loan of $27 in 1976—given by Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus to a group of rural women in Bangladesh—we’ve worked with grantees of our Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households initiative to develop a promising idea into an effective strategy to reduce poverty in 40 countries.
More Information
- Explore our Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households initiative
- Learn about other microfinance pioneers we support, such as Ford Foundation Visionary Ela R. Bhatt
Media Contacts
Press Line
- Tel
- (+1) 212-573-5128
- Fax
- (+1) 212-351-3643
- pressline@fordfoundation.org
Joshua Cinelli
- Media Relations Chief
- j.cinelli@fordfoundation.org
How To Bust A Category
April 25, 2012 By Dean CrutchfieldFollowing the lofty valuations and spectacular deals struck of late, for example, Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, to the thud of once-great category-busting brands crashing out of favor—Kodak, Nokia and Blackberry—there’s been much unhindered discourse on the various means to stay relevant, approach innovation and bust categories.
Invention and innovation are totally different. To redefine a category, the innovation needs a brutal assessment of what business you are currently in, your target customer, studying the business from the outside—in to develop a sophisticated 6Ps business model, checking regulatory conditions, and yielding a strong leadership team to frame the financial and strategic objectives of the business and rally the magnetic core inside the firm that will draw together the company. Phew.