A large portion of the world’s population experiences unmet needs for nutrition, clean water, sanitation, health care and education, as well as communication, financial and other services. Many business efforts have emerged to address unmet needs through for-profit and not-for-profit provision of goods and services. This course explores the “base of the pyramid hypothesis” which asserts that business and the poor can achieve mutual benefit through business efforts to address these unmet needs. The course will address critical questions including the following: What are the key factors that inhibit delivery of goods and services to the poor? How can businesses recognize the opportunities in these challenges? What strategies, concepts and tools will help businesses address the unmet needs of the poor effectively? How should we evaluate the effectiveness of business efforts to serve unmet needs? The course explores a wide range of potential solutions ranging from micro-credit and micro-enterprise to multi-national corporate ventures.