Management research about solutions for the eradication of global poverty. A literature review

Abstract

This article is a review of traditional literature about how business tackles poverty eradication and a later specific discussion of major issues in the research on business approach to poverty eradication. The article goes beyond traditional approaches to emphasize that although changing the observation angles can help scholars explore various sides of poverty, targeting poverty by one or some of its symptoms can not help break down the mechanism of interacting constraints locking poor victims deep inside. Sustainability of the business model and awareness of the poor are also two significant factors that should be taken into consideration. Moreover, the article argues and implies that research about business for poverty eradication should start from breaking free of established assumptions about poverty such as 'bottom' or 'low buying power', ensuring construct validity by capturing poverty as constraints that interactively surround the poor and discussing how to break these interacting constraints. These are foundational steps in advancing the development of this field.