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dc.contributor.advisorde Boer, Luitzen
dc.contributor.advisorIngemansson, Malena
dc.contributor.advisorRøine, Kjetil
dc.contributor.authorBrodbeck, Laura
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-08T14:00:23Z
dc.date.available2016-08-08T14:00:23Z
dc.date.created2016-04-02
dc.date.issued2016
dc.identifierntnudaim:14144
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11250/2398229
dc.description.abstractThere are 2.7 billion people in today s world that do not have access to clean cooking facilities, leading to immense human and environmental costs in many developing countries. Cleaner, improved biomass cookstoves (ICS) could be an alternative to the traditional mud stoves that are contributing to these widespread problems. However, the dissemination of ICS models is still low worldwide, especially in the developing country of India. In a country where 170 million households mostly rural rely on solid fuel for cooking, only 4% have converted from a polluting mud traditional stove to a cleaner ICS model. After various failed initiatives by the government and multi-national corporations, private enterprises are now being called upon to drive the Indian clean cookstove industry. One of the most critical barriers to doing business in rural, emerging markets is distribution access. Furthermore, research on distribution channel design for developing markets has been widely ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify critical factors and barriers for a company that has built a functional distribution channel for disseminating clean cookstoves in rural India. Beginning with a literature review, theoretical ideas from both traditional distribution/marketing theory as well as bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) literature are examined. An analytical framework is built based on these different fields of literature in order to analyze the on-the-ground distribution channels of a successful case company. The company selected for this thesis is Greenway Grameen. This company is active in eight Indian states and is among the top-selling cookstove companies in the Indian cookstove industry. Data about this company is collected via interviews with two Greenway employees and with two representatives from third-party organizations active in the clean-tech industry in developing countries. Based on the results, this thesis has identified critical factors and barriers that the case company has faced both in its rural marketing and distribution channels. This thesis contributes both to practice and theory. For practitioners, this thesis makes recommendations on how to effectively design marketing and distribution channels for rural areas. For a rural marketing channel, this thesis recommends a combination of above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) marketing channels, where ATL methods such as TV can increase brand legitimacy. Also recommended are BTL product demonstrations that utilize already-existent networks. This thesis also emphasizes that companies must learn to work within constraints caused by weak legal environments often found in emerging markets. Another important recommendation is that companies focus on creating a working balance of internalizing and outsourcing distribution activities. Consistent contact with partners is also recommended. Finally, not only is a customer-centric product design important, but also that this is in focus early in a business s development. For researchers, this thesis recommends various useful frameworks for analyzing rural distribution channels. First both traditional distribution and BoP fields of literature should be referenced when analyzing aspects of rural channels. Additionally, this thesis recommends using the traditional 4Rs (Christopher, 2011) framework to study rural distribution. The 4Rs helps describe a channel s structure and its dynamic management. Finally, the thesis contributes a new, adapted version of the 4Rs framework that is specifically designed for analyzing rural distribution channels. Further development of this model is recommended. Key words: developing countries, rural distribution, rural marketing, distribution channel, clean cookstove industry, ICS
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherNTNU
dc.subjectIndustriell Økologi, Environmental Systems Analysis
dc.titleCritical factors and challenges for building and managing marketing and distribution channels in rural, emerging markets - A case study on the Greenway cookstove company in rural India
dc.typeMaster thesis
dc.source.pagenumber115


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