Doing well and doing good
A new case study led by Professor Linda Scott, DP World Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, explores how a corporate brand (Pampers) partnered with a humanitarian organisation (UNICEF) to deliver life changing health programmes to some of the world’s poorest countries, whilst also achieving corporate goals.
The case examines the high-profile campaign in which a vaccine against Maternal and Newborn Tetanus- a killer in the developing world - was donated for every pack of Pampers nappies purchased under the “1 pack = 1 vaccine” programme. The campaign, initially introduced in December 2004 has so far delivered 300 million vaccines that are helping to protect 100 million women of child-bearing age and their newborns in 26 countries.
This independent case study, led by Professor Scott with Catherine Dolan, Mary Johnstone-Louis and Caitlin Ryus, took two years to complete and was built on access to both Pampers and UNICEF. “There are some key lessons here for any organisation thinking to undertake such an initiative. These programmes are not easy to execute, but the benefits can be considerable," says Professor Scott.
Research for the case included not only investigation into the business aspects of the campaign, but also the challenges of delivering the vaccines and reaching women in some of the most remote and deprived areas of the world.
Designed for classroom use, the case is available online, free of charge, to MBA students worldwide, in order to encourage deeper thinking about the role of business in society. “We would like to think that this path-breaking partnership between P&G and UNICEF might inspire other organisations. This case demonstrates that such alliances can achieve considerable good”, says Professor Scott.
The case study dovetails with Professor Scott’s current research which is focused on the potential for market-based approaches to provide economic empowerment for poor women.
The Pampers/UNICEF case was developed as independent academic work, with support from the Pears Business Schools Partnership which aims to inspire future leaders to make a positive difference to society..