Pollay Prize to Viswanathan
Introduction
Madhu Viswanathan has won the 2012 Richard W. Pollay Prize
 : : : Posting |
UBC MEDIA ALERT |April, 2012
Sauder School of Business at UBC Announces Winner of 2012 Richard W. Pollay Prize
Winner recognized for research and work supporting subsistence-level entrepreneurs
Dr. Madhu Viswanathan, renowned for his research on literacy, poverty, and subsistence marketplace behaviours, is winner of the UBC Sauder School of Business’s 2012 Richard W. Pollay Prize, honouring intellectual excellence in research on marketing in the public interest.
In a March 30 public lecture at Sauder titled, “Taking charge: Empowering subsistence-level entrepreneurs to succeed,” the University of Illinois professor received the Pollay Prize and discussed his research and experiences bringing business fundamentals to subsistence-level communities.
Dr. Viswanathan’s micro-level approach shows that for individuals at subsistence levels to participate in the marketplace, they need not only access to the markets and financial resources, but also marketplace literacy.
“By understanding their own marketplace environment and being equipped with self-confidence, awareness of their rights and abilities, subsistence consumers and entrepreneurs can successfully maximize their potential,” he says.
In his presentation at UBC the researcher recounted what his team has learnt from their extensive research in India and the United States, and how they have used it to create social initiatives, learning materials and opportunities to support sustainable business.
One such initiative is the Marketplace Literacy Project. A non-profit founded in 2003, it empowers the poor through on-the-ground workshops and multi-media-based education. Having applied the project and finding success in numerous communities, Prof. Viswanathan and his team are currently expanding it using a range of technology to reach subsistence communities worldwide.
ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍøt Dr. Madhu Viswanathan
Dr. Madhu Viswanathan is Professor of Business Administration at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he joined the faculty in 1990. His research programs cover two areas: measurement and methodology; and literacy, poverty and subsistence marketplace behaviours. Renowned for his expertise in these fields, he has authored two books: Measurement Error and Research Design (2005), and Enabling Consumer and Entrepreneurial Literacy in Subsistence Marketplaces (2008).
The recipient of multiple awards, Dr. Viswanathan teaches courses at all levels on research methods as well as subsistence and sustainability. His module on sustainable product and market development for subsistence marketplaces was ranked as one of the top ten entrepreneurship courses by Inc. Magazine in 2011.
Richard W. Pollay Prize
Awarded annually by the Sauder School of Business at UBC, the Pollay Prize is named for Sauder Professor Emeritus Richard Pollay in honour of his contributions as a scholar, teacher and advocate in the areas of marketing and advertising in the public interest.
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