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Selnur Orhon
Coordinator, Graduate School of Business; CEMS Programme Manager
WRITER: Ahu Parlar Communications Director – Koç University
A PARTNERSHIP STORY: INTEGRATING INCLUSIVE MARKET DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN LEARNING Selnur Orhon (Coordinator, Graduate School of Business, CEMS Programme Manager) presents a new initiative to raise awareness on issues related to sustainable development. UNDP Turkey and Koç University Graduate School of Business signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase awareness on issues related to sustainable development and identify opportunities and challenges for the development of inclusive markets. By partnering with UNDP Turkey in the scope of regional Growing Inclusive Markets initiative, Koç is taking a step further in responding to the global call for business schools and other academic associations to advance corporate social responsibility worldwide and to respond to the need for developing more inclusive markets. As a foundation, UNDP immediately organised four seminars for Koç students for their “new venture development” course. In the New Venture Development course the students will develop new enterprises with a responsible and inclusive perspective. The first seminar was about poverty and poverty measurement. The aim of the first seminar was to improve students’ understanding about poverty and familiarise them with human development concept. The second one was on corporate social responsibility; UNDP Private Sector Programme Manager Hansın Doğan presented the
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subject and the Turkish experience. The third session was on the Base of the Pyramid. The focus was on CK Prahalad’s work and how the BOP concept has influenced the strategies of companies. The final seminar presented the UNDP’s private sector strategy “inclusive market development”, analysed case studies, and discussed how to use the Growing Inclusive Markets new website and inclusive business models database for analyses. Additionally, Koç University Graduate School of Business and UNDP Turkey hosted an Executive Workshop on inclusive business in Emerging Europe and Central Asia where the presentation of a new regional UNDP report (Business Solutions to Poverty: How Inclusive Business Models Create Opportunities for all in Emerging Europe and Central Asia) also took place. The purpose of the workshop was to contribute to the identification of potential inclusive business opportunities and project models, and to explore what recommendations can be made to various private and public actors to improve the enabling environment for inclusive markets in Turkey. The programme included presentations from best practices from Turkey, Moldova, Belarus and Albania.