Two decades of the bottom of the pyramid research: identifying the influencers, structure, and the evolution of the concept

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) across disciplines using systematic literature review (SLR). It explores the evolution of literature over the last 20 years, beginning with the work of C.K. Prahalad. A systematic search resulted in 665 publications related to BoP in various journals. This paper analyses these BoP publications from the start of the concept until 2018 using bibliographic data and thematic analysis of the entire text of the most influential papers. The analysis involves identifying trends in publications and citations, most-cited journals and papers, most productive and influential authors in the field. The results indicate a surge in BoP research. We also find that the focus of the research has shifted to newer disciplines. A thematic analysis of the top 151 papers in BoP indicates the domain's evolution over the years. Overall, the results suggest a sustained and growing interest in BoP. The findings also indicate a shift in focus and nature of the research over the years.

Whither compassionate leadership? A systematic review

“…It is interesting to note how different studies have followed different steps in conducting a systematic review and these criteria’s baffle more than provide a generalized approach. For instance Baarspul and Wilderom ( 2011 ) and Khandker ( 2022 ) describe the identification or searching the research papers as the first step. Tranfield et al ( 2003 ) divide the review process into three stages; Stage I- Planning the review; Stage II- Conducting the review; Stage III- Reporting and dissemination.…”

“…We mostly adopt the stages and criteria proposed by Tranfield et al ( 2003 ), Kuckertz and Block ( 2021 ), Fisch and Block ( 2018 ) and Wolfswinkel et al ( 2011 ). Tranfield et al ( 2003 ) has one of the highest citations (n = 10,573) which reveals the high influence of their work (Khandker 2022 ), while Kuckertz and Block ( 2021 ) and Fisch and Block ( 2018 ) acknowledge a lack of clear guidelines and provide the criteria’s for reviewing the articles in management and business research. The following section focuses on how the review was conducted.…”

The investment development path literature: a review and research agenda

“…Thematic analysis is a methodology deployed to organise, identify, analyse, and report themes within a unit of analysis in a comprehensive manner (Braun and Clarke 2006;Khandker 2022). Thematic analysis builds an interpretation of the proposed research context or question (Braun and Clarke 2006;Khandker 2022).…”

“…Thematic analysis is a methodology deployed to organise, identify, analyse, and report themes within a unit of analysis in a comprehensive manner (Braun and Clarke 2006;Khandker 2022). Thematic analysis builds an interpretation of the proposed research context or question (Braun and Clarke 2006;Khandker 2022). In line with our objective, this study applies both manual and coding processes of thematic analysis to ensure that we capture all the crucial keywords in the IDP literature, generate themes/subthemes in the pertinent IDP literature, and identify potential avenues for further research.…”

“…This program provides tools for data/documents management while allowing the user coding capabilities via browsing and interpreting data/documents (Azeem et al 2012;Johnston 2006;Khandker 2022). Additionally, it generates a synthesis of identified ideas and develops a better understanding of identified categories and themes (Azeem et al 2012;Johnston 2006;Khandker 2022). The steps involved in the coding thematic analysis are as follows:…”