Johnson Dana M, Hokanson David R, Zhang Qiong, Czupinski Kevin D, Tang Jinxian
School of Business and Economics, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USA.
J Environ Manage. 2008 Aug;88(3):416-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.03.002. Epub 2007 Apr 24.
Water scarcity is threatening social and economic growth in rural areas of developing countries. There are potential markets for water purification technologies in these regions. The main focus of this article is to evaluate the social, economic and political feasibilities of providing water purification technologies to rural areas of developing countries. The findings of this research can serve as the basis for private investors interested in entering this market. Four representative regions were selected for the study. Economic, demographic, and environmental variables of each region were collected and analyzed along with domestic markets and political information. Rural areas of the developing world are populated with poor people unable to fulfill the basic needs for clean water and sanitation. These people represent an important group of potential users. Due to economic, social, and political risks in these areas, it is difficult to build a strong case for any business or organization focusing on immediate returns on capital investment. A plausible business strategy would be to approach the water purification market as a corporate responsibility and social investing in the short term. This would allow an organization to be well positioned once the economic ability of individuals, governments, and donor agencies are better aligned.
水资源短缺正威胁着发展中国家农村地区的社会和经济增长。这些地区存在水净化技术的潜在市场。本文的主要重点是评估向发展中国家农村地区提供水净化技术的社会、经济和政治可行性。这项研究的结果可为有意进入该市场的私人投资者提供依据。研究选取了四个具有代表性的地区。收集并分析了每个地区的经济、人口和环境变量以及国内市场和政治信息。发展中世界的农村地区居住着无法满足清洁水和卫生设施基本需求的贫困人口。这些人是重要的潜在用户群体。由于这些地区存在经济、社会和政治风险，对于任何专注于资本投资即时回报的企业或组织而言，都很难找到有力的理由。一个可行的商业策略是在短期内将水净化市场视为企业责任和社会投资。一旦个人、政府和捐助机构的经济能力更好地协调一致，这将使一个组织处于有利地位。
