Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院研究专刊 - (Page 30)

Anne Michaut-Denizeau BIOGRAPHY Anne Michaut-Denizeau is associate professor of marketing and executive director of the Luxury Certificate at HEC Paris. She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from Wageningen University (the Netherlands). She is particularly interested in the areas of innovation, sustainable development, and marketing in the luxury industry. The luxury market: A development opportunity for the nomads of the Tibetan Plateau? Year after year, the economic situation of the nomads of the Tibetan Plateau deteriorates. In response, the Norlha project, which means "providence," was launched in 2006. It aims to add value to yak wool by creating very high quality products for the luxury market. Anne Michaut-Denizeau reveals how the luxury market can help to provide outlets for handicraft and improve the standard of living of poor populations. Since 1950, pastoralism has intensified in the Tibetan plateau. Sheep and yaks have become so abundant that they have permanently polluted rivers. Overgrazing has led to desertification, resulting in an increased risk of flooding. Nomadic pastoralists have become China's poorest population, now unable to afford even the yak wool that they wove for centuries. Traditional knowledge has almost disappeared alongside a rural exodus. In this context, three people came together in 2005 to create Norlha: Kim Yeshi, an anthropologist specialized in Tibetan culture and Asian textile; Jean-Marc Guesné, a graduate of HEC's Masters in Sustainable Development; and Jean-Pierre Martial, former manager and founder of "Artisans d'Angkor," a Cambodian arts and crafts company that preserves local traditional know-how and employs 1,000 people. They were convinced that the redevelopment of yak wool could create new social, economic, and environmental value. NORHLA, AN INTEGRATED PROJECT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT At the time, the founding team gave itself four objectives: to provide well-paid work to nomads; to prevent rural exodus; to improve cattle management and valorization of raw materials; and, finally, to address desertification and river pollution. They believe that this initiative could have long-term impact on the Tibetan nomadic community as a whole. But first, a pilot project that can be duplicated must prove its sustainability. In 2006, 27 the three founders decided to launch the project in the village of Zorgey Ritoma, situated at an altitude of 3,200 meters in the Amdo region. The village has 1,500 inhabitants, 10,000 yaks, and 25,000 sheep. Guesné, who took the lead of the project, imagined a solution of territorial, economic, social, and political integration. He created a company to manage the project and founded the ZAAMA association to represent the interests of village nomads and to facilitate financial support from donors. Meanwhile the Chinese government built a new road to the village. A first team was trained in Cambodia in khu processing techniques (see box "The key role of yaks in the Tibetan plateau culture") by the Artisans d'Angkor, and then received additional training in Nepal. Back in their village, they trained in turn 60 future employees. In November 2007, after the harvesting of khu and khullu, a gray and beige material that is more rare and of superior quality, the workshop was ready for production. Contrary to expectations, the workshop proposed a first collection of high quality weavings as early as December. A SCALABLE BUSINESS MODEL Big companies often decide to manufacture products at the lowest cost by employees who are the "bottom of the population" (BOP). But in this model, it is the workers themselves who run production and make the decisions. They are able to generate enough profits to pay salaries and develop the workshop. Knowledge HEC

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院研究专刊

Cover
Partner companies
Table of Content
公司治理 (David Thesmar)
Corporate governance
欧洲的可再生能源 (Andrea Masini)
Renewable energies in Europe
决策 (Mohammed Abdellaoui)
Why do decision makers underestimate rare events?
建立信任 (Michel Lander)
Building trust for successful mergers and acquisitions
产品线质量的高低端延伸 (Timothy Heath)
Extending product lines up and down in quality
制度变革 (Carlos Ramirez)
Institutional change
奢侈品市场 (Anne Michaut-Denizeau)
The luxury market
创业 (Anisa Shyti)
Entrepreneurship

Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院研究专刊

Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院 研究专刊 - (Page 30)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院 研究专刊

Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院 研究专刊

Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院研究专刊 - (Page 30)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院研究专刊

Knowledge@HEC - Special Issue - 巴黎HEC商学院研究专刊