The Blue Ocean Strategy and its relationship with the Inclusive Business of recycling in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador | [La Estrategia del Océano Azul y su relación con el Negocio Inclusivo del reciclaje en la ciudad de Cuenca, Ecuador]

Abstract

This article presents the evolution of two theories: Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) that begins in 2005 and shows that the corporate sector should not focus in a destructive competition, but extend its market horizons, through the innovation; followed by an Economic Base Pyramid analysis (EBP) that begins in 2002, giving a social inclusion opportunity for low income population, starting with the introduction of an Inclusion Business (IB) in the year 2005. Currently, these two theories work in a corporate sector but there is not any articulation for them; for this reason, we are not able to identify similarities or differences. The article founds many elements that allow us to recognize the relationship between BOS and IB of recycling business, taking the city of Cuenca as a benchmark. The methodology used was a qualitative analysis through a literary review with a comprehensive classification to get a global understanding of this content. This research gives common elements identified in BOS and IB, and we concluded that there exists a relationship between them; considering that IB is a BOS it can be applied in many industries.

Keywords

• inclusive business strategy
• entrepreneurship
• innovation
• poverty