Abstract:  Social enterprises, in their efforts to address complex social problems such as rural healthcare, are constrained by challenges on both demand and supply sides. This case, while exposing the chasm between the potential and actualised demand that gets widened by these challenges, introduces a market driving approach coupled with cross-sector collaborations as an integrated strategy for closing the chasm. In the process the case also suggests criteria for choosing partners for sustainable collaborations

Learning Objectives:

This case study deals with the vision versus viability conflict often confronted by social enterprises. It also deals with the market development and service delivery related issues in the rural healthcare context. The case also brings to light the chasm between the humungous market opportunity for eyecare in the rural market on one side and the poor realisation of that opportunity on the other, primarily due to peculiar healthcare-seeking behaviour of rural patients. At the end of this case discussion the participants would be able to;

(1) appreciate the financial and social impact compulsions (vision versus viability conflict) confronting a social enterprise which is operating in rural market.
(2) conduct market opportunity analysis and demand estimation for rural healthcare.
(3) distinguish between the market-driven versus the market-driving forms of market orientations.
(4) apply suitable criteria while choosing partners for cross-sector collaborations.
(5) formulate a marketing strategy integrating a market driving approach working through cross-sector collaborations.