Forbes: The Gateses Are Right: Invest In The Poor
Kevin O’Marah, chief content officer at SCM World

“…Governments and charitable organizations have long played leading roles in channeling aid to the world’s needy. Judging by the television advertisements used to raise cash, the pitch rests on morality. The Gateses’ editorial says as much: ‘Disease and poverty are the clearest examples we know of solvable human misery, and the moral case for wiping them out is clear on its face.’ To the Gateses it’s all about altruism, and that’s fine. But what if we look at it in selfish terms? Here are four purely self-interested, operational reasons to support continued aid to the poor: 1. The Poor Are Consumers … 2. The Poor Are Producers … 3. The Poor Can Become the Middle Class … 4. The Poor Can Become Your Worst Enemy … Supply chain leaders need not be political. They must, however, choose plant locations, develop distribution networks, hire staff, position inventory, and prepare for disruptions. Investing in the poor is not charity so much as good housekeeping…” (9/21).