Proposed SNA: Evaluating An Emerging Market Distribution Model - Ruby Cup

Laura Stankiewicz

Evaluating An Emerging Market Distribution Model - Ruby Cup

Will Take Second Half of the Module

Overview:

I would like to investigate an innovative initiative in Africa that address an often-overlooked issue affecting girls and women – the availability of feminine hygiene products.  Millions of girls living in developing countries miss up to 20% of the school year simply because they do not have access to sanitary products.  This truancy leaves girls to fall behind in class and contributes to high dropout rates.  Without proper protection, women of all ages struggle to perform their daily functions in both home and work environments.  How is it that over 50% of the world’s population is female, yet menstrual hygiene continues to be surrounded by stigma and taboo? 

RubyCup (RC) is an emerging market venture that seeks to address these issues by mixing traditional business (profit) with charity (purpose).  RC employs local entrepreneurs in a “Women to Women” model for direct product sales and information distribution.  Vendors earn a commission for each cup sold and serve as “local experts” in the community.  This arrangement allows females not only to generate income for their families, but also to talk about stigmatized female hygiene issues with customers. 

Research Question: Is RC’s current model of distribution and education meeting its goals? 

Ruby Cup’s business model has five pillars: Solving the Problem, Increasing Education, Generating Income, Sustainability, and Global Awareness.  This proposal will evaluate the first three.

Pillar: Goal	Follow Up Questions	Network Measurement
Solving the Problem: provide a sustainable product that is used by women and girls	Are female buyers truly adopting (meaning actually using) the product?  Do social circles and/or vendors influence true adoption?	Analyze pre vs. post survey networks, specifically actual product users from the post survey (they represent true adopters).  Compare users vs. non-users to see if social circles and connection to sellers influenced true adoption of this product.  Identify trends in true adoption, such as age, marital status, and nature of female relationships.
Increasing Education: create local experts who educate their peers; create a forum where women can talk about their challenges and ask questions about benefits of the cup	Do women feel more connected to vendors after purchasing this product? Are the vendors a source of trusted information? Who are the actors that are most sought out for advice regarding feminine issues?  Do these highly sought-after actors have an influence on true adoption?	Investigate the networks of who women went to for advice before they were introduced to the product and 6-8 months after to see if it changed (ex. do they more frequently seek out vendors and/or fellow users after purchasing the product?).  Look for key actors who have high centrality measures so RC representatives can target them for “conversion” to the product and leverage them to educate others.
Generating Income for our female vendors and for their families through direct sales	Who are the top vendors in terms of sales? How does they compare to the most sought after vendors for advice?	Two-mode network connecting buyers to vendors assess vendor strength in both generating income and fostering true adoption.

Hypothesis:  Following the introduction of RC’s product into a community, I would expect that the likelihood of true adoption by a female be related to the influence of her social circle.  Furthermore, I would expect that the usage (or non-usage) of the most central women to have some effect on the adoption of the larger group.   Finally, I would expect buyers to more frequently seek advice about feminine issues from “local experts” (vendors) as well as from other users after purchasing the cup.

Method: administer two surveys over a period of 6-8 months

Part 1: Pre-Survey

(Administered to all buyers at the time of the initial purchase; surveys will be collected for all buyers in a two month sample window)

·      Attribute Questions:

o   For Girls

§  Age

§  Grade in school

§  How often do you miss school because of menstruation?

·      1= 1 time/month

·      2= 2 times/month

·      3= 3 times/month

·      4= 4 times/month

·      5= 5 or more times/month

o   For Women:

§  Are you employed?

·      1= no

·      2= yes; sporadically/part-time/seasonal

·      3= yes; full time

§  Status

·      1= single

·      2= married

·      3= divorced

·      4= widowed

o   For Both: open-ended questions that may be desegregated later

§  Name of vendor who sold you the product

§  Primary reason for purchase 

§  How did you hear about Ruby Cup?

·      Network Question:

o   Name up to 3 people who you go to for advice about feminine issues.  This will be an open ended question, but follow this format:

Person’s Name	Male or Female?	If Female – are they a Ruby Cup user?	Family Member or Non-Family Member?
	1= male 2= female	1= no 2= yes	1= family member 2= non-family member

Part 2: Post-Survey

(Administered 6 months after purchase, by phone or in person)

·      Attribute Question:

o   For Girls:

§  How often do you miss school because of menstruation?

·      1= 1 time/month

·      2= 2 times/month

·      3= 3 times/month

·      4= 4 times/month

·      5= 5 or more times/month

o   For Women:

§  Are you employed?

·      1= no

·      2= yes; sporadically/part-time/seasonal

·      3= yes; full time

o   For Both:

§  Do you use the Ruby Cup?

·      1= No

·      2= Yes

·      If no, why not? - open ended question which can later be desegregated based on response

§  Have you become a Ruby Cup Vendor?

·      1= No

·      2= Yes

·      If yes, how much do you typically make? - Will be desegregated based on response

·      Network Question:

o   Name up to 3 people who you go to for advice about feminine issues.  This will be an open ended question, but follow this format:

Person’s Name	Male or Female?	If Female – are they a Ruby Cup user?	Family Member or Non-Family Member?
	1= male 2= female	1= no 2= yes	1= family member 2= non-family member

Implications  

• This analysis will allow for a more qualitative evaluation of the current distribution model and its effects on the true adoption of the product.  RC would then have the ability to expand its current model with a greater degree of confidence (or amend it) based on the findings. 
• This analysis will identify central actors (those who are most sought out for advice) who may be the most viable advocates within a given community.  RC may be able to leverage their relationships to encourage others to adopt the product.
• This analysis will provide a clearer picture of trust networks within the realm of feminine issues, which can be used as channels for future empowerment activities and awareness campaigns.

Networks Parameters

One Mode Network

• Nodes & Edges: all women and girls who purchased a Ruby Cup in span of two month in a specific neighborhood of Narobi, Kenya
• Connections: directed ties demonstrating how women relate to one another as seekers/givers of advice 

Two Mode Network

•  Connects buyers with specific vendors to assess vendor strength (both in generating income and advice)

Foreseen Problems:

Gaining a complete data (or as close to it as we can get) from the follow up survey

Other Considerations/Premises:

1.     These “Bottom of the Pyramid” (BoP) markets are in hard to reach places where access to resources is limited because supermarkets, kiosks, and other distribution channels are scarce.

2.     BoP does not operate under the principles of the normal market; social capital and relationships are often more important than price or brand