Business – Make money without exploiting the poor?

“Can a company make money from the work of impoverished people in the developing world without taking advantage of them?” is the question raised in a Wharton School of Business newsletter.

For Patrick Byrne, the answer is a qualified yes. Byrne believes that he has found a way for his company, Overstock.com, to benefit while it helps developing-world artisans connect with developed-world customers.

But for Chuck Waterfield, creator of Microfin — a software program he wrote for microlenders — the answer is a qualified no, at least as it applies to Compartamos, a well-known microfinance lender operating in Mexico.

Both men spoke at this year’s University of Pennsylvania Microfinance Conference.