Sustainable institutional entrepreneurship in practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 476-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Gasbarro ◽  
Francesco Rizzi ◽  
Marco Frey
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Strategic Partnerships ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneurship ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurship Research ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneurs ◽  
Value Propositions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how sustainable entrepreneurs (SEs) address the regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive institutional pillars when operating in conservative contexts. It aims to study in depth the use of sustainable innovation (SI) as a means of increasing legitimacy within the institutions, thus triggering an institutional change. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for an exploratory study on the Tuscan geothermal heat pumps market, which presents a promising but still largely unexploited sustainability potential despite its low institutional support, using the open-ended approach of grounded theory. The data include interviews and archive data, such as newspapers, magazines. Findings The paper provides empirical insights on how sustainable institutional entrepreneurs (SIEs) have developed innovative business models based on direct relationship with the final customers and strategic partnerships as a means of increasing legitimacy within the normative and cultural-cognitive institutions, and subsequently in the regulative institutions, through: innovative value propositions aimed at changing industry norms and social beliefs; increasing the private benefit of innovative sustainable business models in order to trigger imitation dynamics; inter-sector strategic partnerships sharing the same sustainability objectives; the inclusion of the relevant actors in relation to the social norms and cultural-cognitive barriers in a value proposition. On the basis of these findings a model has been developed. Research limitations/implications The study enriches the sustainable entrepreneurship research stream by providing empirical evidence on how SEs foster changes in the three institutional pillars with SI. It also contributes to the institutional entrepreneurship research by extending the results of previous studies regarding institutional tactics. Practical implications The paper could help SIEs prioritizing changes in value propositions and strategic partnerships to create market-based coalitions, as a means of institutional legitimization for SI. Originality/value The study illustrates the relationship between the sustainable institutional entrepreneurial practices and each institutional pillar, including the cultural-cognitive institutions, which have been neglected in previous research. This allows formulating five key propositions that guide SEs in succeeding as both sustainable and institutional entrepreneurs.

Intertwining CSR with strategy – the way ahead

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shital Jhunjhunwala
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance and means of making corporate social responsibility (CSR) an integral part of corporate strategy with the help of case studies. Design/methodology/approach – The article explores the transformation of business from being egocentric to socially responsible. With the use of examples it demonstrates how integrating CSR into strategy can create sustainable business models. Findings – Firms need to develop a framework for integrating CSR into their business strategy for long term successful survival. Social implications – Corporates and society are intertwined and mutually dependent. Business cannot survive without society's acquiescence nor succeed without its active support. Originality/value – The article explains the benefits of CSR and how to make it an integral part of business strategy to gain a competitive advantage.

Learning from socially driven service innovation in emerging economies

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Reynoso ◽  
Jay Kandampully ◽  
Xiucheng Fan ◽  
Hanna Paulose
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into indigenous, solution-based business models and their relevance for inclusive service innovation within specific social contexts in emerging economies, with particular emphasis on the role of culture and technology. Design/methodology/approach – A proposed framework illustrates four factors that nurture socially driven service innovation in emerging economies: solution, inclusion, culture, and technology. Extant literature from studies in India, Latin America, and China illustrates distinct indigenous innovations and service relationships that exist at the base of the pyramid (BoP), which provides a foundation for a better understanding of socially inclusive service innovations. Findings – A conceptual model of inclusive service innovation reflects an integrated, virtuous cycle, composed of service relationships that stem from the BoP at various levels of analysis across different income segments. These findings suggest notable research directions. Practical implications – This study reinforces the importance of a solution orientation as a competitive business model to gain customer engagement. Social implications – Researchers and practitioners in emerging and advanced economies can use the approach suggested by this paper in their efforts to build sustainable business cultures and improve the well-being of society. Originality/value – Previous research has not addressed the social or communal roles of service innovation; this study proposes an innovative switch from a traditional strategy of selling services toward a proactive approach that involves low-income customers as active resources to co-create social and business value.

Responsible entrepreneurship: outlining the contingencies

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Vallaster ◽  
Sascha Kraus ◽  
Norbert Kailer ◽  
Brooke Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Society Business ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to give an up-to-date assessment of key topics and methods discussed in the current literature on responsible entrepreneurship. In the past years, sustainable development itself has become a more popular and important topic in the academic literature and hence the field of sustainable entrepreneurship has become a greater topic of interest and opportunity for solution. Therefore, a systematic literature review is conducted to assess new contributions to the field and its potential for the future of sustainable development, with a focus on responsible innovation.Design/methodology/approachSystematic, evidence-informed literature review following Tranfieldet al.(2003).FindingsBased on a conceptual literature review, five streams of research that responsible entrepreneurs distinguish from purely for-profit entrepreneurs are identified and discussed: walking the line between profit creation and value creation for society; business models of responsible entrepreneurs; their role in transforming society; getting ready to innovate responsibly; and the role of market incentives to foster sustainable business practices.Originality/valueThe structured literature review allows to identify future research paths. In detail, ideas as regards the management of upcoming tensions when trying to combine profit creation and value creation for society, and finally, the way innovation processes need to be rethought when innovating responsibly are discussed and outlined.

Proposal for sustainability action archetypes for higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Elíseo Fernandes Sanches ◽  
Matheus Leite Campos ◽  
Luiz Eduardo Gaio ◽  
Marcio Marcelo Belli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Higher education institutions (HEIs) should assume their role as leaders in the search for a sustainable future. Consequently, such institutions need to incorporate sustainability into their activities. However, this needs to be done holistically and not with isolated and independent actions. Therefore, this study aims to develop a structure of sustainability action archetypes to help HEIs holistically incorporate sustainability in their strategies. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the literature was conducted focusing on the subject of sustainability in HEIs. Findings A structure of sustainability action archetypes for HEIs was proposed. Further, based on scientific literature, examples of actions were presented within each archetype. Practical implications This study provides HEI administrators and other organizations with a practical structure to enable the systemic incorporation of sustainability objectives and actions into institutional activities. Originality/value This study adapts the tool “sustainable business model archetypes” for a new purpose. This tool was initially developed to classify innovations of sustainable business models.

scholarly journals Backcasting for desirable futures in Finnish forest-based firms

foresight ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annukka Näyhä
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Strong Basis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
New Business ◽  
Participative Approach ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
New Business Models

Purpose In Finland, new forest-based sector (FBS) businesses are seen as important for the transition to the circular bioeconomy. The purpose of this study is to explore the transition of Finnish FBS companies to new business models. The aim is to understand how FBS companies define their ideal future states and related business models for the year 2030. Design/methodology/approach This study uses thematic interviews with managers from various FBS firms and companies from interfacing sectors. In the interviews, the key idea of backcasting was pursued when respondents discussed the desirable future states of their business. Findings The effort to achieve growth of the business and the appearance of new products characterize the company-specific desirable future states. In these desirable futures, expanded businesses will be based on strong knowledge. Resource efficiency and collaboration create a strong basis for the desirable future state of the whole FBS to create a sustainable and innovative “Wood Valley.” Research limitations/implications The key limitations are that the backcasting process has been conducted only through interviews and a participative approach with stakeholder dialogue is lacking in the process. This means that the desirable futures are created by the FBS companies only. Originality/value As a practical contribution, the study shows the future-oriented thinking and goals of FBS firms. As a theoretical contribution, it extends research on sustainable business models and discussions on the novel field of corporate foresight.

Biomimetic economy: human ecological-economic systems emulating natural ecological systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 772-785
Author(s):  
Unai Tamayo ◽  
Gustavo Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of biomimicry to inspire sustainable development in economic systems. The research purpose is to explore the link between ecological systems and economic systems to highlight applied environmental solutions. The goal is to propose some driver to develop sustainable business practices inspired on the principles of biomimicry. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a theoretical approach that builds the basis for a better understanding of the relationship between nature and sustainable economic decisions. The premise is that in the field of sustainable development, strategies based on “learning from nature” are useful. Furthermore, the concept of biomimicry provides principles and tools specifically aimed at design practice. Findings The complexity of economic systems has shown that high levels of abstraction are required when conceptualising problems and explanations related with nature-inspired solutions. Stakeholder engagement and transdisciplinary collaboration are required to face long-term environmental challenges. Moreover, the exploratory analysis applied in this paper appeared suitable to compile existing literature. Practical implications The study provides some general guidelines and empirical approach through case studies that could help decision makers convert nature-inspired alternatives into valuable strategic business opportunities. Although presented practical cases are framed in the local sphere (i.e. the Basque Country), they can serve as references in other international contexts. Social implications New business models should recognize the positive synchronization between well-managed social, environmental and economic systems. Originality/value The proposed ideas deepen the understanding on the sustainable development and the link between ecological and economic systems. In fact, the concept of biomimetic economy has not been dealt with or developed in depth in previous academic works, nor has it been published thoroughly in the field of research.

The blockchain as a sustainable business model innovation

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1621-1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Tiscini ◽  
Silvia Testarmata ◽  
Mirella Ciaburri ◽  
Emanuele Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Website ◽  
Set Up

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to strive to close the current research gap pertaining to potential implications of the blockchain (BC) for sustainable business models (SBMs) in the agri-food industry.Design/methodology/approachTo answer the research question, the authors utilised the Value Triangle framework by Biloslavo et al. (2018) in order to explore the potential innovation of BC for SBMs in the agri-food industry. Then, the authors apply it to an in-depth exploratory case study of the Placido Volpone winery. The authors draw data from strategic plans, annual reports, corporate website and a semi-structured interview with the winery's founder.FindingsThe authors show how BC technology could be a source of SBM innovation in the agri-food industry.Research limitations/implicationsBC technology has the potential to significantly change SBMs. Given the huge set-up investments by the industry, academic research investigating potential implications and supporting companies in their application of BC is needed. This paper explores how the implications of BC as source of innovation on SBMs can be investigated.Practical implicationsThe research results of this study can be used by company leaders and managers to support the development of SBMs through the introduction of BC technology in their business activities.Originality/valueThe paper is novel because it investigates the relationship between SBM innovation and BC providing theoretical justification to SBM technological innovation in an agri-food setting. Additionally, the paper provides an empirical application of the framework by Biloslavo et al. (2018) for understanding the development of SBM through BC in the agri-food industry.

Crowdsourcing business models that last

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kohler ◽  
Marco Nickel
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Corporate Value ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Value Capture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Original Contribution ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to sustain crowdsourcing business models. Emerging companies are innovating their business model to rely on a crowd of participants and involve contributing users in value capture. While some organizations demonstrate initial success, sustaining a crowdsourcing business model is challenging. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a comparative case study of the prominent crowdsourcing communities Threadless and Quirky. Participatory observation resulted in over 380 analyzed comments. Findings Seven lessons from Threadless’s success and Quirky’s failure are discussed to derive implications for sustaining crowdsourcing business models. Research limitations/implications Because both cases are integrator platforms build around contests, other crowdsourcing platform types should be studied to enrich the findings. Practical implications Managers receive guidance on how to design a sustainable business model that involves the crowd in creating value and lets the crowd participate in value capture. Originality/value Current research primarily addresses the question of how companies can take advantage of crowdsourcing and mainly considers corporate value capture. The original contribution of this article is a set of strategies to sustain crowdsourcing platforms by taking a platform’s entire business model into account.

Stakeholders' involvement in establishing sustainable business models

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 1671-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariantonietta Fiore ◽  
Antonino Galati ◽  
Jarosław Gołębiewski ◽  
Nina Drejerska
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Theoretical Assumption ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Expectations ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Dairy Cooperatives

PurposeCooperatives play a dominant role in the European dairy sector. The aim of the study is to define a sustainable business model of dairy cooperatives and explore how stakeholders can contribute to innovation processes generated in this ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachStarting from theoretical assumption and investigation of three major cooperatives located in an ecological agricultural Poland region, known also as “Green Lungs of Poland,” the authors propose a sustainable business model where the role stakeholders in the value co-creation is emphasized.FindingsThe findings of this paper show how the involvement of various stakeholders by the cooperatives contributes to the development of innovations that meet customer expectations, thereby concurring to the creation of social, environmental and economic value.Originality/valueThis paper formulates a business model integrating theoretical assumptions from the literature review with empirical evidence by exploring the roles of stakeholders that contribute and incorporate innovation, responsibility and sustainability into the core of activities of cooperatives.

Entrepreneurship, innovation, digitization and digital transformation toward a sustainable growth within the pandemic environment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sorin Gavrila Gavrila ◽  
Antonio De Lucas Ancillo
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Business Growth ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Society Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Information

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken society, business and industries by surprise leading to a worldwide economic recession, pushing organizations to rethink their business model in order to shift from activity shutdown toward sustainable growth. The purpose of this research is to comprehend the implications and relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation, digitization and digital transformation aspects as the levers to achieve this goal.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the existing literature, an empirical approach has been established involving a quantitative analysis of secondary information obtained from official datasets and reports.FindingsThe COVID-19 pandemic was found to be an unfortunate accelerator regarding both consumers' habits and organizations' innovation and digital transformation, breaking with the past leading to new sustainable growth business models.Practical implicationsThe research provides an underlying outcome that addresses how wealth and economic value could be generated within the framework of new economic models in a post-pandemic environment.Originality/valueThe research highlights how the pandemic has disrupted what was known about sustainable business growth, and how this affects the future of business beyond the pandemic scenario, transforming the way society, businesses and customers interact.

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