Kovin Naidoo and the Brien Holden Institute: achieving the vision of profit and purpose

Abstract

Learning outcomes

Teaching objective 1: Students are able to identify and apply characteristics of a social entrepreneur, and social enterprise, as defined by Dees (2001). Teaching objective 2: Students are able to identify and apply the four tensions identified by Smith, Gonin and Besharov (2013) that manifest in social enterprises. Teaching objective 3: Students are able to apply Institutional Theory to social entrepreneurship. Students are able to explain legitimacy and the influence of context on the social enterprise. Teaching objective 4: Students through using the Change Canvas, are able to distinguish between profit and purpose characteristics of the organisation; and are able to make recommendations based on the process they have followed.

Case overview/synopsis

Kovin Naidoo is the CEO Of a multi-national social enterprise, Australia-based The Brien Holden Institute. The case explores Naidoo's journey as a social entrepreneur, and the partnership forged with Brien Holden as they built their multinational social enterprise. Naidoo is catapulted to the position of CEO after the sudden death of his friend, and is trying to balance the competing pressures of profit and purpose. The case introduces the foundational characteristics of social entrepreneurship, before exploring Institutional Theory and the Change Canvas as a tool for managing tensions between profit and purpose.

Complexity academic level

This case study is aimed at students of entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, corporate social investment, development studies, innovative health-care systems, sustainable livelihoods and asset-based development. It is written at an Honours / Masters level and is therefore also appropriate for use in customised or short programmes.

Supplementary Materials

Videos (including a TedX by Naidoo), Web materials and a book chapter are included in the supplementary materials list.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Citation

Krige, K.A.M. and Hawarden, V. (2019), "Kovin Naidoo and the Brien Holden Institute: achieving the vision of profit and purpose", , Vol. 9 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-02-2018-0032