To read this content please select one of the options below:

A story of social entrepreneurship through the creation of the Hopeboots project

Sonya Graci (School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada)
Yvette Rasmussen (Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Vancouver, Canada)
Kaitlyn Washbrook (Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada)

Publication date: 18 June 2024

Issue publication date: 2 July 2024

Abstract

Research methodology

This case was developed by using primary data collected from two separate one on one interviews, a panel interview in which Josee was featured and secondary data collected from news articles and publications featuring Josee. Information specific to Atikuss’ offerings was found through the Atikuss website. A translation software was used to understand many of the articles about Josee, as many were in French.

Case overview/synopsis

Atikuss (meaning young caribou in Innu) is the sustainable business founded by Josee LeBlanc, an Indigenous woman from Northern Quebec. As a workshop-boutique, Attikuss offers a diverse selection of hand-made traditional Indigenous items from her own Indigenous culture. Hopeboots is a project run through Atikuss which allows customers to create their own Mukluks while learning about Indigenous culture and the story behind every design. When starting her business, Josee learned that the women making mukluk boots were not earning a livable wage for their work. Her dilemma when creating a sustainable business was whether to increase the beaders wages to a fair wage, costing her and the consumer more, or maintaining the status quo by continuing to pay the beaders less then five dollars an hour. Josee’s decision to increase wages generated opportunities and increased well being through social investments in her community. This decision considers the cost to many stakeholders and offers an Indigenized perspective to entrepreneurship. This case is relevant to Indigenous entrepreneurship, sustainability, social innovation, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility.

Complexity academic level

This case is targeted toward university-level students and can be relevant to graduate-level students as well.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Government of Canada under the Future Skills Program in partnership with the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Disclaimer: This case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decision making. The author/s may have disguised names; financial and other recognizable information to protect confidentiality.

Citation

Graci, S., Rasmussen, Y. and Washbrook, K. (2024), "A story of social entrepreneurship through the creation of the Hopeboots project", , Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 859-870. https://doi.org/10.1108/TCJ-05-2023-0124

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles