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Social entrepreneurship

Bachelor/master students.

Women Empowerment through Local Livelihood (WELL) is a social venture that was founded in September 2005, by Danny Merguei. Danny was raised in Israel and had a long career in the corporate world as an auditor. After many years of work, Danny and his family moved to India. Shortly after the family arrived to the south of India, one of the biggest tsunamis in history hit the Southeast coast, on 26 December 2004. Many women who were dependent on their husbands as the family’s breadwinners lost them to the tsunami. Danny reacted to the situation by setting up a program to help these women. As the businesses expanded and the effects of the tsunami subsided, the focus of WELL shifted to women from rural areas who were interested in starting a shared business with a group of other women. Women who are selected for the training offered by WELL are guided for six months on how to create products made of recycled materials, such as household items and accessories. During the training, the women also take classes on how to run a business and on personal development. After the women complete the training, they receive a micro loan to start their own businesses. WELL monitors their development, offers business consultancy and quality controls assistance for the products. WELL also buys the products from the women and sells them to shops in India and around the world. The income generated by these sales is used by WELL to sustain and increase its operations. The women, however, are free to decide whether they want to distribute their products through WELL or find other ways to generate income. The mission of WELL is to provide empowerment tools and alternative livelihood to women. Behind it is WELL’s vision to see the status of women in the Indian society and their self-empowerment improve.

With the help of the case and literature students should understand/learn: Some of the differences and similarities between social and commercial entrepreneurship. The students should try to inspect where there is an overlap in social and commercial entrepreneurship (and how this is reflected in the thought-process and decision of the entrepreneur) and where the two separate. The importance of the social mission in social entrepreneurship. This is one of the crucial differences that exists between social and commercial entrepreneurship. The students think about the motivation that drives the entrepreneur. The students should think about the influence that the lead entrepreneur has on the social business, and how the two are linked. That a social problem can have different layers. The students should come to a realisation that sometimes the “real” or deeper problem is not so easy to see and can be obscured by other more exterior problems. About the complexity involved in building up and operating a social venture. The students should try to identify with the protagonist’s struggles while maintaining their own points of view. To have a critical perspective when making an important decision, and to be able to use and put together the relevant information. How to apply models, theories and concepts from the provided literature to answer the case questions.

Teaching Note 2 videos.

CSS:3 Entrepreneurship.

To ensure that students are well prepared to successfully analyze this case, they should be familiar with the following concepts, theories and principles:

▪ Stakeholder theory

▪ Concept of duty to consult and accommodate

▪ Concept of social license to operate (SLO)

▪ Concept of indigenous economic self-determination

▪ Indigenous world view

▪ Seventh generation principle

▪ Cree principles

▪ Dene principles

The information provided in this case was gathered by the authors through face-to-face interviews, phone interviews, e-mail exchanges and secondary research. Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) separates business operations from council operations through use of corporate entities (as shown in Exhibit 1 of the case). Meadow Lake Tribal Council II (MLTCII) is the corporate entity that oversees two companies referenced in the case: Mistik Management and NorSask Forest Products LP. Interviews were conducted with the General Manager at Mistik Management, Certification Coordinator at Mistik Management, Chief of Buffalo River Dene Nation, Chief of Waterhen Lake First Nation, MLTC Vice-Chief, Board Member and Advisor to MLTCII, President and CEO of MLTCII, MLTCII Business Development Consultant and a former consultant with MLTC, NorSask Forest Products and Mistik Management.

Mistik Management Ltd., a forestry management company co-owned by the nine First Nations of MLTC, was a leader in economic reconciliation in 2022. However, the company had dealt with significant challenges not long after it was established in 1989. Richard Gladue, former Chief of the one of MLTCs Member First Nations and a leader in economic development at MLTC, had been actively involved in establishing the organization. Gladue loved the life and vitality of the boreal forest in the Meadow Lake region and felt a sense of responsibility to take care of the forest and the land for generations to come. This responsibility was balanced with the acknowledgement that the forest also provided vast economic development, employment and wealth generation opportunities for MLTC and its Member First Nations.

In the early 1990s, MLTC and Mistik Management dealt with a year-long blockade by a group of protesters that included members of Canoe Lake Cree First Nation, one of the Member First Nations of MLTC. They had not been consulted on Mistik’s processes and policies, and the company’s clear-cut logging had affected their ability to continue their traditional way of life and practices on the land. After the incident, Mistik Management moved more quickly to invest in a co-management process that they were still refining and using in 2022 when consulting with Indigenous groups and communities.

A natural resource economy brings together Indigenous peoples, industry and government. In this case, students will learn about the important role that relationships play and how decisions are made when balancing complex legal, environmental and economic interests. Students will learn about the history of duty to consult and accommodate in Canada; conduct a stakeholder analysis and reflect on how decisions affect stakeholder interests; and make recommendations for meaningful Indigenous engagement strategies using the concept of social license and indigenous principles.

This case is suitable for use in undergraduate courses on indigenous business, ethical decision-making, public policy and/or natural resource development. There may also be applications in other fields of study, including anthropology, economics and political science.

If the case is used in an indigenous business course, it would be best positioned in the last third of the class, after topics such as duty to consult and accommodate, social license and meaningful engagement with indigenous communities have been covered. If used in an ethical decision-making course, it would be best used when discussing stakeholder theory and engaging in stakeholder analysis. If used in a public policy course, the case could be used to start a discussion around the duty to consult and accommodate indigenous communities in Canada. If used in a natural resource development course, the case would be best used as an example of indigenous economic development.

Learning outcomes are as follows: understanding the importance of aligning an entrepreneur’s personal orientation and values (e.g. detachment from the enterprise) with business decisions related to enterprise development; appreciating how prior exposure to business settings can be a source of entrepreneurship pursuits for an entrepreneur; and understand whether a different type of leadership can be instrumental in the creation, running and growth of an entrepreneurial venture, especially in terms of introducing differentiated offerings in the target market.

The case is about an entrepreneur, Sangeeth Varghese, with a very humble and conservative background, who worked in various firms, small and large, and become a young global leader at World Economic Forum, before foraying into entrepreneurship. He is driven by the core values of detachment and democratization, which is reflected throughout his life course and has developed his own views on leadership. After running his first venture LeadCap Ventures with some measure of success, Sangeeth is about to launch his new venture LeadBurg, a web- and mobile-based application for behavioral rating and competency discovery for individuals. The predicament for Sangeeth is about the uncertainties related to the new launch from a business perspective, as well as the concern whether the core principles of democratization and detachment that he identified with, would stand the test in this launch.

Master level program (e.g. MBA).

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Leadership, organizational behavior, entrepreneurship.

This case study is intended for undergraduate and graduate levels.

This is a leadership case about Agnes Jean Brugger, founder of the A.J. Brugger Education Project (also known as the A.J. Brugger Foundation (AJBF)) in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. It is the story of how and why she and Chris Berry co-founded this unique non-profit foundation in tandem with Piedras Y Olas: Pelican Eyes Resort (PEPO) in the late 1990s. The case focuses on how her identity and values shape the origins of AJBF and how the organization evolves in the context of the Nicaraguan and Anglo-American cultures. “Devoted to assisting Nicaragua through education and development of one of the country's most valuable and treasured resources: its young people”, the vision for AJBF was a cutting edge socially conscious venture that grew to meet the needs of the community that had captured Jean's heart and mind. The case ends in early 2009 on the precipice of the biggest economic down-turn the US economy has experienced in recent history. Standing at the edge of this cliff, Jean contemplates the numerous successful accomplishments of the foundation, while reflecting on the many leadership and organizational problems she, as Founder and Chair of the Board, faces.

The case will help participants to: evaluate and discuss leadership effectiveness, identifying responses to opportunities and challenges; explain cross-cultural identity from the Globe Study model and how it impacts organizational interactions; explore successful models of cross-cultural leadership through the lens of gendered theory; explore the ways in which social entrepreneurship can be seen as an extension of socially-minded leadership; describe how socially-minded entrepreneurship is different from traditional forms of entrepreneurship; describe social identity and evaluate its impact on leadership; and discuss the rich historical and community context that influences interpersonal and organizational dynamics.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or e-mail support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Leadership; Political Economy; Strategy; Entrepreneurship.

Masters in Business Administration (MBA); MPhil in Strategic Leadership.

On 5 February 2016, South African entrepreneur Jannie Van Eeden faced a dilemma about whether to expand his current businesses or not. He had to choose between focusing exclusively on hospitality and tourism or dividing his time and resources between the tourism business and expanding his existing logistics business. Expansions to his logistics business would entail investing in a warehouse and supplying fresh produce to the lodges in the wider area of Lake Malawi where he was based. Van Eeden realised that he needed to take into account the political economy of Malawi in unpacking the contextual variables related to his decision. Various stakeholders’ roles are illustrated in the case, for example the government’s role in enabling entrepreneurial businesses as well as the investments made by foreign organisations and international donors.

Development of leaders who can take contextually intelligent decisions. Insights into conducting Political Economy analysis to enable doing business in Africa.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 7: Management Science.

Strategic management is the focus area in this case study, so it is important to consider different sources of information to make strategic decisions. Considering the different options of Wine Cooperative of Vidigueira Cuba & Alvito (ACVCA), it is necessary to know the strengths and weaknesses of each option and identify respective opportunities and threats. Additionally, it is important to know the case study object (such as operating specific characteristics, products and management model); the competition; the evolution of the wine sector in Portugal and worldwide; the evolution of the tourism sector in Portugal and worldwide; and new trends in wine and tourism.

In January 2018, Mr Jose, leader of the Board of Directors (BD) of the ACVCA, one of Portugal’s oldest wine cooperatives, located in the south of the country, in the Alentejo region, is preparing the first meeting with the newly elected BD. Addressing the strategy and sustainability for the next term of the BD is mandatory! Mr Jose will have to open the game and lift the veil. Should all their eggs be put in one basket? Or could diversification be the way? Sustainability, in its three pillars (economic, environmental and social), is mandatory, never forgetting that the cooperators want respective income guaranteed. “We can’t risk everything”, thinks Mr Jose! But ACVCA’s affirmation undoubtedly depends on its ability to take risks, to innovate and seek new answers for new audiences! The BD will have to make decisions that lead not only to the affirmation of the brand but also to its renown and to the ACVCA’s sustainable growth. There are several possible options. However, it is necessary to define a path that guarantees the stability achieved, but that allows new markets to be reached and new challenges embraced: increase production capacity, invest in internationalisation, focus on segmentation through innovation, diversification of product or diversification of business area. Wine tourism is a possible way, but how can it be done sustainably and differently? We will have to use creativity and take advantage of our strengths, traditions and customs, intangible and tangible capital and our material and immaterial heritage. It can be done through Amphora wine, produced from its exclusive centuries-old grape varieties. These issues will have to be discussed with all the BD members in the next meeting. Considering the crucial role of cooperatives in the development of the regions where they are located, the success of the strategy is extremely important not only for ACVCA, but also for all its stakeholders. Strategic management decisions in a cooperative always have a double objective: on the one hand, to satisfy the interests of the cooperators and, at the same time, to meet the interests of the market and assert its positioning in an increasingly competitive sector.

This case study is intended for:▪ undergraduate students in management, agricultural economy and tourism;▪ executive management course students;▪ Master’s students in strategy, marketing, tourism and agricultural economy; and▪ PhD students in social economy and tourism.This case can have different levels of difficulty depending on the scientific area of the students and whether the cycle of studies is more or less advanced. Resolution of the case may require the following pre-requisites:▪ basic-level knowledge on statistics;▪ medium-level knowledge on managerial accounting, economics and finance; and▪ good level of knowledge on strategic management and on cooperativism theories.

The case illustrates how environmental forces affect an industry’s profitability. PESTEL and five forces analyses can be used to examine the retail agricultural equipment industry.

Single case study.

Jonathan Sullivan has a decision to make. His company is struggling due to difficult industry conditions. He is questioning if the company can continue to survive. MEC is an agricultural equipment dealer. The industry has experienced boom-and-bust periods since the company was founded. But the current downturn seems different. The past five years have been difficult as manufacturers have changed their dealership practices. Jonathan has struggled with some of the new practices the manufacturers have implemented. These new practices could negatively impact the company’s ability to survive. Jonathan wonders, “What is the best path forward for the business?”

The case is designed to be used in an undergraduate strategic management course.

The case study will help improve systemic gender-related challenges for women in STEM, male-dominated nontraditional workplaces, such as mining, and contribute to CASE FOR WOMEN database of women-centered business teaching cases.

The learning objectives are as follows: discuss gender issues in nontraditional science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM)–related male-dominated industries; conduct a strategic competitive strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats analysis and political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental analysis; evaluate relevant information and decision criteria to assess the options; provide recommendations for strengthening vision mission and strategy; and analyze the business model using the Business Model Canvas.

Alicia Woods (she/her), founder of Covergalls Inc., was facing an unexpected challenge during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic restrictions and lockdowns which had created an unprecedented disruption to her business. Should Covergalls continue on its current path, or was it time to branch out?

This case is suitable for diversity, equality and inclusion, strategic management, entrepreneurship, marketing or leadership courses at the undergraduate BBA and graduate MBA level on campus or online.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CCS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This article, written in case format, has been written to assist the novice case writer in case research and writing. The article covers all aspects of case writing including: idea generation and sources of cases, working with primary and secondary case sources, obtaining client releases, writing the case story line, developing a catchy ‘hook’, using the past tense, providing supporting exhibits, and providing a bibliography for the case. The teaching note (or instructor's manual)is also covered in detail including: an overview of the case, learning objectives, course placement and targeted audience, instructional methodologies, case questions and answers, the epilogue, and the bibliography. Appendix A includes a discussion on case publishing and includes a list of journals and conferences which accept cases.

After studying this case, students should be able to: understand the process of opportunity identification for forming social enterprises (knowledge), discuss various concepts related to social entrepreneurship and not-for-profit firms (comprehension), apply tools to differentiate between social and commercial enterprises (application), analyze the role of environmental factors like culture in influencing business (analysis) and develop decision-making skills by critically evaluating the options (evaluation).

Sasta Bhojan Sewa (SBS) was one of the key projects of Parupkar Sewa Society. The social venture initiated by Jaswinder Singh, a young resident of Ambala (a small town in Haryana, India), got registered as a not-for-profit society in the year 2018. Mr. Singh initiated various social welfare projects since the year 2006 when he got inspired from the history of Sikh Gurus. As years passed, he was able to employ more and more people. This led to the development of a social venture, which had 33 employees at the end of the year 2019. The society was running seven major projects with the help of dasvandh (donations). Project SBS was about providing home-like hygienic meals to people at merely INR10. There were 11 canteens in Ambala city and cantonment, which were being run under that project. Around 1,500 people were eating daily in those canteens, out of which around 70–80 people were not able to pay even INR10. The project had employed 30 people. The salaries of the staff and other operating expenses like liquid petroleum gas (LPG) expense, transportation cost and electricity were met through dasvandh (donations) from the local households. When the project was initiated, the cost of preparing a meal was INR10, but by the end of 2019, the cost went up to INR12 per meal due to food inflation. The meal was still being sold at INR10 at a loss of INR2 per meal. On December 28, 2019, as founder of the society, Mr. Singh was thinking of raising the selling price to INR12 per meal, which had to be implemented on January 01, 2020 but he was doubtful in doing so. He thought increasing the price might defeat the purpose of starting SBS as he was reflecting on how poor people were and how each rupee mattered to them. He was also considering that it might affect the goodwill of the society that was known for selling food at an extremely low price. By using the example of SBS, we explain various concepts of not-for-profit social enterprises like opportunity identification, key drivers, business model canvas and environmental effects in this teaching note. The teaching note also provides cost–benefit analysis of the available options to facilitate effective decision-making.

Undergraduate and graduate-level business programs.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.