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1 – 10 of 26James Austin and V. Kasturi Rangan
This paper aims to reflect on 25 years of the social enterprise initiative at the Harvard Business School, examining the processes and thinking involved at key stages of this…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to reflect on 25 years of the social enterprise initiative at the Harvard Business School, examining the processes and thinking involved at key stages of this pioneering Initiative’s implementation and institutionalization.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt an auto-ethnographical approach, reflexively considering the impact of our actions at key stages.
Findings
Reflecting on the experiences, the authors offer their thoughts on the challenges involved in establishing an educational program. They consider that there were give stages in the development of the program, which ensured its longevity, institutionalization and success: giving birth; starting an experiment; gaining acceptability; being embraced and achieving irreversibility.
Practical implications
The multiple challenges faced, as well as the successes that the authors had over the years, are set out. Awareness of the challenges that the authors faced will support educators to be prepared to overcome the same or similar challenges to implementing and embedding a social enterprise program.
Originality/value
This is the first time that the authors’ reflections on the history of the Social Enterprise Initiative have been brought together. As well as distinctive in their own right, the authors consider that the lessons learned from the work over such a long period could provide valuable insights to those who wish to integrate social enterprise teaching into their settings.
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Linchi Kwok (Lingzhi Guo), Feifei Zhang, Yung-Kuei Huang, Bei Yu, Prabhukrishna Maharabhushanam and Kasturi Rangan
The purpose of this study is to document how restaurant’s business-to-consumer communication strategies evolved on Facebook over time and how consumers’ reactions to a variety of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to document how restaurant’s business-to-consumer communication strategies evolved on Facebook over time and how consumers’ reactions to a variety of Facebook messages changed over time.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzed 2,463 Facebook messages posted by seven quick-service restaurant chains and three casual-dining restaurant chains in the fourth quarter of 2010, 2012 and 2014. ANOVA and post hoc t-test were used to compare the differences among four media types (photo, status update, video and hyperlink) in terms of their usage by companies and Facebook users’ reactions to these messages (measured by number of “Likes”, number of comments and number of shares).
Findings
Over the three periods of time under observation, there is a substantial decrease of status updates by restaurants and a dramatic increase of photo updates. Photo remained as the most “popular” media type, receiving most “Likes”, comments and shares from consumers. Video was not considered “popular” in 2010 but experienced a slight increase in usage and slowly emerged in 2012 and 2014 as another “popular” media, which no longer had statistical difference with photo in number of comments and shares.
Research limitations/implications
Some limitations include an under representable sample and its longitudinal design, but the findings provide additional insight to current literature in social media.
Practical implications
A series of suggestions were advanced from the findings to help hospitality managers better engage Facebook users.
Originality/value
This is probably the first time-series or longitudinal-like analysis in social media research and yields meaningful findings.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore what mechanisms a leader uses when promoting change towards a corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework in the particular context of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore what mechanisms a leader uses when promoting change towards a corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework in the particular context of the Brazilian culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a qualitative case study undertaken at a private forest management company located in the South of Brazil, which draws on in-depth interviews with employees (n=12) and analysis of secondary data. Content analysis supported by Atlas TI software.
Findings
First, this study illustrates the importance of transformational leadership as an internal organisational antecedent for successful organisational change towards CSR practices and policies. This is particularly because this transformation was grounded in moral values, which were used by the leader to build trust, inspire and motivate followers. Second, this case study provides a glimpse into the implementation of CSR practices in a Brazilian organisational setting, suggesting that characteristics that are typical of the national culture reinforce the importance of the leader as a role model, inside and outside the firm, in various realms of the employees’ lives.
Research limitations/implications
The study makes a contribution in extending the understanding about the relationship between leadership and CSR in the context of Brazilian culture. However, as a qualitative case study, findings from this research should not be generalised. Results must be understood in light of the specific conditions in which the case is embedded.
Practical implications
The paper identifies key messages for international companies interested in promoting change in their Brazilian businesses or operations. It also stimulates reflection on the issue of dependency on the leader and eventual challenges regarding continuity and succession.
Originality/value
The paper offers an in-depth analysis of leadership challenges and mechanisms in an organisation embedded in the Brazilian culture.
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Brenda Sternquist, Carol A. Finnegan and Zhengyi Chen
China’s economy is transforming at a brisk pace. A partially dismantled command economy and introduction of competition have fueled consumer demand for a greater selection of…
Abstract
China’s economy is transforming at a brisk pace. A partially dismantled command economy and introduction of competition have fueled consumer demand for a greater selection of innovative new products in the retail market. The challenge for retail buyers is to adjust their procurement processes to respond to consumer needs in an efficient and effective manner. This study examines factors influencing buyer‐supplier relationships in a transition economy. We present a model to explain the factors driving retail buyer dependence on suppliers. We find that retailer evaluation of supplier credibility mediates the relationship between retailer perceptions of a supplier ability to add value to its business and the ability to achieve its desired goals. In part, this is due to the supplier’s market orientation. Interestingly, guanxi ties have no impact on the retailer perceptions of the supplier credibility, but have a positive affect on retailer dependence on its supplier partners.
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Cynthia Schweer Rayner, Camilla Thorogood and Francois Bonnici
The learning outcomes are to understand the definition of public value and the strategic drivers behind public value creation, understand the nature of social innovation in the…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are to understand the definition of public value and the strategic drivers behind public value creation, understand the nature of social innovation in the public sector, identify the critical opportunities and challenges involved in sustaining innovation in the public sector and identify the role that non-profit organizations can play in supporting and sustaining social innovation.
Case overview/synopsis
This case puts participants in the shoes of a global health innovator’s leadership team as the organization approaches a funding crisis. The organization, VillageReach, is on a quest to expand across the public health system of Mozambique and experiences a funding dilemma. The case reveals the challenges of working with governments to achieve large-scale, systemic change. It explores the conundrum of using international donor funding to embed new practices in government service delivery. Ultimately, it asks participants to choose between the pursuit of new, small-scale innovative projects and the large-scale rollout of a national programme.
Complexity academic level
This teaching case is written for courses focused on social entrepreneurship, social innovation and social change. It can also be used in courses focused on non-profit management and public sector innovation. Specifically, the teaching case is suitable for two audiences: social enterprise and non-profit managers focused on strategy, development and operations (the case focuses on an enterprise that relies primarily on donor funding) and health-care managers and administrators. Generally, the case is suitable for undergraduates in their final year of study as well as graduate-level business and public administration courses, including MBA, MPH, MPA, EMBA and Executive Education courses.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Linda I. Nowak and Judith H. Washburn
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the existence and strength of the relationship between proactive environmental policies and brand equity for the winery. Results of this…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the existence and strength of the relationship between proactive environmental policies and brand equity for the winery. Results of this study suggest that consumer perceptions about product quality, consumer trust, consumer perceptions about pricing, and positive expectations for the consequences of the winery's actions undertaking the pro‐environmental policies, all have strong, positive relationships with the winery's brand equity. Trust in the winery and brand equity for the winery increased significantly when the winery in this study adopted proactive environmental business policies.
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Louisi Francis Moura, Edson Pinheiro de Lima, Fernando Deschamps, Eileen Van Aken, Sergio E. Gouvea da Costa, Fernanda Tavares Treinta and José Marcelo Almeida Prado Cestari
In the performance measurement and management research field, the applicability of performance measurement systems (PMS) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and public…
Abstract
Purpose
In the performance measurement and management research field, the applicability of performance measurement systems (PMS) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and public administration has been considered a challenge. The diversity of these organizations makes it difficult to define proper terminology and organizational characteristics. PMS evolution has not yet been able to capture all performance dimensions of a public administration and, especially for NPO considering its dynamic and multiple goals. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that identifies and classifies the factors that influence the design of PMSs in NPOs and public administration.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was developed through a systematic literature review (SLR). A set of 29 papers were intensely studied, and the results provide a multi-disciplinary and holistic set of factors.
Findings
A set of ten factors that influence the design of PMSs in NPO and public administration were found. They were categorized into three groups: factor related to purpose, stakeholders and management.
Originality/value
The study synthesized the literature and provided a conceptual framework of the factors that influence the design of PMSs in NPO and public administration. No individual paper collected in the SLR shows a similar organization of the factors as the present paper. The set of factors indicates the importance of this study for NPO and public administration, and how complex a PMS in an NPO and public administration can become. The conceptual model presented can further assist practitioners in developing design process observing the role that the identified factors play.
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