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Article

Open Access

Innovative Business Models and Initiatives Based on the Social and/or Ecological Mission

Author(s)

Justyna Szumniak-Samolej

Full-Text PDF Download XML 813 Views

DOI:10.17265/1537-1514/2015.12.005

Affiliation(s)

Justyna Szumniak-Samolej, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Management Theory, Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland.

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses innovative business models and initiatives functioning between business and social and/or ecological mission, which are actively and voluntarily engaged in implementing social and/or ecological changes. There are different opinions and ideas that coexist regarding this matter as well as its basic assumptions. The aim of this paper is to provide theoretical frameworks regarding the issues as well as to discuss the different opinions concerning the business models and enterprises. Additionally, three Polish examples of developing business activities according to the described model are presented. Results show that the key to creating and developing enterprises of this kind is innovation which allows social and ecological problems to be redefined as business challenges rather than threats and limitations, since they inspire creating new and revolutionary solutions. What is more, increasingly often enterprises based on the social and/or ecological mission cannot be characterised as traditional companies, because they do not have formal structures, hierarchy, or even employees. Their structures are hybrid or they are a result of new forms of organising human cooperation in the network economy. Therefore, the author defined them as “business models and initiatives”. Moreover, the above trend is developing parallel to the “traditional” corporate social responsibility current. These initiatives are based on corporate social responsibility. Yet they are quite different from the traditional corporate social responsibility forms operating in the marketplace which are often misrepresenting this concept. The research methods used here provide an analysis of the most recent literature on the issues, referential research, and mini case studies.

KEYWORDS

innovative business models, corporate social responsibility, sustainable business models, impact business models, social enterprise, hybrid structures

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