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The Business of Social and Environmental Innovation

In: The Business of Social and Environmental Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Verena Bitzer

    (University of Cape Town)

  • Ralph Hamann

    (University of Cape Town)

Abstract

Innovative responses are necessary to address persistent and intertwined problems such as poverty, resource degradation, or food insecurity. There is a growing expectation for business to play a proactive role in this, but there are still remarkable gaps in our understanding of how exactly business can generate social and environmental innovation. This book focuses on the business of social and environmental innovation in the African context, where these issues are particularly relevant but even less well understood. The following chapter sets the scene by introducing the key concepts and issues at stake. We argue that the emergence of social and environmental innovation is often associated with individual efforts of social entrepreneurs, organizational transformation in incumbent businesses, and/or cross-sector partnerships as collective efforts. This is reflected in the sequence of the chapters in this volume. We identify four cross-cutting themes which are addressed in some way or other by each of the contributing chapters: (1) social innovation as a process or outcome; (2) mapping and scaling up innovations; (3) tension between social purpose and profit generation; and (4) socio-economic and institutional context.

Suggested Citation

  • Verena Bitzer & Ralph Hamann, 2015. "The Business of Social and Environmental Innovation," Springer Books, in: Verena Bitzer & Ralph Hamann & Martin Hall & Eliada Wosu Griffin-EL (ed.), The Business of Social and Environmental Innovation, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 3-24, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-319-04051-6_1
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-04051-6_1
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jackson Musona & Kaisu Puumalainen & Helena Sjögrén & Anna Vuorio, 2021. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship at the Bottom of the Pyramid: An Identity-Based Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-37, January.
    2. Bisheng Du & Qing Liu & Guiping Li, 2017. "Coordinating Leader-Follower Supply Chain with Sustainable Green Technology Innovation on Their Fairness Concerns," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-23, November.
    3. Rodrigo Lozano & Maria Barreiro‐Gen & Afnan Zafar, 2021. "Collaboration for organizational sustainability limits to growth: Developing a factors, benefits, and challenges framework," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(4), pages 728-737, July.
    4. Celina Schelle & Benno Pokorny, 2021. "How Inclusive Is Inclusive? A Critical Analysis of an Agribusiness Initiative in Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Ling Liu & Jose Godinez & John Henley & J. Mauricio Galli Geleilate, 2023. "Corruption distance and the equity-based foreign entry strategies of multinational enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(4), pages 492-510, December.
    6. Adriane MacDonald & Amelia Clarke & Lei Huang, 2019. "Multi-stakeholder Partnerships for Sustainability: Designing Decision-Making Processes for Partnership Capacity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 409-426, December.
    7. Francisco Javier Carrillo, 2016. "Knowledge markets: a typology and an overview," International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 7(3), pages 264-289.
    8. Laura Pereira & Timothy Karpouzoglou & Samir Doshi & Niki Frantzeskaki, 2015. "Organising a Safe Space for Navigating Social-Ecological Transformations to Sustainability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, May.
    9. James Wangu & Ellen Mangnus & A.C.M. (Guus) van Westen, 2020. "Limitations of Inclusive Agribusiness in Contributing to Food and Nutrition Security in a Smallholder Community. A Case of Mango Initiative in Makueni County, Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-23, July.
    10. Laura Corazza & Maurizio Cisi & Greta Falavigna, 2022. "The enabling role of formalized corporate networks to drive small and medium‐sized enterprises toward sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 545-558, January.
    11. Giacomo Ciambotti & Matteo Pedrini, 2021. "Hybrid Harvesting Strategies to Overcome Resource Constraints: Evidence from Social Enterprises in Kenya," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 631-650, January.
    12. Littlewood, David C. & Kiyumbu, Wilkister L., 2018. "“Hub” organisations in Kenya: What are they? What do they do? And what is their potential?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 276-285.

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