scholarly journals Social value creation by multinational enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmund Rygh

Purpose This study aims to discuss an argument that the social value creation of multinational enterprises (MNEs), beyond creating economic value for the shareholders, could be the next “big question” for international business (IB) research. The authors also provide examples of promising research topics associated with this research agenda. Design/methodology/approach The paper is conceptual. Findings Although a new paradigmatic question for IB in terms of social value creation would lead IB outside familiar territory in terms of the previous focus on financial performance, IB scholars are well equipped to take on this broader question. IB scholars arguably have their key strengths in understanding the inner workings of firms, as well as in understanding the role of context for business. Moreover, to the extent that this new agenda requires IB scholars to acquire new capabilities and form new partnerships with relevant disciplines, this could contribute to revitalising the IB field. As illustrated by the suggested topics, such an agenda could both increase the relevance of IB research and contribute to theory development. Originality/value The paper is amongst the first to explore the notion that a broader view of the outcome of MNE activities, beyond MNEs’ own financial outcomes, should be a key goal of future IB research.

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-46
Author(s):  
Noemi Sinkovics ◽  
Jason Archie-acheampong

Purpose This study aims to investigate how different academic fields within and outside of international business (IB) engage with the topics of social value creation in the context of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The aim is to take stock of the main themes and offer suggestions for future research avenues. Design/methodology/approach The paper undertakes a scoping review. The authors use the Web of Science database to identify relevant articles. The database search yielded 466 articles. The NVivo software was used to code and identify key thematic areas. Findings The matrix analysis performed in NVivo yielded 15 main thematic areas spanning 37 research fields. However, further analysis revealed that 89 per cent of the articles originated from 13 fields. Furthermore, while IB journals represent the second-largest field home to publications related to the social value creation of MNEs, they only account for 12 per cent of the sample. Originality/value The paper responds to prior calls to reduce disciplinary silos through the performing of a thematic analysis across a multitude of research fields.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 2190-2216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Canestrino ◽  
Marek Ćwiklicki ◽  
Primiano Di Nauta ◽  
Pierpaolo Magliocca

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the key factors for successful creation of social value using the social business model (SBM) as an explanatory framework. Design/methodology/approach This study follows the Krippendorff and Gioia’s methodology seeking the rigor while examining the selected case study – a social cooperative named La Paranza, in the city of Naples in the south of Italy. In doing so, the SBM canvas is used to present the research’s results in a systematic way. Findings The existence of a strong “identity” with the local context, the “enthusiasm and the wish to change things”, the presence of a “visionary”, acting as an orchestrator and the ability to provide for responses to the local needs were identified as key factors in the successful creation of social value in the examined case. Research limitations/implications The main research limits stem from the single case study methodology approach, which embodies the researchers’ subjectivity. A comparative study based on the collection of multiple successful case studies is therefore suggested to develop a generalization of the key drivers underlying the process of social value creation. Originality/value The study’s originality results from its use of the SBM framework in presenting a successful example of social value creation. The examined empirical evidence is also original in itself, mainly because of its inner uniqueness as a new and innovative formula: this allows an in-depth investigation and the inspiration for new ideas in the ground of SBM and, in a broader sense, in the field of social innovation and social value creation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-78
Author(s):  
Jonathan Doh

Purpose In this viewpoint, the author critically aims to examine the papers by Sinkovics and Archie-Acheampong (2019, this issue) “The social value creation of MNEs – a literature review across multiple academic fields” and by Rygh (2019, this issue) “Social value creation by multinational enterprises: the next “big question” for international business research?” and offer an appraisal of the papers’ merits as well as thoughts for further development of research on social value creation, critical international business and work that can conceivably contribute to scholarship on global grand challenges. Design/methodology/approach The author’s approach is a reflexive review of two papers in the Critical Perspectives on International Business special issue “social value creation of MNEs.” The underpinning tenet is that by shifting the domain of international business (IB) research from an exclusive focus on the MNEs’ economic success or failure to the role and responsibility of MNEs in global communities, IB’s contributions can be strengthened. Findings A reorientation of the IB disciplinary focus toward global grand challenges will contribute by improving the engagement with other allied disciplines such as political science, sociology and international relations and exchanging ideas and insights with those disciplines, providing a platform to speak to not just business communities but also policy and civil society communities and bring a sophisticated knowledge base to those discussions, and connecting some of our personal interests, beliefs and values with those of our disciplinary research. Research limitations/implications The papers covered in this special issue on social value creation underscore the diversity, plurality and richness of IB. In the early days of IB, scholars such as Hymer (1960), Vernon (1971) and others naturally position IBs and MNEs within a broader societal context and were open to exploring the various interactions and cross currents between and among business, government and civil society in the global environment. Against this background, this special issue and its papers thus widen the scope of our field again. Practical implications IB scholars may be able to broaden their contributions to include values-based and even normative judgements into their research process. Social implications If assumptions and biases are made explicit, critical and normative issues may suitably be incorporated in IB work and thus contribute to tackling grand societal challenges. Originality/value The papers discussed in this viewpoint and the “social value creation” special issue more broadly offer contemporary contributions regarding the role and responsibilities of business in the global commons. This is of significant value for further conceptual and empirical work that is critically and societally engaged.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Addisu A. Lashitew ◽  
Rob van Tulder

Purpose Multinational enterprises (MNEs) attempting to create social value in base of the pyramid (BoP) economies are encumbered by unique market and institutional barriers. To overcome these challenges, BoP scholars have advocated the strategy of using embeddedness as a replacement for inefficient formal institutions. Reliance on informal social ties for coordinating market exchange, however, leads to costly investments, exposure to opportunism and the creation of nontransferable capabilities. This paper aims to investigate these issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors argue that embeddedness should be used as an intermediate step toward developing more enduring formal institutions rather than as a replacement for them. Findings The authors put forward the notion of proto-institutions as a useful concept for exploring how MNEs can engage in co-designing efficient and inclusive institutional forms aimed at engendering long-term social value creation. Originality/value The authors identify three institutional fields wherein MNEs can leverage social embeddedness to develop proto-institutions that are potentially transferable to become formal institutions. First, MNEs can build governance institutions that can enhance coordination among local actors. Second, MNEs can experiment with small-scale change and adaptation of market institutions that reduce transaction costs and facilitate market exchanges. For example, improved institutional practices in value chain governance can boost business performance while also improving the livelihoods of supply chain partners. Finally, the authors discuss the potential for developing favorable socio-cultural institutions by introducing new principles of organizing or educational practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Ayuso ◽  
Xavier Carbonell ◽  
Laia Serradell

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess higher education institutions’ (HEIs) social sustainability by applying Integrated Social Value (ISV) analysis to eight universities belonging to the Catalan Association of Public Universities in Spain. Design/methodology/approach ISV analysis is a social accounting methodology that considers both the economic value and the social value created for all the organisation’s stakeholders through a participatory and systematic process. Findings The authors have shown that ISV analysis can be effective to assess the impacts on social sustainability of HEIs. The monetised results facilitate understanding about the valued impacts and allow integration with the universities’ financial data. Research limitations/implications The research advances the under-researched topic of social sustainability assessment in higher education. Practical implications Quantifying universities’ social impacts in monetary terms may help to transform conventional financial accounting and improve HEIs’ internal strategy and management according to sustainability principles. Social implications The process of measuring the social value created by universities provides a way to meet the rising demands for greater accountability and transparency and facilitates engagement with stakeholders on how these institutions are contributing to sustainable development. Originality/value ISV analysis represents an innovative approach to assess how HEIs create benefits for its internal and external stakeholders and contribute to solutions to social challenges.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pier Sacco ◽  
Guido Ferilli ◽  
Giorgio Tavano Blessi

We develop a new conceptual framework to analyze the evolution of the relationship between cultural production and different forms of economic and social value creation in terms of three alternative socio-technical regimes that have emerged over time. We show how, with the emergence of the Culture 3.0 regime characterized by novel forms of active cultural participation, where the distinction between producers and users of cultural and creative contents is increasingly blurred, new channels of social and economic value creation through cultural participation acquire increasing importance. We characterize them through an eight-tier classification, and argue on this basis why cultural policy is going to acquire a central role in the policy design approaches of the future. Whether Europe will play the role of a strategic leader in this scenario in the context of future cohesion policies is an open question.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyuan Li ◽  
Mohammed Abubakari Sadick ◽  
Abdul-Aziz Ibn Musah ◽  
Salisu Mustapha

This paper presents a survey study of how social innovation moderates social and economic value from the perspective of shared value creation. Specifically, the study addresses the following questions: Does economic value lead to social value creation in shared value creation? Does social innovation moderate social and economic value in the creation of shared value? The questions are addressed through an empirical investigation of 250 social enterprise organizations that apply social objectives and a market-based approach to attain social and economic goals in Ghana. The study used SmartPLS software version 3.0 to evaluate the data collected. The results indicated that economic value influences the creation of social value in shared value creation. Study results also revealed that social innovation is a driver of shared value creation via social value in the educational sector of Ghana. However, social innovation could not play a moderating role in economic value to shared value creation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suvi Kokko

Purpose This paper aims to understand how social value is created in a context characterized by institutional complexity. By identifying stakeholders interacting in a social enterprise and the logics guiding their expected and experienced value, the study describes how social value is created when different institutional logics embedded in strong-tie networks are bridged. Design/methodology/approach Concepts of structural holes and institutional logics were applied to the empirical case of a social enterprise. Interviews provided the primary empirical material, but multiple data collection methods were used. Findings A shared goal facilitated co-existence of competing value logics, and provided common space forming multiple social value outcomes as products of the different logics. Research limitations/implications Limited to one case, this study shows that the interaction of otherwise unconnected stakeholders in a social enterprise, and their embeddedness in different institutional logics, provides one explanation for why and how social value is created. Practical implications Acknowledging and addressing gaps in knowledge and resources can lead to social value creation if social enterprises remain open to different logics. This suggests that co-existence of different logics can be a key factor for successful social value creation in social enterprises, if the competing logics are turned into complementary sources. Originality/value Dependency on logics from different networks of stakeholders shapes social enterprises to produce outcomes consistent with the different logics. The multiplicity of social value outcomes poses challenges for evaluating the success of social enterprises, especially when the tendency is to use evaluation approaches from the for-profit sector, focusing on the economic logic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 948-956
Author(s):  
Nur Syuhada Jasni ◽  
Haslinda Yusoff

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the business practices in both; accelerating digitalisation and addressing social issues among Malaysian companies. Methodology: This study uses a sample consisting of four top telecommunication companies listed in the Bursa Malaysia. This study provides relevant literature on the social value creation concept from the corporate perspective. Besides, content analysis is used to extract relevant information from the particular sustainability report of the companies. Results: Results indicate that three out of four companies in the sample are very proactive in embracing the social value creation concept that aligned with national objectives and Sustainability Development Goals (SDG). Although, similarly, all companies addressed providing rural and urban poor communities’ digitalisation assistance as their social contributions. Implications: These results reveal input on the integration of accelerating digitalisation and addressing social issues, that focusing on social value creation. Management should understand that the financial implications has become an important component of social projects in line. Hence should establish effective strategic business strategy towards Integrated Reporting (IR) 4.0 that in reality has significant impact on the society and country.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Balashankar Mulloth ◽  
Stefano Rumi

PurposeDespite the prevalence of academic literature debating and proposing competing conceptions of social value creation through socially driven enterprises, there is a lack of empirical studies on established impact measurement methodologies in the context of real-world ventures. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a structured process of conducting social impact assessments (SIAs) through the real-world case of Richmond, Virginia Works Enterprise Support (RVA Works), a social enterprise in Richmond, Virginia, that provides educational programming on small business ownership to minorities and lower-income individuals.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research study incorporates an in-depth case study methodology. Evidence was collected through interpretive/qualitative interviews and direct observations by the researchers.FindingsUsing the example of RVA Works, the authors show that there is a lack of standardization and guidance for social entrepreneurs in choosing methods to assess their organizational performance, and that leading conceptions of social impact continue to face key weaknesses in their methodologies.Practical implicationsBy incorporating a qualitative case study approach, the authors present a real-world study of a social enterprise – specifically a microenterprise development organization – that may serve as a valuable example to social entrepreneurs and not-for-profit leaders facing similar challenges of social value creation and impact measurement.Originality/valueIn studying the experience of conducting SIAs by social enterprises, the authors illustrate the real-world challenges faced by entrepreneurs in applying theoretical conceptions of social value to the outcomes of their ventures, thus illustrating a need for additional clarity and discussion around a more comprehensive, standardized and broadly applicable measurement approach.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document