scholarly journals The value of technology affordances to improve the management of nonprofit organizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Bobsin ◽  
Maira Petrini ◽  
Marlei Pozzebon
Keyword(s):  
Technology Management ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Process Model ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technology Affordances

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the benefits generated by the use of new technologies by nonprofit organizations, with focus on how these artefacts can improve their ability to achieve their social mission. Design/methodology/approach To understand the potential use of technology by a nonprofit organization, the concept of affordance was applied. The authors propose a processual model of affordances’ interdependences that enrich the extant literature. Six nonprofit organizations in two Brazilian regions were deeply investigated using a multiple case study method. Findings The authors identified new sub-categories of technology affordances, which are not just related to nonprofit but that could be also applied to other types, including for-profit. Sub-categories of affordances seem to play different roles in the actualization process. The authors are not proposing determinist connections among sub-categories, but they argue that they sustain some sub-categories precede or create the condition for others to emerge. Originality/value Nonprofit organizations lack theoretical and empirical investigations on management in general and on technology management in particular. In its turn, the technology field does not pay much attention, both in terms of research and practice, to the specificities of the third sector where the nonprofit organizations operate. This process model of potential uses of new technologies that might favor nonprofit organizations contributes to the cross-fertilization between two distinct fields: third sector and technology management.

Motives for corporate philanthropy and charitable causes supported

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dane K. Peterson ◽  
Cathryn Van Landuyt ◽  
Courtney Pham
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Charitable Giving ◽  
Corporate Philanthropy ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Corporate Strategies ◽  
Private Corporations

PurposeThis paper examines how the inferred motives for corporate philanthropy relate to the types of charitable causes supported.Design/methodology/approachPublished data were obtained for 256 publicly traded and private corporations from a variety of sources.FindingsThe results demonstrated that a number of motives were not significantly related to total charitable giving, but were related to how charitable funds were distributed to various charitable causes. Thus, the study provides insights on the strategic use of corporate charity as means of achieving various business objectives and advancing a theoretical understanding of corporate philanthropy strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only investigated some of the presumed motives for corporate philanthropy. Even for the motives investigated in this study, no attempt was made to examine all the motivational factors that determine the level of need for a specific motive. Thus, while the present study provides some of the first evidence of a relationship between motivational factors and data on the types of charitable causes supported, there are other motivational factors that could be investigated in future studies.Practical implicationsThe results have a number of implications for managers of nonprofit organizations such as marketing/targeting potential donors. Additionally, the results could be useful for managers of for profit firms in terms of comparing corporate strategies with competing firms.Originality/valueThe study provides a framework for investigating the relationship between motivational factors and types of charitable causes supported.

Consumer preferences for banking technologies by age groups

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Harris ◽  
K. Chris Cox ◽  
Carolyn Findley Musgrove ◽  
Kathryn W Ernstberger
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Concepts Of Technology

Purpose – The prevailing mindset is that younger people value and more readily adopt technology. The purpose of this paper is to determine if this is true with respect to banking practices. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted to evaluate the importance of mobile, online, and physical-based banking across multiple age groups. Factor analysis and analysis of covariance were used to evaluate the responses. Findings – The results show that older consumers see more value in traditional, physical-based banking, all ages are equally interested in currently emerging technologies (online), and younger users are more interested in the newest technologies. Research limitations/implications – The stereotype of technology-adverse elderly may be too limiting. Age influences are not absolute barriers enacted by time, but are potentially learned behaviors. Practical implications – Practitioners interested in introducing new technologies to the elderly might consider making their innovations more compatible with existing technologies already in use. Originality/value – This study builds on the concepts of technology adoption and previous work on aging as it relates to adoption. However, it is shown that cognitive declines are not the only factor that can explain age-related differences in technology usage. Cohort differences in experience and resources may also be important. This is of value not only to the banks, but to all businesses that rely on consumer use of technology to maintain the business relationship.

scholarly journals Ways of working between third sector organizations and UK universities: are we getting it right?

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 17-20
Author(s):  
Colm Fearon ◽  
Antonio Sama ◽  
Wim van Vuuren
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Third Sector Organizations ◽  
Business Skills ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Regional Universities ◽  
Student Volunteers ◽  
Strategic Advice ◽  
Student Projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer strategic advice and identify ways in which third sector organizations can work with United Kingdom (UK) universities for promoting business education and enterprise skills development. Design/methodology/approach The authors’ strategic advice is based on analysis of qualitative interviews, focus groups, interactive seminars/workshops, and working with third sector support agencies. Findings Advice for third sector organizations includes the following points: build your efficacy – share the burden, do not attempt everything on your own; partner, or own the business skills yourself – you decide upon your strategy; develop your “social mission” and be “business oriented”; develop applied student projects – everyone wins; think about student volunteers; and local universities are there for you – check and see. Originality/value This is the first article of Development and Learning in Organization (DLO) to consider relationships between UK’s third sector organizations and regional universities. The authors deal with important education, skills, and business development issues for the third sector. There are new opportunities in 2016 (and beyond) for universities to build closer relationships with their third sector communities.

Business tools in nonprofit organizations: a performative story

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Petitgand
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Third Sector Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Enterprise Model ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of introducing business tools into nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Exploring the case of an NPO trying to embrace the social enterprise model, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the managerialization process affecting third sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach Relying on an in-depth ethnographic immersion conducted at a Brazilian NPO, this paper adopts a performativity lens to analyze the appropriation process of a traditional business tool, the Individual Development Plan (IDP), at the organization. Findings The story of the IDP’s appropriation reveals how business tools act as market devices to actualize economic behaviors and representations among NPOs’ beneficiaries. Reinforcing the control of managers upon their constituencies, business tools can thus create an unequal balance of power within NPOs. Practical implications Admittedly, this paper relies on one single case study, which imposes strong limitations to generalize empirical findings. Nonetheless, this analysis calls for more caution in the promotion of business tools for the development of social entrepreneurship in third sector organizations. Originality/value Rather than debating the accuracy and efficiency of business tools in NPOs, this paper adopts a performative approach to understand how artifacts change the nature of relationships between managers and beneficiaries within social ventures. Rejecting a normative stance, this paper proposes a micro-level analysis of managerialization, focusing on an organization from an emerging country, Brazil, which is rarely at the core of social entrepreneurship studies.

How dominant coalition members’ values and perceptions impact their perceptions of public relations participation in organizational decision making

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Relations Practitioners ◽  
The Public ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Dominant Coalition

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the extent to which dominant coalition members’ values and perceptions influence their perceptions of public relations participation in organization-level decision making. Research in this area has largely focussed on the relationship between practitioner roles and decision-making inclusion. Design/methodology/approach – The population of interest was dominant coalition members of for-profit, government, and nonprofit organizations in the USA. Data were collected through a national survey to a nonrandom sample of 201 dominant coalition members. Findings – Results indicate that dominant coalition members’ values of organizational openness to the environment and perceived substantive autonomy of the organization positively predicted perceptions of public relations participation in organizational decision making. Perceived manager role potential of the public relations department also had significant predictive power. Originality/value – While research has focussed primarily on the characteristics that public relations practitioners can develop to earn a seat at the management table, little is known about the characteristics of dominant coalition members that influence whether or not a seat is made available or the degree to which public relations is perceived to participate in decision making.

Measuring the effectiveness of an alternative education collaboration

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soribel Genao
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Alternative Education ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Governmental Agencies ◽  
New Research ◽  
Collaborative Activities

Purpose – Program efficacy and outcomes can often be determined through an examination of collaborative activities between and among inner city school districts with high dropout rates and private, public, and nonprofit organizations. Kettl (2004) adeptly describes additional collaborative practice trends that not only transform governance structures, but blurs the line between and among sectors. These trends illuminate the need for governmental agencies to collaborate with nonprofit and for-profit organizations to address “wicked problems” where no single organization has sufficient resources and the consequences are enormous. The paper aims to discuss theses issues. Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing a quantitative approach, this research compares the efficacy of a newly developed collaborative alternative education program to existing programs in New Jersey's Newark Public Schools during 2008-2009. Findings – The results indicate that the overall performance of the students enrolled in the new research models is significantly higher than in the existing program due to incentives and not administrative collaboration. Research limitations/implications – Implications for future research include: first, the need for studies to reveal enduring, universal effects of collaboration; second, longitudinal studies of the effects of collaboration on alternative education issues; and third, an evaluation of the effectiveness of collaborative training. Originality/value – This research intends to contribute to the literature concerning these distinctive types of partnerships – specifically the integration of three very different systems into a collaborative service. This single case study presents support of how these services subsist within four settings and what force they have on special services for students in alternative education in the public schools.

Fundación arteBA: supporting visual artists by promoting the art market

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Gabriel Berger ◽  
Carolina Gowland
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Board Meeting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Organizations ◽  
For Profit

Subject area Strategic management of nonprofit organizations. Study level/applicability This case is appropriate for graduate level program/executive education courses; advanced topics in nonprofit management or strategic management of nonprofit organizations. Case overview This case focuses on the central dilemma faced by arteBA Foundation in 2008. arteBA Foundation's chairman, Facundo Gómez Minujín, received an offer from a foreign company to purchase the art fair launched 17 years before – and by then acknowledged as the most prestigious fair in Latin America. Leading art fairs around the world were managed by for-profit companies that could view arteBA as a strategic asset to tap into new markets. Gómez Minujín called for an urgent board meeting. The young chairman had his qualms about selling the fair. In addition to corroborating arteBA's brand positioning in the region and rewarding the organization's efforts over the years, this purchasing offer afforded the possibility to undertake several projects to further develop and promote Argentine art – the true driver for most arteBA's members. The case describes the foundation's background and the fair's growth until the crossroads in November 2008. They include several accounts of instances in which the foundation took financial risks to enhance the fair's positioning, such as granting subsidized space to emerging galleries at its Young Neighborhood Program, expanding to include aesthetically risky offerings at its Open Space section, and financially supporting Brazilian galleries to attend the fair in order to enhance its Latin American scope and regional consolidation. Similarly, the case depicts how the foundation chose to uphold fair continuity in critical years (2001) amidst a dismal domestic setting. The dilemma presented by this case hinges on an organization's ability to build a market-based venture while preserving and pursuing its mission. To promote Argentine artists and art, arteBA Foundation had to help art galleries – for-profit businesses – to adopt more professional practices. Another challenge described in this case revolves around the need to “manage quality” in detriment of greater, immediate revenues. The last section revisits the central dilemma faced by arteBA Foundation. The mixed reactions of board members on the fair's purchase offer described in the introduction unfolded in a passionate debate at the board meeting. Two prevailing positions emerged in reference to the future of the organization. For some board members selling the fair afforded arteBA a chance to finally undertake new challenges, such as launching a grant program, offering financial support to artists, consolidating a new venture (South Limit), etc. Opposing board members contended that, without the fair, the foundation made no sense and that no other initiative could have such an impact on its field of choice. Finally, the board found it impossible to reach a decision on this matter in just one meeting and decided to resume its discussion after a recess. Expected learning outcomes This case has been designed to advance the following teaching objectives: gaining a better understanding of market-based ventures carried out by social organizations; discussing the alignment of market-based ventures to social missions at social organizations; adequately interpreting market trends to try to align them to a nonprofit's mission; identifying the primary capabilities needed by social organizations to manage profitable market-based ventures; developing a positive market orientation as a source of opportunities for a nonprofit; appreciating the significance of an active, committed board for market-based venture development; and highlighting the primary role of entrepreneurship and innovation when it comes to launching market-based ventures that add value to a nonprofit's brand. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available.

Fair trade coffee and inclusive globalization: a metamorphosis of institutional entrepreneurship

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Zhu ◽  
Sunny Li Sun ◽  
Ying Huang
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Fair Trade ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneurship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fair Trade Coffee ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneurs ◽  
Inclusive Globalization

Purpose Initiated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over half a century ago, fair trade has successfully evolved from a regional business discourse to a global social movement within international trade. In the matter of fair trade coffee, this global social movement has transformed the traditional coffee trade structure of inequality and unfairness into a conglomerate of international institutions that embrace equity and inclusivity – a metamorphosis that can be attributed to NGOs’ institutional entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach In this exploratory study, the authors examine the fair trade coffee industry and trace the actions of NGOs along with other stakeholders at the organizational field level, in moving toward an inclusive model of globalization. Findings Departing from exploitative globalization, fair trade practices advocate inclusive growth through the promotion and establishment of greater equity for all as well as higher environmental standards in global value chains. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to nascent research on inclusive growth by analyzing how fair trade promotes inclusive growth and trade in GVCs. This study also contributes to research on institutional entrepreneurship by examining two enabling conditions – the shift in institutional logics and the peripheral social position of NGOs – that enabled NGOs to serve as institutional entrepreneurs in the initiation phase of institutional entrepreneurship. Practical implications Policymakers may encourage collaboration between profit organizations and nonprofit organizations to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for trials, errors, and revisions. The evolution of fair trade coffee provides such an example. Social implications The coevolution of NGOs and MNEs has made the globalization of fair trade practices possible. The collaboration between NGOs as institutional entrepreneurs (operating on the community logic) and MNEs as institutional followers (operating on the financial logic) support inclusive globalization and sustain fair trade practices. Originality/value Drawing on the process model of institutional entrepreneurship, the authors seek to understand the role of NGOs as institutional entrepreneurs in the dynamics of initiating, diffusing and sustaining fair trade coffee practices.

The hologram effect in entrepreneurial “social commercial” enterprises

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Crossan ◽  
Pat Ibbotson ◽  
Jim Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to present qualitative findings describing entrepreneurial differentiations between non‐profit organisations along a social economic continuum. The paper aims to focus on those non‐profit organisations classified as “social” and those more entrepreneurial behaving organisations classified as “social commercial”.Design/methodology/approachThe data were taken from recent research examining current classification systems and performance measurement indicators applied to not‐for‐profit and for‐profit organisations in an Irish regional context. Having reviewed the extant literature on classification systems and measurement indicators for non‐profit organisations, the social economic continuum model and theoretical measurement framework were developed. In order to test the models, the study employed a pragmatist mixed methodological approach; employing quantitative surveys and in‐depth interviews.FindingsThe paper presents key entrepreneurial differentiating themes between “social” and “social commercial” organisations, and discusses the triggers that produce a “hologram” effect or style of management in the third sector.Practical implicationsThe identification of entrepreneurial themes allows for the analysis of the non‐profit organisations from overly social in their activities and presentation, to overly economic in their behaviour. It allows for a greater understanding of the management processes employed by non‐profit organisations to create social value and meet their social aims and purpose.Originality/valueThe paper carries out a unique inter‐sector comparison of non‐profit organisations to determine entrepreneurial differentiations amongst non‐profit businesses employing entrepreneurial methodologies and behaviours to achieve social good.

Design thinking: a working strategy for the third sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulsi Jayakumar ◽  
Krishnakoli Das ◽  
Neelesh Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Societal Problems

Purpose This paper aims to understand how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can use design thinking (DT) as a strategic tool to improve organisational and societal outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies a case study design. Building on in-depth interviews with senior management, beneficiaries (villagers), the village headman and children in Karaliya village (Rajasthan), as also from secondary sources, the paper presents a model of using DT for NGOs. Findings This paper presents evidence of how Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, an Indian NGO working in the most water-distressed and densely populated arid zone of the Thar Desert, used a user-centric, DT approach to solve the water-scarcity problem in villages in the Marwar region. In doing so, several interconnected societal problems were also addressed, including those of sanitation, education – especially of the girl child – poverty and migration. Practical implications DT has been increasingly used by “for-profit” business organisations to derive competitive advantage. NGOs have lagged in the use of DT as a strategic tool to drive enhanced organisational and societal outcomes. Such NGOs can strategise to adopt a DT approach. Originality/value A literature search revealed that while the term “NGO” threw up 36,571 results, “NGOs and strategic management” had only 363 results, and “the use of design thinking in NGOs” had 0 results. This paper contributes to the limited research in the field of strategic management in the NGO space by looking at DT as an important strategic tool for NGOs.

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