From Paradoxical Thinking to Practicing Sustainable Business: The Role of a Business Collective Organization in Supporting Entrepreneurs

2019 ◽  
pp. 108602661988510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara B. Soderstrom ◽  
Kathryn L. Heinze
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Multiple Goals ◽  
Shared Resources ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Paradoxical Thinking ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Social Environmental

Individual entrepreneurs committed to sustainability experience paradoxes: interdependencies and conflict between social, environmental, and economic goals. Whereas prior research focuses on direct responses to paradoxes, we examine multi-level dynamics between organizations and individuals in responding to sustainability paradoxes. Using a 20-month qualitative field study of sustainable food entrepreneurs in Detroit, we investigated how a business collective organization, FoodLab, enabled entrepreneurs to move from paradoxical thinking to practicing sustainable business. Our findings suggest that while individuals may struggle to address multiple goals of sustainability alone, business collective organizations provide a coordinating mechanism that amplifies their efforts. Through guardrails that facilitate the co-creation of shared resources for members, organizations can minimize cognitive and practical barriers of sustainable entrepreneurship.

Learning perspective on sustainable entrepreneurship in a regional context

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-381
Author(s):  
Sylvia Mónica Perez Nuñez ◽  
Martina Musteen
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Opportunity Exploitation ◽  
Business Opportunity ◽  
Local Embeddedness ◽  
Viable Business

PurposeThe aim of this study is to examine the role of learning in the opportunity discovery, opportunity exploitation and local embeddedness of sustainable ventures in an emerging economy.Design/methodology/approachWe use a partially grounded approach to analyze three case of successful sustainable ventures in the Cali Baja gastro industry.FindingsWe find that sustainable entrepreneurs possess general knowledge of natural and communal environment along with compassion for the environment. However, it is the acquisition of a specific business-related knowledge that is the trigger for the formation of the first-person opportunity belief (i.e. confidence in the ability to exploit the sustainable business opportunity personally). Our analysis of also reveals several unique learning processes associated with opportunity exploitation and local embeddedness with a special focus on tradeoffs and compromises that are required given the tension between the sometimes conflicting goals of sustainable enterprises.Originality/valueOur study adds to the literature on sustainable entrepreneurship by investigating the complex interplay between personal and contextual factors that unfolds over time as entrepreneurs conceive and then exploit a viable business opportunity that simultaneously addresses environmental and social goals.

scholarly journals Pulses for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems: The Effect of Origin on Market Price

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Claudio Acciani ◽  
Annalisa De Boni ◽  
Francesco Bozzo ◽  
Rocco Roma
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Hedonic Price ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Social Environmental

Pulses are widely acknowledged for their high nutritional value due to high protein content, low content in calories, and low glycemic index; they are a good alternative to animal proteins thus offering a considerable number of social, environmental, and health benefits. Despite pulses being widely acknowledged as healthy and sustainable food, in mainly European countries, consumption is growing but still lower than the recommended level, production is unprofitable in comparison to the current market prices level, and a reduction in harvested area has led to a strong dependence on import for pulses supply. Pulses are particularly fitting to the feature of local food because they can be suitably grown in any context, even in the most complex areas, and consumer interest and awareness of food origin has strongly increased in recent years. Lentils were selected as a case study in this paper that aims to define which features are effective on market price and, in particular, the role of origin declaration on label plays in defining the market price and how the origin attributes may enhance market price and farms competitiveness. The methodological tool for this investigation is the hedonic price model, useful to explain the effects of attributes of pulses affecting the market price. Results contribute to a better understanding of the pulse market, emphasizing that the “origin declaration” on label may have a positive effect on market price.

A field study of Value-Based Management sophistication: The role of shareholders

2015 ◽  
pp. 65-100
Author(s):  
Andrea Dello Sbarba ◽  
Riccardo Giannetti ◽  
Alessandro Marelli
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Value Based Management

“Wi, se kretyènn mwen ye” (Yes I am Christian)

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadège Mézié
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Christian Woman

During a field study of a year and a half in the Haitian mountains, I was forced to re-evaluate my research strategy, and consequently the object of my study, after a setback that denied me access to the American evangelical mission, which I had hoped to study from within. This failure to integrate as a non-Protestant researcher, led me to adopt a methodological falsehood to allow me to penetrate the Haitian evangelical mission. The researcher who chooses methodological falsehood has to fashion a passing and superficial redefinition of her appearance, beliefs and practices, and live her new religious identity according to the prevalent beliefs and norms. This paper will focus on the fieldworker’s daily performance in her role of “Christian woman,” and the strategies put in place to respond to the prescriptive criteria of the role being played.

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