Building and scaling social enterprise business models for BOP markets in Kenya

2020 ◽  
pp. 199-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Ciambotti ◽  
David Littlewood ◽  
Andrea Sottini ◽  
Esther Nkatha M’ithiria
Author(s):  
Andrea Sottini ◽  
Giacomo Ciambotti ◽  
David Littlewood

This article examines how small social enterprises (SSEs) in East Africa build business models for base of the pyramid (BoP) markets, through engaging symbiotic ecosystems. Through in-depth qualitative research, a three-stage process is identified. First, SSEs learn and become sensitised to the manifold challenges of building business models for BoP markets. Second, SSEs identify and connect with key BoP actors, weaving them together to create a symbiotic ecosystem and to overcome the aforementioned challenges. Third, SSEs harness this symbiotic ecosystem to deliver community-centred business models for the BoP. This research contributes to social entrepreneurship, small business, and BoP literatures, by shedding light on the challenges faced by SSEs working in the BoP, and through novel elaboration of how SSEs develop and interact with symbiotic ecosystems to surmount these challenges. It also provides important practical insights, for social entrepreneurs and social enterprise managers in Africa and elsewhere.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kamila Jambulatova

This qualitative study examined how feminist online publications can adopt social enterprise business models. The focus group analysis of the audiences of Refinery29, Bustle, HelloGiggles, and Jezebel first explored the audience's outlook on the commodification of feminism. The focus group also considered plausible ways of adopting social enterprise initiatives to diversify revenue streams of these publications, continue promoting gender equality, and to better establish the images of the publications. During four focus groups, twenty total participants shared a variety of feedback, including their opinions on the commodification of the feminist movement and the commodification of editorial content. They talked about how their purchasing decisions are affected by their desire to contribute to the social good. Other themes identified during the study were white feminism, the trivialization of feminist content, and the importance of companies' policies.


Author(s):  
Nor Razinah Mohd. Zain ◽  
Najim Nur Fauziah ◽  
Habeebullah Zakariyah ◽  
Azman Mohd. Noor

This research explores the potential of cash waqf in generating capital revenue in carrying out social-based investment through social enterprises. Looking closely into two different concepts (i.e., social enterprises and waqf), this research appreciates the understanding on the modern business model of social enterprise and the innovative version of religious social finance (i.e., cash waqf). Depending on qualitative methodology and analytical review, the discussion of this research is developed. These approaches are considered suitable and pragmatic for the suggested business model of social enterprise. Here, an innovative business model with a combination of social enterprise operation and cash waqf is introduced. It has the potential to stimulate further research to innovate religious social finance instruments to current and modern business models. This research proposes a business model of social enterprise that combines cash waqf in its operation for sake of generating capital revenue. Simultaneously, such a business model has the potential to expand the cash waqf in meeting social objectives of the social enterprise. As research findings, it is found that even though waqf is derived from a religious traditional philanthropic instrument, its innovative version of cash waqf can be utilised in generating capital revenue for social enterprises. As long as the required principles of cash waqf as provided under Islamic law is fulfilled, a combination of cash waqf in the operation of social enterprise can be carried out.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Monica C. Diochon ◽  
Yogesh Ghore

Subject area The subject areas are social entrepreneurship and marketing in social enterprises. Study level/applicability This study is applicable to undergraduate or MBA-level courses; possibly executive programs as well. Case overview Farm Shop was established in 2012 as a not-for-profit trust, with an aim of developing a distribution platform for poor, rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa so that smallholder farmers could get the farm inputs and services needed to increase their productivity and income. Attempting to reach scale, this social enterprise is in the process of building a micro-franchise network. Unlike franchises in industrialized countries where the franchisor starts with a vetted and replicable turnkey business, Farm Shop was created from scratch. After prototyping the shop concept and validating the business model in Kiambu County of Kenya, Farm Shop has 10 fully operational shops and is keen to start its growth phase, aiming to have 120 shops in its network within the next 12-18 months. It is only at that point that break-even will be achieved. Recognizing the key role of marketing in Farm Shop’s growth efforts, the founders are now focused on finalizing their go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Having initiated and measured the results of a number of marketing activities over the past six months, it is now time to decide which of these activities should be incorporated into their micro-franchise system. The management team knows that to provide advice, training and quality products to farmers, they first needed to develop awareness, interest and desire for what Farm Shop has to offer, not to mention the need to gain the farmers’ trust. Fundamentally, farmers needed to be convinced that Farm Shop can help them improve their productivity and income. Expected learning outcomes The study enables to gain an overall understanding of the range of challenges and opportunities associated with establishing a micro-franchise in an emerging market context; to gain a better understanding of social marketing, including the four types of behavioral influence it attempts to achieve and the similarities and differences between social and commercial marketing; to introduce the “theory of change” concept, providing a framework for understanding how and why change will occur; to introduce the concept of business models and explore the differences between “traditional” and “social entrepreneurship” business models; to understand how a competitive advantage is created; to introduce basic marketing concepts and the GTM concept and its role and application in a business model for a new social enterprise and to understand how marketing contributes to the social enterprise’s strategic goals and sustainability, thereby gaining an understanding of how “social marketing” is differentiated from commercial marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.


2018 ◽  
Vol 159 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Bull ◽  
Rory Ridley-Duff

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 100354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myrtille Danse ◽  
Laurens Klerkx ◽  
Jorrit Reintjes ◽  
Rudy Rabbinge ◽  
Cees Leeuwis

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
B Elango ◽  
Stephen Chen ◽  
Jim Jones

The purpose of this article is to understand what drives social enterprises in bottom of the pyramid (BOP) markets to stick to or drift away from their social mission. Based on an analysis of 192 microinsurance operators in 26 emerging markets, we find that (1) when donors are involved in the operations of the social enterprise, this leads to a greater commitment to the social mission and (2) social enterprises located in countries with poorly performing governments tend to have a lower commitment to their social mission. Given the need for social services in such countries, we offer some suggestions to increase the chances of social enterprises staying committed to their social mission.


Author(s):  
Martyna Wronka-Pośpiech

Although research on social entrepreneurship has been expanding in recent years, the literature regarding business models in the context of social enterprises is still limited. This chapter explores the issues of business models in both profit and nonprofit contexts and discusses how value, being both the foundation and the overall outcome of the business model employed, is created. It begins with the background on the characteristics of social enterprises. This is followed by the conceptualization of business models and their components designed to account for their unique. Then a case to illustrate it is presented. The objective of the chapter is twofold. First, it is to analyse how nonprofit business models are different from its for profit counterparts (at the conceptual level) and to introduce relevant analytical framework. Secondly, the chapter aims at providing a case based on the particular model of a social enterprise in Poland (social co-operative) in order to investigate whatever the business models for profit firms could be applied in the social enterprises.


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