scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

Bargaining with the devil? A politicized view on cross-sector partnerships targeting the BoP

11 Feb 2019-Society and Business Review (Emerald Publishing Limited)-Vol. 14, Iss: 1, pp 112-127
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate whether and how cross-sector partnerships contribute to both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational companies (MNCs) political powers.
Abstract: This paper aims to investigate whether and how cross-sector partnerships (a growing yet controversial phenomenon) contribute to both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational companies (MNCs) political powers.,The method consists of a single case study on a partnership involving a large MNC and a small NGO, in the delivery of lighting and cooking devices to BoP (bottom of the pyramid) populations.,Thanks to economic compromises and structural arrangements, both partners succeed to take advantage of the partnership to strengthen their respective (local and transnational) political power and to serve deprived populations’ needs.,This paper contributes to the political corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature by presenting cross-sector partnerships as a potential means to reconcile the “brother enemies” and increase both firms’ and nonprofit organizations’ political roles.,The results help both NGOs and MNCs in understanding the political stakes of cross-sector partnerships and in envisioning mechanisms to handle those collaborations so as to deepen their respective goals and build public goods.,While most of the literature focuses on the strategic rationales, this paper provides political rationales for cross-sector partnerships linking MNCs and NGOs.
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The bottom of the pyramid (BoP) organizations are the ones that develop a set of capabilities that contribute to create short and long-term sustainability values inside and outside the boundaries of BoP as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) organizations are the ones that develop a set of capabilities that contribute to create short- and long-term sustainability values inside and outside the boundaries of B...

8 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a social enterprise that established its operation in Africa and so far has served in more than 30 similarly impoverished economies is introduced, which is a social innovation venture with the idea of developing portable solar suitcases to respond to this intransigent problem.
Abstract: Maternal mortality is an acute problem for many countries around the world, particularly those at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP). Most remote locations in these underdeveloped nations, for instance, in Africa, have to cope with the problem of interrupted electricity supply making healthcare practitioners often experience a helpless compulsion to compromise in providing quality medical attention, especially during childbirth. Along with many public, private and nongovernment initiatives, WE CARE Solar (hereafter WCS) – a social innovation venture comes with an idea of developing portable solar suitcases to respond to this intransigent problem.,This paper introduces a social enterprise that established its operation in Africa and so far has served in more than 30 similarly impoverished economies. Data was collected, analyzed using documentary research method. The authors have also collected and correlated the statements from the founder of WCS to complement the authors’ findings. With this paper, the authors intend to establish the type of innovation tools that are needed to provide value with a social innovation initiative in the health sector in the least developed country perspective. To facilitate better social outcomes and to ensure greater good, innovation requires to be accompanied by stakeholders’ involvement.,The findings indicate that WE CARE Solar has a positive social contribution toward ensuring safe motherhood and childbirth in underdeveloped countries by providing access to reliable solar power sources. The six-step social innovation process can be adopted by other social ventures to propose innovative solutions to social needs. Analyzing WCS's service delivery from the perspective of the 4As framework and value co-creation model, it is suggested that sustainable social change can be established with value co-creation through community engagement with multiple stakeholders.,This research was solely focused on one organization alone. Future research could look into the model to ascertain its acceptability in similar social innovation in healthcare initiatives.,This paper attempts to address a gap in social innovation in healthcare and its adaptability using the 4As framework with the value co-creation model. The authors propose this model from the data accumulated throughout the research, which could also serve to assist organizations looking for scalable and sustainable change.

4 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a new way of implementing corporate social innovations through cross-collaboration is presented, by analyzing the integration of these two constructs, which are usually studied separately, offering an actual perspective to address persisting social problems while reaching business results.

3 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the nature of the characteristics and the social results of partnerships established between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the company and reveal that the dialogue proximity between companies and civil society have a strong relationship with social results for the local communities.
Abstract: Purpose This study aims to identify the nature of the characteristics and the social results of partnerships established between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the company. Design/methodology/approach This research is a qualitative collective case study. Data were collected through 12 interviews and analyzed through the content analysis technique. Findings The findings indicate that in the first case, the partnership is driven by the company’s interest in qualifying its supplier, facing a relational identity orientation, establishing philanthropic relationships. In the second case, the search for social legitimacy is evident, in the face of a collectivist identity orientation, in which Petro establishes a relationship of a transactional nature. Thus, the differential in intersectoral collaboration lies in the interaction among company, NGO and cooperatives. The results also show that the dialogue proximity between companies and civil society have a strong relationship with social results for the local communities. Social implications This study reveals the need to broaden the understanding of the social results of social partnerships to local communities. Originality/value The nature of the relationship among state, companies, NGOs and local communities in developing countries are different from developed countries. In the first case, companies are called to assume state’s role in improving quality of life and income generation.

3 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , a new way of implementing corporate social innovations through cross-collaboration is presented, by analyzing the integration of these two constructs, which are usually studied separately, offering an actual perspective to address persisting social problems while reaching business results.
Abstract: This article presents a new way of implementing corporate social innovations (CSI) through cross-collaboration, by analyzing the integration of these two constructs, which are usually studied separately, offering an actual perspective to address persisting social problems while reaching business results. Our findings are based on case studies conducted with key executives and consultants from social enterprises, nonprofits, multinational corporations, large enterprises, and B-Corps from Brazil, USA, Canada, Iceland, and Sweden to compare different regions with different social problems using Mirvis and Googins (2017) framework to analyze the integration of CSI and cross-collaboration in corporate strategies. Results allow us to propose a new spectrum between social and commercial business models and their relationships with governments and civil society, demonstrating that the action of all stakeholders is already taking place in different ways according to the realities of each region, promoting impactful results that are beneficial for business and society.

3 citations

References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article synthesize the large but diverse literature on organizational legitimacy, highlighting similarities and disparities among the leading strategic and institutional approaches, and identify three primary forms of legitimacy: pragmatic, based on audience self-interest; moral, based upon normative approval; and cognitive, according to comprehensibility and taken-for-grantedness.
Abstract: This article synthesizes the large but diverse literature on organizational legitimacy, highlighting similarities and disparities among the leading strategic and institutional approaches. The analysis identifies three primary forms of legitimacy: pragmatic, based on audience self-interest; moral, based on normative approval: and cognitive, based on comprehensibility and taken-for-grantedness. The article then examines strategies for gaining, maintaining, and repairing legitimacy of each type, suggesting both the promises and the pitfalls of such instrumental manipulations.

13,229 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, interview data from China are used to test an argument that executives develop personal connections in societies with underdeveloped legal support for private businesses, and such connections can be used to predict the success of private businesses.
Abstract: Interview data from China are used to test an argument that executives develop personal connections in societies with underdeveloped legal support for private businesses. In China, such connections...

2,132 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the literature shows that there are a growing number of publications from various disciplines that propose a politicized concept of corporate social responsibility as mentioned in this paper, and that many business firms have started to assume social and political responsibilities that go beyond legal requirements and fill the regulatory vacuum in global governance.
Abstract: Scholars in management and economics widely share the assumption that business firms focus on profits only, while it is the task of the state system to provide public goods. In this view business firms are conceived of as economic actors, and governments and their state agencies are considered the only political actors. We suggest that, under the conditions of globalization, the strict division of labour between private business and nation-state governance does not hold any more. Many business firms have started to assume social and political responsibilities that go beyond legal requirements and fill the regulatory vacuum in global governance. Our review of the literature shows that there are a growing number of publications from various disciplines that propose a politicized concept of corporate social responsibility. We consider the implications of this new perspective for theorizing about the business firm, governance, and democracy.

1,570 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an exploratory analysis, involving interviews with MNC managers, original case studies, and archival material, indicates that the transnational model of national responsiveness, global efficiency and worldwide learning may not be sufficient.
Abstract: With established markets becoming saturated, multinational corporations (MNCs) have turned increasingly to emerging markets (EMs) in the developing world. Such EM strategies have been targeted almost exclusively at the wealthy elite at the top of the economic pyramid. Recently, however, a number of MNCs have launched new initiatives that explore the untapped market potential at the base of the economic pyramid, the largest and fastest-growing segment of the world's population. Reaching the four billion people in these markets poses both tremendous opportunities and unique challenges to MNCs, as conventional wisdom about MNC global capabilities and subsidiary strategy in EMs may not be appropriate. How MNCs can successfully enter these low-income markets has not been effectively addressed in the literatures on global and EM strategies. An exploratory analysis, involving interviews with MNC managers, original case studies, and archival material, indicates that the transnational model of national responsiveness, global efficiency and worldwide learning may not be sufficient. Results suggest that the success of initiatives targeting low-income markets is enhanced by recognizing that Western-style patterns of economic development may not occur in these business environments. Business strategies that rely on leveraging the strengths of the existing market environment outperform those that focus on overcoming weaknesses. These strategies include developing relationships with non-traditional partners, co-inventing custom solutions, and building local capacity. Together, these successful strategies suggest the importance of MNCs developing a global capability in social embeddedness.

1,426 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Enlightened value maximization as discussed by the authors utilizes much of the structure of stakeholder theory but accepts maximization of the long-run value of the firm as the criterion for making the requisite tradeoffs among its stakeholders.
Abstract: In this article, I offer a proposal to clarify what I believe is the proper relation between value maximization and stakeholder theory, which I call enlightened value maximization. Enlightened value maximization utilizes much of the structure of stakeholder theory but accepts maximization of the long-run value of the firm as the criterion for making the requisite tradeoffs among its stakeholders, and specifies long-term value maximization or value seeking as the firm’s objective. This proposal therefore solves the problems that arise from the multiple objectives that accompany traditional stakeholder theory. I also discuss the Balanced Scorecard, which is the managerial equivalent of stakeholder theory, explaining how this theory is flawed because it presents managers with a scorecard that gives no score—that is, no single-valued measure of how they have performed. Thus managers evaluated with such a system (which can easily have two dozen measures and provides no information on the tradeoffs between them) have no way to make principled or purposeful decisions. The solution is to define a true (single dimensional) score for measuring performance for the organization or division (and it must be consistent with the organization’s strategy), and as long as their score is defined properly, (and for lower levels in the organization it will generally not be value) this will enhance their contribution to the firm.

1,338 citations