Survival strategies of eco-social enterprises

Investor logo
Authors

JOHANISOVÁ Naděžda

Year of publication 2014
Type Appeared in Conference without Proceedings
Citation
Description Abstract submitted for consideration for the Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics in Iceland, August 2014. Session: Economic localisation and alternative economic practices Title of abstract: Survival strategies of eco-social enterprises The aim of this paper will be a discussion of the survival stategies of eco-social enterprises in conditions of economic globalisation. While mainstream enterprises such as share companies focus on profit and growth, eco-social enterprises have a different operation strategy: they opt for a tripple-bottom line and often remain small by choice (1,2). This gives them an obvious disadvantage in a competetitive market. How then do they survive and -in -many cases - thrive? This paper will suggest some answers to this question based on field research in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. Respondents from seventy-one social enterprises (including many with a green remit) in both countries were interviewed in 2002 - 2003 and questioned on their operation, structure, goals and financial and other survival strategies. The strategies were then grouped into fifteen categories including: direct selling and adding value, marketing and buying groups, share-issue, internal cross-subsidies, voluntary work/sweat equity, subsidised rent and ethical landlords, etc (2). These categories will b e conceptualised in terms of non-market capitals as presented in Johanisova et al. (3) and their implications for policies in support of economic localisation will be discussed. (1) Vickers, I., Lyon, F. (2013): Beyond Green Niches? Growth Strategies of Environmentally-motivated Social Enterprises, in: Third Sector Research Centre: Seminar Two :Social Enterprise and Environmental Sustainability, 16 April 2013, ESC TSCR Seminar Research Series, TSCR, Birmingham, U.K., pp.10-13. (2) Johanisova, N. (2005): Living in the Cracks: A Look at Rural Social Enerprises in Britain and the Czech Republic. Feasta, NEF, Dublin, also available at: http://www.feasta.org/documents/living_in_the_cracks/(accessed 1 July 2014). (3) Johanisova, N., Crabtree T., Fraňková E. (2013): Social Enterprises and Non-Market Capitals: a Path to Degrowth? Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 7-16
Related projects:

You are running an old browser version. We recommend updating your browser to its latest version.