Sustainopreneurship

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Sustainopreneurship is the concept of utilizing business organizations to solve problems related to sustainability. It emerged from earlier concepts of social entrepreneurship and ecopreneurship. With social and environmental sustainability as a strategic objective and purpose, sustainopreneurship attempts to appeal to environmental efforts, and in general improve the state of the world, for the purpose of getting funding out of it. In simpler terms, it is a self-proclaimed "business with a cause", where world problems are used to promote business opportunities by deploying efforts to solve said problems via the use of the company.

Contents

Definition

The definition first introduced in 2006 is: [1]

  1. Deployment of sustainability innovations: Entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability.
  2. Short for sustainability intra-/entrepreneurship.
  3. To focus on one or more (world/social/sustainability-related) problem(s), find/identify and/or invent a solution to the problem(s) and bring the innovation to the market by creating an efficient organization. With the (new alternative deep transformation of an old) mission or cause-oriented sustainability business adding ecological, economical, or social values, with a bias towards the intangible – through dematerialization and resocialization. The value added at the same time preserves, restores and/or ultimately enhancing the underlying utilized capital stock, in order to maintain the capacity to fulfill the needs of present and coming generations of stakeholders.

Conceptual development

Businesses have been discussed as a premier force for creating a sustainable world, [2] [3] especially when acting as a source of innovation and creativity. As John Robinson [4] puts it:

"In addition to integrating across fields, sustainability must also be integrated across sectors or interests. It is clear that governments alone have neither the will nor the capability to accomplish sustainability on their own. The private sector, as the chief engine of economic activity on the planet, and a major source for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, must be involved in trying to achieve sustainability."

The concept of sustainopreneurship was first introduced as a term in 2000, [5] developed with publications in 2003, [6] [7] [8] and further evolved and was tentatively defined in 2006 by Anders Abrahamsson. [9] This tentative definition was empirically tested in his Master thesis. [10] A paper to identify future research challenges was made in 2007, [11] and developed further with a book chapter published in September 2008. [12]

In general, the entrepreneurial discourse has opened up to move beyond a strictly economic phenomenon, rather than being perceived primarily as a social process at large. [13] Preceding the conceptual formation were two traces of social entrepreneurship and ecopreneurship, dealing primarily with the social and ecological dimensions of sustainability. Primary associations with social entrepreneurship have also been establishing not-for-profit venturing and charities to address and solve social problems, whereas ecopreneurship has been primarily focused on solving environmental problems. [8]

Sustainopreneurship is distinct from sustainable entrepreneurship, as it aims towards solving a sustainability-related problem with creative business organizing as a means to solve problems. Sustainable entrepreneurship is an entrepreneurial process that takes into consideration the boundaries set by sustainability. The strategic intent and the business idea in itself are not related to sustainability per se, sustainability being an "attachment" to the entrepreneurial process. Sustainability entrepreneurship, in contrast, takes as its root of existence and strategic aim to solve a sustainability-related problem.

Before formalized into a business entity, sustainopreneurship involves seeking practical solutions for sustainability challenges. Sustainability problems are identified through key sources in the global sustainable development discourse, such as Agenda 21, the Millennium Declaration, and the WSSD Plan of Implementation. These sources define the practical aspects of sustainability in action. The resulting list of "sustainability-related problems" aligns areas with challenges to address, goals to achieve, and values to create. [14] [15] [16]

Future development

Given its recent date, there is a need for future research. [11] [12] Conceptually, a deeper analysis is needed to be conducted with a nuanced and detailed taxonomy and framework created of sustainability innovations, the core of sustainopreneurship, primarily by cataloging and categorizing case stories.

It has been recommended[ by whom? ] to keep the research applied, to identify obstacles and institutional barriers, and how to overcome them; i.e. facilitating factors for sustainopreneurship, researching prospective tools, enablers and approaches. Research methods recommended are Enactive Research [17] [18] and Open Space Technology, since they add instant value among stakeholders, and in themselves naturally build arenas where sustainopreneurship evolves and proliferates.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Abrahamsson, A. (2006) Sustainopreneurship – Business with a Cause. in Science Sustainable Development – Starting Points and Critical Reflections, Uppsala: VHU – Föreningen Vetenskap för Hållbar Utveckling (Swedish Society for Sustainable Development), pp. 21-30. ISBN   91-631-9222-5.
  2. ↑ Hart, S. L. (2005) Capitalism at the Crossroads: the Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems. Philadelphia: Wharton School Publishing., p 3-7.
  3. ↑ Prahalad, C. K. (2004) The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid – Eradicating Poverty Through Profits, Philadelphia: Wharton School Publishing.
  4. ↑ Robinson, J. (2004)Squaring the Circle? Some thoughts on the idea of Sustainable Development, Ecological Economics, 48:4, pp. 369-384.
  5. ↑ Schaltegger, S. (2000) Vom Bionier zum Sustainopreneur, Presentation at Rio Impuls Management Forum 2000, Home Page of conference "R.I.O. Management Forum 2000 - Unternehmen Nachhaltigkeit". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-12-22., presentation accessible at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-12-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), (accessed 2007-04-16).
  6. ↑ Hockerts, K. (2003) Sustainability Innovation: Ecological and Social Entrepreneurship and the Managing of Antagonistic Assets, PhD Dissertation, University of St. Gallen, Schweiz.
  7. ↑ Gerlach, A. (2003a) Sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation, Centre for Sustainability Management, University of Lueneburg, Conference Proceedings of Conference Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 2003 in Leeds, UK.
  8. 1 2 Gerlach, A. (2003b) Innovativität und Sustainability Intrapreneurship,Paper presented at Sustainable Management in Action '03, University of St. Gallen, Schweiz.
  9. ↑ Abrahamsson, A. (2006), Ibid.
  10. ↑ Abrahamsson, A. (2007a) Sustainopreneurship – Business with a Cause: Conceptualizing Entrepreneurship for Sustainability. [Master Thesis in Business Administration.] Växjö: Reports from Växjö University: Business administration and economics. http://www.diva-portal.org/vxu/abstract.xsql?dbid=1254, (accessed 2007-05-25).
  11. 1 2 Abrahamsson, A. (2007b), Researching Sustainopreneurship – conditions, concepts, approaches, arenas and questions. An invitation to authentic sustainability business forces. Paper presented at the 13th International Sustainable Development Research Conference, Mälardalens Högskola, Västerås, 10-12 June, 2007
  12. 1 2 Abrahamsson, A. (2008), Sustainopreneurship – Business with a Cause. The Promise of Creative Organizing for Sustainability. In "Bridging the Functional and Territorial Views on Regional Entrepreneurship and Development", eds. Bengt Johannisson and Åsa Lindholm-Dahlstrand. Örebro: FSF (Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research). ISBN   91-89301-27-7.
  13. ↑ Steyaert, C., Katz, J. (2004) Reclaiming the space of entrepreneurship in society: geographical, discursive and social dimensions, Entrepreneurship and Business Development 2004:3, pp. 179-196, special issue on Social Entrepreneurship.
  14. ↑ UN, Conference on Environment and Development (1992a) Main Documents, download page, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/docs_unced.htm; including Agenda 21, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/index.htm, (accessed 2007-04-16).
  15. ↑ UN, Millennium Development Goals (2000) Homepage, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals, (accessed 2007-04-16).
  16. ↑ UN, World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002b) Homepage, http://www.johannesburgsummit.org, with WSSD Plan of Implementation, TOC with access to the full document, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/POIToc.htm, (accessed 2007-04-16).
  17. ↑ Johannisson, B. (2002) Enacting Entrepreneurship – Using Auto-Ethnography to Study Organization Creation, Paper presented the conference Ethnographic Organizational Studies, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, September 19-21, 2002.
  18. ↑ Johannisson, B. (2005) Entreprenörskapets väsen, Lund: Studentlitteratur.
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