Abstract
This chapter addresses conclusions from interviews conducted by the author with young Polish entrepreneurs who built their business models based on a social and/or environmental mission. These are businesses that operate on the edge of commercial and social activities. They hereby are voluntary and actively involved in bringing real change in social and/or environmental issues. The interviewees are inspirational leaders who believe that their activities have deeper than just a commercial sense. It is important to note that all the companies examined are startups pioneering sustainable business models in Poland. Despite being in the minority, their activities are crucial since they are the ones upon whom to pattern the future development of similar business models on the Polish market. Their role is to educate consumers and other stakeholders by showing that it is possible to run a company, where both a human aspect and social mission are vital. The interviews were conducted between July and September 2015. Interviewees were creators of Asante Bamboo Bikes, Migam, NotJustShop, Plan Planeta and Wisłaki. The objective of the chapter is an attempt to identify, describe and compare the basic assumptions and most important elements of the surveyed companies’ business models which categorize them as sustainable business models. Moreover, the study analyzes methods of engaging stakeholders by the surveyed companies, the role of social media in their development, as well as the motivations of their leaders and experiences related to setting up projects based on a social or environmental mission. Finally, a conceptual framework on the researched topic is provided.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The full, authorized interviews have been published in a book (Szumniak-Samolej 2016).
References
B Lab. (2013). An evolution in impact measurement. Accessed from http://www.bcorporation.net/blog/an-evolution-in-impact-measurement
Benkler, Y. (2006). The wealth of networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Bocken, N., Short, S., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56.
Boons, F., & Lüdeke-Freund, F. (2013). Business models for sustainable innovation: State of the art and steps towards a research agenda. Journal of Cleaner Production, 45, 9–19.
De Reuver, M., Bouwman, H., & Haaker, T. (2013). Business model roadmapping: A practical approach to come from an existing to a desired business model. International Journal of Innovation Management, 17(1), 567–581.
Honeyman, R. (2014). The B Corp handbook. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Hurst, A. (2014a). The purpose economy. Elevate: Boise.
Hurst, A. (2014b). Etsy is proof that our economy is experiencing a biological event. The Guardian. Accessed from http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/etsy-economy-biological-event-purpose
Laszlo, C. (2005). The sustainable company: How to create lasting value through social and environmental performance. Washington: Island Press.
Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2008). Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Press.
MacMillan, I., & Thompson, J. (2013). The social entrepreneur’s playbook. Philadelphia: Wharton Digital Press.
Manyika, J., Lund, S., Bughin, J., Woetzel, J., Stamenov, K., & Dhingra, D. (2016). Digital globalization: The new era of global flows. McKinsey Global Institute Report. Accessed from http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/digital-globalization-the-new-era-of-global-flows
Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility communications: Stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 15(4), 323–338.
Mycoskie, B. (2011). Start something that matters. New York: Spiegel & Grau.
Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business model generation: A handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. Hoboken: Wiley.
Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2012). Tworzenie modeli biznesowych. Helion: Gliwice.
Powell, J. (2009). 33 million people in the room. New Jersey: FT Press, Pearson Education.
Qualman, E. (2009). Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. New Jersey: Wiley.
Rok, B. (2014). CSR this year. Responsible Business. CSR Compendium. No. 12.
Sabeti, H. (2011). The for-benefit enterprise. Harvard Business Review, 89(11), 98–104.
Sabeti, H., Fourth Sector Network, The Aspen Institute, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. (2009). The emerging fourth sector. Accessed from https://assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/files/content/docs/pubs/4th%20sector%20paper%20-%20exec%20summary%20FINAL.pdf
Schaltegger, S., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Hansen, E. (2012). Business cases for sustainability: The role of business model innovation for corporate sustainability. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 6(2), 95–119.
Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody – The power of organizing without organizations. London: Penguin Books.
Silverman, D. (2009). Interpretacja danych jakościowych. (Interpreting Qualititative Data. Methods of Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Szumniak-Samolej, J. (2013). Odpowiedzialność biznesu w gospodarce sieciowej. (Responsible Business in the Network Economy). Warszawa: Poltext.
Szumniak-Samolej, J. (2015). Innovative business models and initiatives based on the social and/or ecological mission. China-USA Business Review, 14(12).
Szumniak-Samolej, J. (2016). Rozmowy z liderami biznesu społecznego w Polsce. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie.
Tapscott, D., & Williams, A. (2010). Macrowikinomics: New solutions for a connected planet. New York: Penguin Group.
Yunus, M. (2011). Building social business: The new kind of capitalism that serves humanity’s most pressing needs. New York: PublicAffairs.
Zadek, S., Sabapathy, J., Dossing, H., & Swift, T. (2003). Responsible competitiveness. London: AccountAbility.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Szumniak-Samolej, J. (2018). Case Studies of Pioneer Sustainable Business Models in Poland. In: Moratis, L., Melissen, F., Idowu, S. (eds) Sustainable Business Models. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73503-0_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73503-0_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-73502-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-73503-0
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)