Exploring Social Business Pathways: Green Map System as a Case in Point
Main Article Content
Balashankar Mulloth
Abstract
Objective: social entrepreneurship holds promise as a way for organizations to create value for both individuals and communities. The objective of this paper is to observe and analyze the ways Green Map System, a not-for-profit social venture, supports sustainable community development and local leadership by sharing tools, icons, and technology for mapping eco-sites around the world. The role of technology and digital networks, as well as the impact of global linkages, is also observed and emphasized. Methods: the research approach used for this paper is qualitative in nature and uses the case study methodology. Evidence was based on data collection methods, such as archived documents, interviews, questionnaires, and direct observations at formal and informal settings. Results: using the example of Green Map System, I demonstrate that creating local partnerships, as well as including and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders, is key to fulfilling the organization’s mission-driven vision. Conclusions: I use the example of Green Map System and describe how the organization went about creating social and business pathways by outlining the growth, evolution, and social innovation of the organization. I also layout the challenges and decision dilemmas the organization faces as it continues to grow as a social business.
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Mulloth, B. (2020). Exploring Social Business Pathways: Green Map System as a Case in Point. Journal of Contemporary Administration, 25(3), e190351. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2021190351.en
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Hart, S. L., & Milstein, M. B. (2003). Creating sustainable value. Academy of Management Perspectives, 17(2), 56-67. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2003.10025194
Hagel, J., & Brown, J. S. (2008). Creation nets: Harnessing the potential of open innovation. Journal of Service Science (JSS), 1(2), 27-40. https://doi.org/10.19030/jss.v1i2.4293
Horwitch, M., & Mulloth, B. (2010). The interlinking of entrepreneurs, grassroots movements, public policy and hubs of innovation: The rise of Cleantech in New York City. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 21(1), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2010.02.004
Khavul, S., & Bruton, G. D. (2013). Harnessing innovation for change: Sustainability and poverty in developing countries. Journal of Management Studies, 50(2), 285-306. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01067.x
Korosec, R. L., & Berman, E. M. (2006). Municipal support for social entrepreneurship. Public Administration Review, 66(3), 448-462. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00601.x
Kuckertz, A., & Wagner, M. (2010). The influence of sustainability orientation on entrepreneurial intentions: Investigating the role of business experience. Journal of Business Venturing, 25(5), 524-539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2009.09.001
Lasprogata, G. A., & Cotten, M. N. (2003). Contemplating enterprise: The business and legal challenges of social entrepreneurship. American Business Law Journal, 41(1), 67-114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1714.2003.tb00002.x
Leonard-Barton, D. (1990). A dual methodology for case studies: Synergistic use of a longitudinal single site with replicated multiple sites. Organization Science, 1(3), 248-266. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1.3.248
Lettice, F., & Parekh, M. (2010). The social innovation process: Themes, challenges and implications for practice. International Journal of Technology Management, 51(1), 139-158. Retrieved from http://www.inderscience.com/offer.php?id=33133
Lydon, M. (2003). Community mapping: The recovery (and discovery) of our common ground. Geomatica, 57(2), 131-144. Retrieved from http://mapping.uvic.ca/sites/mapping.uvic.ca/files/lydon_cartographica_2003.pdf
MacGregor, S. P., & Carleton, T. (2011). Sustaining innovation: Collaboration models for a complex world. New York: Springer.
Mair, J., & Marti, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2005.09.002
Makower, J. (1992). The map catalog: Every kind of map and chart on earth and even some above it (3rd ed). New York: Vintage.
Mulloth, B. (2011). Diversity in contemporary entrepreneurship: The evolution of two representative clean technology companies in New York City as cases in point (Doctoral dissertation). Polytechnic Institute of New York University, New York, United States.
Muniz, A. M. Jr., & O’Guin, T. C. (2001). Brand Community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412-432. https://doi.org/10.1086/319618
Munshi, N. V. (2010). Value creation, social innovation, and entrepreneurship in global economies. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 11(3), 160-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/10599231.2010.500569
Nicholls, A. (2006). Social entrepreneurship: New models of sustainable social change. New York: Oxford University Press.
Noruzi, M. R., Westover, J. H., & Rahimi, G. R. (2010). An exploration of social entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurship era. Asian Social Science, 6(6), 3. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v6n6p3
Phills, J. A., Deiglmeier, K., & Miller, D.T. (2008). Rediscovering social innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 6(4), 34-43. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/rediscovering_social_innovation
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). The big idea: Creating shared value. How to reinvent capitalism: And unleash a wave of innovation and growth. Harvard Business Review, 89(1-2), 62-77. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272576643_The_Big_Idea_Creating_Shared_Value_How_to_Reinvent_Capitalism-and_Unleash_a_Wave_of_Innovation_and_Growth
Seelos, C., & Mair, J. (2005). Social entrepreneurship: Creating new business models to serve the poor. Business Horizons, 48(3), 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2004.11.006
Shah, S. K., & Corley, K. G. (2006). Building better theory by bridging the quantitative: Qualitative divide. Journal of Management Studies, 43(8), 1821-1835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00662.x
Shaw, E., & Bruin, A. de (2013). Reconsidering capitalism: the promise of social innovation and social entrepreneurship? International Small Business Journal, 31(7), 737-746. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0266242613497494
Shaw, E., & Carter, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: Theoretical antecedents and empirical analysis of entrepreneurial processes and outcomes. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 14(3), 418–434. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626000710773529
Siggelkow, N. (2007). Persuasion with case studies. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 20-24. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.24160882
Thake, S., & Zadek, S. (1997). Practical people, noble causes: How to support community-based social entrepreneurs. London: New Economics Foundation.
Vasi, I. B., & King, B. G. (2012). Social movements, risk perceptions, and economic outcomes the effect of primary and secondary stakeholder activism on firms’perceived environmental risk and financial performance. American Sociological Review, 77(4), 573-596. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0003122412448796
Von Hippel, E. (2006). Democratizing innovation. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Yin, R. (2003). Case-study research design & methods. California: Sage.
Zahra, S. A., Gedajlovic, E., Neubaum, D. O., & Shulman, J. M. (2009). A typology of social entrepreneurs: Motives, search processes and ethical challenges. Journal of Business Venturing, 24(5), 519-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.04.007
Akehurst, G., Comeche, J. M., & Galindo, M.A. (2009). Job satisfaction and commitment in the entrepreneurial SME. Small Business Economics, 32(3), 277-289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-008-9116-z
Alvord, S. H., Brown, L. D., & Letts, C. W. (2004). Social entrepreneurship and societal transformation: An exploratory study. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 40(3), 260-282. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886304266847
Amabile, T. M., Patterson, C., Mueller, J., Wojcik, T., Odomirok, P. W., Marsh, M., & Kramer, S. J. (2001). Academic-practitioner collaboration in management research: A case of cross-profession collaboration. Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 418-431. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069464
Austin, J., Stevenson, H., & Wei–Skillern, J. (2006). Social and commercial entrepreneurship: same, different, or both? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 30(1),1-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2006.00107.x
Battisti, S. (2012). Social innovation: The process development of knowledge-intensive companies. International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 18(3-4), 224-244. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSTM.2012.052860
Beveridge, R., & Guy, S. (2005). The rise of the eco-preneur and the messy world of environmental innovation. Local Environment, 10(6), 665-676. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549830500321972
Bhatt, P., & Altinay, L. (2013). How social capital is leveraged in social innovations under resource constraints? Management Decision, 51(9), 1772-1792. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-01-2013-0041
Bornstein, D. (2007). How to change the world: Social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas. New York: Oxford University Press.
Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. (1979). Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Bygrave, W. D. (1989). The entrepreneurship paradigm (1): A philosophical look at its research methodologies. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 14(1), 7-26. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225878901400102
Catford, J. (1998). Social entrepreneurs are vital for health promotion: But they need supportive environments too. Health Promotion International, 13(2), 95-97. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/13.2.95
Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Brighton, MA: Harvard Business Press.
Choi, D. Y., & Gray, E. R. (2008). Socially responsible entrepreneurs: What do they do to create and build their companies? Business Horizons, 51(4), 341-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2008.02.010
Choi, N., & Majumdar, S. (2014). Social entrepreneurship as an essentially contested concept: Opening a new avenue for systematic future research. Journal of Business Venturing, 29(3), 363-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2013.05.001
Dean, T. J., & McMullen, J. (2007). Toward a theory of sustainable entrepreneurship: Reducing environmental degradation through entrepreneurial action. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(1), 50-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2005.09.003
Defourny, J., & Nyssens, M. (2010). Conceptions of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship in Europe and the United States: Convergences and divergences. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 32-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420670903442053
Drayton, W. (2010). Bill Drayton on the power of collaborative entrepreneurship in McKinsey’s “What Matters? Retrieved from https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/story/bill-drayton-power-collaborative-entrepreneurship-mckinseys-what-matters
Eisenhardt, K. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532-550. https://doi.org/10.2307/258557
Gioia, D. A., & Pitre, E. (1990). Multiparadigm perspectives on theory building. Academy of Management Review, 15(4), 584-602. https://doi.org/10.2307/258683
Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392
Granovetter, M. (1983). The strength of weak ties: A network theory revisited. Sociological Theory, 1, 201-233. https://doi.org/10.2307/202051
Green Map Impacts. (2009). Green Map Impacts Book Project, 2009. Retrieved from https://www.greenmap.org/stories/green-map-impacts/220
Grimes, M. G., McMullen, J. S., Vogus, T. J., & Miller, T. L. (2013). Studying the origins of social entrepreneurship: Compassion and the role of embedded agency. Academy of Management Review, 38(3), 460-463. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2012.0429
Hart, S. L., & Milstein, M. B. (2003). Creating sustainable value. Academy of Management Perspectives, 17(2), 56-67. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2003.10025194
Hagel, J., & Brown, J. S. (2008). Creation nets: Harnessing the potential of open innovation. Journal of Service Science (JSS), 1(2), 27-40. https://doi.org/10.19030/jss.v1i2.4293
Horwitch, M., & Mulloth, B. (2010). The interlinking of entrepreneurs, grassroots movements, public policy and hubs of innovation: The rise of Cleantech in New York City. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 21(1), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2010.02.004
Khavul, S., & Bruton, G. D. (2013). Harnessing innovation for change: Sustainability and poverty in developing countries. Journal of Management Studies, 50(2), 285-306. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01067.x
Korosec, R. L., & Berman, E. M. (2006). Municipal support for social entrepreneurship. Public Administration Review, 66(3), 448-462. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00601.x
Kuckertz, A., & Wagner, M. (2010). The influence of sustainability orientation on entrepreneurial intentions: Investigating the role of business experience. Journal of Business Venturing, 25(5), 524-539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2009.09.001
Lasprogata, G. A., & Cotten, M. N. (2003). Contemplating enterprise: The business and legal challenges of social entrepreneurship. American Business Law Journal, 41(1), 67-114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1714.2003.tb00002.x
Leonard-Barton, D. (1990). A dual methodology for case studies: Synergistic use of a longitudinal single site with replicated multiple sites. Organization Science, 1(3), 248-266. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1.3.248
Lettice, F., & Parekh, M. (2010). The social innovation process: Themes, challenges and implications for practice. International Journal of Technology Management, 51(1), 139-158. Retrieved from http://www.inderscience.com/offer.php?id=33133
Lydon, M. (2003). Community mapping: The recovery (and discovery) of our common ground. Geomatica, 57(2), 131-144. Retrieved from http://mapping.uvic.ca/sites/mapping.uvic.ca/files/lydon_cartographica_2003.pdf
MacGregor, S. P., & Carleton, T. (2011). Sustaining innovation: Collaboration models for a complex world. New York: Springer.
Mair, J., & Marti, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2005.09.002
Makower, J. (1992). The map catalog: Every kind of map and chart on earth and even some above it (3rd ed). New York: Vintage.
Mulloth, B. (2011). Diversity in contemporary entrepreneurship: The evolution of two representative clean technology companies in New York City as cases in point (Doctoral dissertation). Polytechnic Institute of New York University, New York, United States.
Muniz, A. M. Jr., & O’Guin, T. C. (2001). Brand Community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412-432. https://doi.org/10.1086/319618
Munshi, N. V. (2010). Value creation, social innovation, and entrepreneurship in global economies. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 11(3), 160-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/10599231.2010.500569
Nicholls, A. (2006). Social entrepreneurship: New models of sustainable social change. New York: Oxford University Press.
Noruzi, M. R., Westover, J. H., & Rahimi, G. R. (2010). An exploration of social entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurship era. Asian Social Science, 6(6), 3. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v6n6p3
Phills, J. A., Deiglmeier, K., & Miller, D.T. (2008). Rediscovering social innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 6(4), 34-43. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/rediscovering_social_innovation
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). The big idea: Creating shared value. How to reinvent capitalism: And unleash a wave of innovation and growth. Harvard Business Review, 89(1-2), 62-77. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272576643_The_Big_Idea_Creating_Shared_Value_How_to_Reinvent_Capitalism-and_Unleash_a_Wave_of_Innovation_and_Growth
Seelos, C., & Mair, J. (2005). Social entrepreneurship: Creating new business models to serve the poor. Business Horizons, 48(3), 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2004.11.006
Shah, S. K., & Corley, K. G. (2006). Building better theory by bridging the quantitative: Qualitative divide. Journal of Management Studies, 43(8), 1821-1835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00662.x
Shaw, E., & Bruin, A. de (2013). Reconsidering capitalism: the promise of social innovation and social entrepreneurship? International Small Business Journal, 31(7), 737-746. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0266242613497494
Shaw, E., & Carter, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: Theoretical antecedents and empirical analysis of entrepreneurial processes and outcomes. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 14(3), 418–434. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626000710773529
Siggelkow, N. (2007). Persuasion with case studies. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 20-24. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.24160882
Thake, S., & Zadek, S. (1997). Practical people, noble causes: How to support community-based social entrepreneurs. London: New Economics Foundation.
Vasi, I. B., & King, B. G. (2012). Social movements, risk perceptions, and economic outcomes the effect of primary and secondary stakeholder activism on firms’perceived environmental risk and financial performance. American Sociological Review, 77(4), 573-596. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0003122412448796
Von Hippel, E. (2006). Democratizing innovation. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Yin, R. (2003). Case-study research design & methods. California: Sage.
Zahra, S. A., Gedajlovic, E., Neubaum, D. O., & Shulman, J. M. (2009). A typology of social entrepreneurs: Motives, search processes and ethical challenges. Journal of Business Venturing, 24(5), 519-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.04.007