Social entrepreneurship in an inclusive business model: A new business model for sustainable agroforestry
This case study aims to identify critical factors for the implementation and management of an inclusive business model, which is presented by Mark-Herbert and Prajer in the book “Entrepreneurship: Development Tendencies and Empirical Approach“. These factors are contextualized at regional and local level in an emerging economy setting as part of an ongoing agro-food project. A number of independent factors are identified that influence the implementation of a new business model. These factors can be seen as a phase in a process of developing an alternative business model, as well as a process of internal acceptance of alternative corporate governance. The first factor is corporate commitment, which requires changing fundamental parts of the existing business model aiming for sustainable development. The second factor is identifying key resources for the development of a new business model, which should be managed not only on a corporate level but requires a local and national connection as well. The third factor is the inclusion of stakeholders in a dialogue to develop an understanding of shared values to enable access to a network. The identification of shared values is not only a strategy of developing the business model itself, it may also offer access to an inclusive network from other sectors and serve as grounds for legitimacy. The most critical factor is related to social entrepreneurship. The involvement of a social entrepreneur enables an effective identification of the most crucial point of intersection between the company and the community. Furthermore, they ensure the inclusion of various stakeholders in the process, aimed at benefiting the local community. Lastly, an evaluation method that takes into account the future values generated through the inclusion of social issues and the values associated with reputation and brand image. Taking these indirect values into account is a critical factor for the continued development of inclusive business models.