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Over the past decade, the proliferation of entrepreneurial ventures and small firms with sustainable business models have pushed the sustainability agenda in the fashion industry. Despite prominent success stories, these companies often encounter significant operative challenges that hinder growth or even cause business failure. This paper adopts a qualitative research design and uses data gathered during 18 expert interviews with entrepreneurs and executive managers of 18 firms from 13 countries to identify and explore the dominant challenges that micro- and small-sized sustainable fashion companies struggle with. The results indicate that communicating with consumers is perceived as surprisingly difficult, especially because sustainable brands need to justify higher prices and explain the added benefits of their products. Second, resource constraints lead to operative friction and overburdening of the decision makers and their small management teams. Third, sustainable sourcing and production processes are economically difficult in an industry that continues to occupy a mass and low-cost logic. Against the background of these insights, a range of managerial recommendations are developed and contextualized in the framework of the Business Model Canvas. This novel approach makes the suggestions which are rooted in the resource-based view actionable and supports sustainable businesses to better manage their operations and achieve growth. For example, collaborative approaches with different stakeholders may mitigate constraints across all three identified problem areas.
Sustainable Digital Entrepreneurship : Examining IT4Sustainability as Business Development Path
(2022)
There is an increasing interest within the field of Information Systems as well as political agendas to identify the potential of digital technologies to promote sustainable development. Nonetheless, sustainable entrepreneurship and digital entrepreneurship are widely treated separately within the literature, suggesting that there is little understanding of how entrepreneurs could employ digital technologies to promote sustainable development. Based on an empirical, qualitative research approach, relying on Grounded Theory methodology, this paper identifies characteristics of sustainable digital entrepreneurs. An investigation of the manifestations of the sustainable digital orientation reveals a rather diffuse understanding of the relation and potential synergy effects. In response to this gap, the paper presents examples on how sustainable digital entrepreneurs employ digital and disruptive technologies to tackle sustainability challenges (IT4Sustainability development path), including information and communication technology, such as digital platforms, artificial intelligence, or drone technology. The presented approaches range from second-mover approaches associated with low digital maturity limited to the business level to the development of new business models facilitating the sustainable transition of whole sectors. These insights are summarized in an IT4Sustainability maturity model, which presents different starting points for entrepreneurs. Relevant theoretical, practical, and policy implications are discussed, especially concerning the education on IT4Sustainability, including Corporate Digital Responsibility.
The paper presents and analyses the structure and consequences of limits to growth for the global economy. Apart from the famous report for the Club of Rome, a wide range of related literature, which all caution against the idea of unrestricted growth, is also covered. In presenting side tracks in economics, major differences towards standard economic reasoning are highlighted; these are particularly centred on the concepts of technology, sustainability, and resources. One of the central conclusions is that technological progress alone cannot be the knight in shining armour to save the day amid increasing stress on the sides of sources and sinks of the global system. Further, oil production, consumption, and reserve patterns are discussed, emphasising that a continuous underestimation of the challenges ahead would be distressing. Finally, the development of non-advanced countries is hindered, as the diminishing availability of oil reserves could prove as a significant constraint.
Auf der Basis einer zweistufigen Delphi-Befragung mit anschließender Sektorenbefragung konnte gezeigt werden, dass die untersuchten Obst- und Gemüsegenossenschaften Probleme in der Organisations- und Führungsstruktur aufweisen und dass teilweise mangelnde Professionalität im Management zu einer fehlenden Marktorientierung und Schwächung der Wettbewerbsposition von Genossenschaften führt. Daher besteht die Notwendigkeit der Anpassung der internen Führungsstruktur, um die Effizienz der Genossenschaften zu steigern und die Wettbewerbskraft zu erhöhen.
Die Effizienzsteigerung kann durch die Einführung eines zukunftsorientierten, nachhaltigen Managementsystems erreicht werden. Dabei müssen die institutionellen Besonderheiten von Genossenschaften berücksichtigt werden, um die Vorteile dieser Rechts- und Organisationsform auszuschöpfen.
Die Genossenschaftsstrategie muss dabei beachten, dass sie die Stakeholderanforderungen berücksichtigt und diese empathisch in ihre Leitlinien und das wirtschaftliche Handeln einfließen lässt. Besonderes Augenmerk muss die Genossenschaft dabei auf Ihre Erzeuger und Mitglieder sowie ihre Kunden haben. Innovation und Effektivität müssen weitere Eckpfeiler in der Strategieausrichtung sein.
Führt man zusätzlich zu den übergeordneten Strategieerneuerungen auch ein auf die Werte der Genossenschaft aufbauendes Managementmodell ein, kann die Organisationsform viele Vorteile für ein zukunftsorientiertes Unternehmen bieten. Dabei stellt das Holakratie- oder Soziokratie-Modell ein Managementmodell dar, das auch einem Wertewandel der modernen Zeit standhält und die Führungsstruktur durch die doppelte Kreisbindung modernisiert. Die Governance der Genossenschaft wird gestärkt und ständig aktuell gehalten. Diese Art von Managementmodell eignet sich gerade für Genossenschaften aufgrund von einer notwendigen, hohen Mitgliederbeteiligung und –selbstbestimmung besonders gut. Die dadurch zusätzlich gewonnene Transparenz stellt einen entscheidenden Wettbewerbsvorteil für zukunftsorientierte, nachhaltige Genossenschaften dar, die dann anpassungsfähig sind und auch einer Internationalisierung des Marktes standhalten.