Challenges of a Sustainable Microenterprise – Case Study of EcoCollab

Authors

  • Jayati Talapatra Management consultant and faculty, Department of Business Sustainability, XLRI Jamshedpur, East, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 831001, India. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69996/ijari.2024012

Keywords:

EcoCollab, academicians, stakeholders, Human Resources

Abstract

This case deals with the most critical and urgent requirement of the business world, that is sustainability. While profit motive and shareholder capitalism has been the norm for the past century, new management thinking requires a deep understand of sustainability to remain viable in future. Sustainable infrastructure is a rarely understood concept, by all stakeholders – from professionals to consumers to governments to academicians. Through the example of EcoCollab, the reader is introduced to the overall concept of sustainability and specifically of sustainable infrastructure. The Management issues that are covered are the following: Understanding customer expectations and need. EcoCollab’s offering first required concept selling as there were negligible demand for their service. It was important to also accept the customer need of low cost and provide a solution that met with this need. EcoCollab founders display grit, determination and an ability to follow their dream through. They showed sound understanding of the market and succeeded in building a core and advisory team, that addressed the customers’ needs. This case can be used by Management Students specialising in Human Resources. Students of Strategy and Marketing may also benefit from this case.

References

[1] J. Ammenberg, and O Hjelm (2003). “Tracing business and environmental effects of en- vironmental management systems — A study of networking small and medium-sized enterprises using a joint environmental managementsystem,” Business Strategy and the Environment, 12(3), 2003, 163–174.

[2] H. Bargal, M. Dashmishra and A. Sharma, “Performance Analysis of Small Scale Industries – A Study of Preliberalization and Post-liberalization period,” International Journal of Business and Management, 1(2), 2009.

[3] F. Tilley, “Small-firm environmental strategy: The UK experience,” Greener Management International, 25, 1999, 67–80.

[4] R. Adams, S. Jeanrenaud, J. Bessant, D. Denyer and P. Overy, “Sustainability-oriented innovation: A systematic review,” International Journal of Management Reviews, 18(2), 2016, 180–205.

[5] L. Bartlett and F. Vavrus,”Comparative case studies: An innovative approach”, Nordic Journal of Comparative and International, Education (NJCIE), 1(1), 2017, 5–17.

[6] S. Crowe, K. Cresswell, A. Robertson, G. Huby, A. Avery and A. Sheikh, “The case study approach,” BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11(1), 2011, 1–9.

[7] N. Dempsey, G. Bramley, S. Power and C. Brown, “The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban social sustainability,” Sustainable Development, 19(5), 2011, 289–300. [8] J. De Boer, “Sustainability labelling schemes: The logic of their claims and their functions for stakeholders,” Business Strategy and the Environment, 12(4), 2003, 254–264.

[9] F. Figge, T. Hahn, S. Schaltegger and M. Wagner, “The sustainability balanced scorecard—Linking sustainability management to business strategy,” Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(5), 2002, 269–284.

[10]B.J. Gray, S. Duncan, J. Kirkwood and S. Walton, “Encouraging sustainable entrepreneurship in climatethreatened communities: A Samoan case study,” Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 26(5–6), 2014, 401–430.

[11]S.M. Khokhawala and R.S.Iyer, “Entrepreneurial ecosystems: Spanning the institutional gaps in emerging economies via incubator networks,” Journal of the International Council for Small Business, 2(3), 2021, 177–202.

[12]S. Schaltegger and M. Wagner, “Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation: Categories and interactions,” Business Strategy and the Environment, 20(4), 2011, 222–237.

[13]D.A. Shepherd and H. Patzelt, “The new Field of sustainable entrepreneurship: Studying entrepreneurial action linking ‘What is to be sustained’ with ‘What is to be developed,” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1), 2011, 137–163.

[14]S. Thacker, D. Adshead, C. Fantini, R. Palmer R, Ghosal, T.Adeoti and G. Morgan S. Stratton-Short, “Infrastructure for climate action,” UNOPS, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2021.

[15]P.T. Roundy, “‘Doing good’ while serving customers: Charting the social entrepreneurship and marketing interface,” Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 19(2), 2017, 105–124.

Downloads

Published

2024-07-31

Issue

Section

Research Article

How to Cite

Jayati Talapatra. (2024). Challenges of a Sustainable Microenterprise – Case Study of EcoCollab. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovation(IJARI, 2347-3258), 12(3), 5-9. https://doi.org/10.69996/ijari.2024012