Investigating the hybridity and scaling strategies of for-profit social enterprises

2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01873
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
• Principal Investigator: ALCANTARA L.L. 立命館アジア太平洋大学, 国際経営学部, 教授 (10584021)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 三橋 平 早稲田大学, 商学学術院, 教授 (90332551)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: hybridity

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The main purpose of the study is to examine the effect of hybridity, a mixture of profit-seeking and purpose-driven goals to address societal and environment issues, on corporate strategies. FY 2020 was the first implementation year of the project. Below are the major research outcomes in FY 2020:

1.We have collected 98 articles on B corps, as target hybrid organizations. Using content analysis, we found that previous studies have mainly focused on B corps' certification and corporate performance, but fall short in explaining B corps' business models and strategies.
2.We have collected impact data on 4,815 B corps and conducted a preliminary analysis of these B corps.
3.We submitted an abstract for presentation at the Nordic Academy of Management.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

We planned to conduct our literature review, collect corporate data and field interviews during the first year of our project, FY 2020. As mentioned above, we were able to conduct our literature, collect data on B corps. However, due to pandemic, we were unable to conduct our field interviews.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

In FY 2021, we will continue to collect B corp data and start our field interviews. We will also conduct a descriptive analysis of B corps’ hybridity and draw upon this analysis, previous literature and field interviews to develop our theoretical model. We plan to hold a seminar or participate in an academic conference to present our analysis of B corps’ models and their hybridity.

Causes of Carryover

Due to the pandemic, we were unable to conduct our field interviews. Hence, we plan to use the incurring amount to be used for our field interviews in FY 2021.