Challenges and strategies in pursuing financial and social bottom-lines: Managing for-profit social enterprises in the Philippines
Presented by: Dr. Raymund B. Habaradas, Management and Organization Department, Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business
Date of presentation: 14 October 2015
Venue: Tereso Lara seminar room (LS230), De La Salle University
Abstract
Managers of for-profit social enterprises, just like their counterparts in traditional profit-oriented firms, must adopt and implement appropriate business strategies to keep their operations viable. In addition, they must deal with the complexity of creating both financial and social value.
What strategies do these social enterprises utilize to achieve both their financial and social bottom lines? How do they implement them? Taking our cue from Dees and Anderson (2002), we attempted to validate the following propositions: (a) that Philippine social enterprises experience tension in their attempts to jointly achieve financial and social objectives, and are likely to comprise one bottom line over another; and (b) that social enterprises that utilize Dees and Anderson’s proposed strategies better manage challenges associated with having dual objectives.
Utilizing the multiple case study research design, we drew insights from the experiences of the following social enterprises: EcoIngenuity, Inc. (Jacinto & Lirio), Bayani Brew, and ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle. Our case study research reveals that Philippine social enterprises indeed encounter tensions as they pursue both their economic and social objectives. Successfully reconciling dual bottom lines requires business acumen on the part of the social enterprise’s owners / managers, who must not only know how to manage their internal operations efficiently, but also be able to leverage on the resources of stakeholders that are sympathetic to the enterprise’s social mission. Finally, social enterprises can benefit from an ecology of support provided by a community of like-minded individuals and institutions.
About the Author
Dr. Habaradas is the Director of the Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD) of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University (DLSU). He teaches Management Research, Management of Organizations, and Management Action Research at the Management and Organization Department of DLSU. He received both his Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degrees from the same university.
Dr. Habaradas has produced work in the areas of corporate social initiatives, national innovation systems, city innovations, innovation of firms, upgrading in global value chains, and SME development. He has published in internationally-refereed journals such as the Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, the Journal of International Business Research, the Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, and the DLSU Business and Economics Review.
Among his published works is a chapter in the book Production Networks, Industrial Adjustment, Institutions and Policies, and Regional Cooperation, which was cited by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) as Most Outstanding Book in 2011. He has also written articles for opinion columns in Businessworld, Manila Standard Today, and Manila Times.
Dr. Habaradas previously served as Director of the DLSU Center for Professional Development in Business and Economics (CPDBE), as Deputy Executive Director of the DLSU-Angelo King Institute for Economics and Business Studies, and as Director of the Institutional Communication Office of DLSU. He was also one of the recipients of the Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Fellowship Program of the Nippon Foundation in 2007.
Download the presentation here