Global Enterprises: contemporarisation of khadi products in India

Abstract

Theoretical basis This paper aims to explain the theory of stakeholder, value chain analysis and triple bottom line sustainability approach. Research methodology The present case was developed from both primary and secondary data sources. The primary sources included visits to Global Enterprises and collected data through a structured interview. The secondary sources included enterprise annual reports and websites. Case overview/synopsis This case presents the innovative approach adopted by a for-profit social enterprise, utilizing locally available resources, changed products and an improved business model to deliver the desired social impact. It highlights the challenges social entrepreneurs face and how the people at the grass-root level are uplifted through the success of a social entrepreneurial venture. The case study is based on an interview conducted with the founder and managing director of Global Enterprises and other stakeholders (farmers, women artisans and employees). An interview schedule was used for conducting the interviews. The researchers tried to understand the business model deployed, stakeholders involved, challenges faced, competencies needed and strategic decisions made by the social entrepreneur that helped the enterprise become sustainable. The social problems identified by the entrepreneur include unavailability of quality raw material at a reasonable price on time; financial scarcity and massive dependence on non-institutional financial sources; lack of product development, market research and production; and the high price of handmade products compared to factory-made products. The case explains how the entrepreneur addressed the problems of cotton farmers, women artisans and local youths through his enterprise. The case also explains how he could make a social venture sustainable in the long run. Complexity academic level This case targets graduate-level students and is designed to be taught in Entrepreneurship, Social entrepreneurship, Rural entrepreneurship, Business administration and Entrepreneurship development. It can also be used for other programmes, where problem identification, opportunity recognition, stakeholder analysis and porter's value chain analysis are taught.

Entrepreneurial Value Creation by Rural Enterprises: A Process Model

“…The study followed an inductive approach, starting from a detailed observation of the single case units and moving towards a more abstract generalisation of ideas/processes (Neuman, 2003). It adopted Gioia’s (2021) inductive approach for data analysis (Swain et al, 2022). A five-step process was adopted to analyse the data.…”

“…Identification of the gap and perception of the opportunity is mediated by the cognitive process of awareness and sensitivity. Education, personal experience, practice and direct or indirect exposure shape entrepreneurs’ cognition (Swain et al, 2022). The entrepreneurs of Ankush Mane, Nirmal Milk Producer Association, Kalyani Dairy Farm, Tuljai Pashu Khadya Kendra Pashu Khadya, Abhi Eggs experienced a problem and were triggered to find a solution.…”

“…Any enterprise starts with either competitive or comparative advantage and in the long run, the enterprise gains both ways for its sustainability (Patoju et al, 2022; Swain & Patoju, 2022).…”

“…Careful consideration was also given to include all possible sectors like agri allied, agri-equipment, dairy, food, handicraft, khadi and poultry enterprises operating in rural areas to increase the generalisability of the research findings. The researchers considered product-based enterprises because in rural areas nearly 75% of the enterprises are product-based (Ministry of Rural Development [MoRD], 2022; Swain et al, 2022). Researchers chose 10 rural enterprises working in different sectors (agri and agri-allied, dairy, poultry, food and khadi) (Table 1).…”

“…The value creation process can help understand the market potential, resource map, rural needs and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The current literature is more urban-centric, as only a few studies (Acs et al, 1994, 2008; Monsen et al, 2012; Swain & Patoju, 2022) focus on rural enterprises. Hence, the present study is designed to understand the value-creation process of rural enterprises.…”