Social vision or profitable business model?
Futures research: Social business in Germany in 2030
What does the social future hold? Fruitful years where we all look after each other so that everyone's needs are taken care of? Or a social wasteland, the breakdown of the welfare state, old-age poverty and social isolation? These are the questions and prospective solutions explored by the first futures study titled "Social Business in Germany in 2030 – Social vision or profitable business model". Conducted at the Center for Futures Studies and Knowledge Management at EBS Business School, the study outlines the necessary framework for the establishment and sustained existence of social business. Furthermore, it highlights the enormous potential of social business for a highly developed and heavily industrialized economy such as Germany. One of the first successful examples of social business in Germany is "Dialogue in the Dark".
A change in values: Social becomes an accepted part of the agenda
The study presents multifaceted and ground-breaking expert opinions on the critical success factors for social business, at the same time demolishing a widespread myth: Social entrepreneurs are not social romantics or starry-eyed do-gooders, but share a commitment to people and are for that very reason carefully calculating entrepreneurs who successfully combine economic with social aspects. "The study makes an important contribution towards understanding the growth area of social business, in particular within the German context", said Dr Inga-Lena Darkow, who directed the study at EBS Business School "Social business is at the height of the times – companies and customers alike are already sensitized towards the issue. Social business however needs to become more standard, more specialized and more professional for it to be established as a business model in Germany", explained Darkow.
Future perspectives
In interviews and a Delphi survey involving 68 experts a most likely scenario for social business was developed. In addition, four extreme scenarios were described using intentionally exaggerated images of the future titled "Social Carer", "Social Paradise", "Social Wasteland"“ and "Social Capitalism".
The study was funded by the EBS Center of Responsible Economy (CORE), an interdisciplinary, cross-university institute concerned with the topics of responsibility and sustainability. The EBS initiative is supported by Danone Germany, who with Grameen Danone Foods already has several years of practical experience in the field of social business and has founded the first Chair to address this topic in Germany at EBS Business School. "We aim to seek new, creative solutions to social and environmental issues and promote research into new entrepreneurial approaches in Germany too", said Ramin Khabirpour, General Manager Fresh Dairy Products Central Europe. "The basic requirement for the successful implementation of social business models is an understanding of country-specific problems: A social business project that fights against malnutrition in Bangladesh is not simply transferable to Germany. We are faced with different challenges here, which require specifically tailored ideas," said Khabirpour. "This study aims to help social business become a business reality in Germany too."