Suchergebnisse

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify how the value dynamics of the freemium business model (BM) play out in a social enterprise.Design/methodology/approachWe draw on a multiple case study of two social enterprises –one nonprofit (Aravind Eyecare) in Asia and one for-profit in Latin America (Biodent)– to analyze the implications of applying the value architecture of a freemium BM to social enterprises.FindingsThe freemium BM departs from standard practice when applied in social enterprises. Meaningful differences include the feasibility/desirability of converting free users to paying ones, the presence of significant variable costs –which requires balancing the ratio of free and paying customers– and the use of nontraditional pricing schemes to enhance value capture. The social freemium BM can increase scalability, value creation and value capture. Under this model, "beneficiaries" can be more than passive recipients of value and contribute to a venture's success in various ways –such as lowering its operational costs or enhancing its value proposition toward third parties.Originality/valueWhile in the past years commercial enterprises have been disrupted by the emergence of freemium platforms, the social enterprise field has barely taken notice. We extract lessons and implications from this paradigmatic change for the theory and practice of business model innovation in social enterprises, of particular relevance to Latin America, where social and environmental disequilibria remain a recurring feat.

En esta serie de estudios descubrimos el rumbo que siguieron las sociedades norteamericanas para encontrar los caminos que garantizaban más democracia y más equidad. El desafío, ya viejo, de la desigualdad encontró respuestas en las sociedades civiles con la participación tanto de las empresas como del tercer sector. A través de la construcción de alianzas y de la colaboración con las políticas gubernamentales, retomamos la preocupación por el desarrollo social y el combate de la pobreza. Este libro es un testimonio de ese proceso. ; In this series of studies we discovered the course that North American societies followed to find the paths that guaranteed more democracy and more equity. The old challenge of inequality found responses in civil societies with the participation of both companies and the third sector. Through the construction of alliances and collaboration with government policies, we take up the concern for social development and the fight against poverty. This book is a testament to that process.