Fair Trade Organizations and Social Enterprise. Social Innovation through Hybrid Organization Models.

Title: Fair Trade Organizations and Social Enterprise. Social Innovation through Hybrid Organization Models.
Summary:

For several decades, social enterprises have been pioneers in the conception and implementation of a pathbreaking social innovation: Fair Trade (FT). Fair Trade Social Enterprises have created a movement which has challenged mainstream trading practices and offered development
opportunities for disadvantaged producer groups in the South. Starting from a niche market aimed at convinced customers, FT has expanded and entered mainstream retailing outlets, growing in visibility and market share, while simultaneously experiencing diversification of its organization models. While pioneer Fair Trade Social
Enterprises in the early years were largely nonprofit organizations relying on voluntary work, they have become increasingly diversified in terms of legal forms, governance models and organizational practices. These diversified models seem to reflect the hybrid nature of FT
itself, through different ways of combining a commercial activity (trading of FT products), a social mission (support to producers), and an explicit or implicit political message (often expressed through education and advocacy).

Based on the study of Fair Trade Social Enterprises across Europe, this book builds a typology of organization models for FT. Author Benjamin Huybrechts further examines how the different organization models combine the economic, social, and political dimensions of FT, and how they manage the possible tensions between these dimensions. Fair Trade Organizations and Social Enterprise proposes a range of theoretical approaches to interpret the diversity of Fair Trade Social Enterprises and offers concrete avenues for managing social enterprises and hybrid organizations in general.

“This book makes an important contribution to the literature on Fair Trade and hybrid organizations. The author uses rigorous research to offer new thinking in both these topic areas which will be of interest to both scholars and practitioners working in ethical and Fair
Trade, as well as to managers concerned with creating more effective organizational models in hybrid market spaces.”-Alex Nicholls, University Lecturer, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

“This book is one of the most competent and insightful contributions in terms of comparative analysis of Fair Trade organizations and strategies in different European countries. It reflects a long-term, careful and detailed investigation of how social enterprises in the North are competing by selling bundles of goods including ethical characteristics and conquering the “vote with the wallet” of socially and environmentally concerned consumers.”- Leonardo Becchetti, Professor in Economics, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”

“A very stimulating analysis of the Fair Trade sector, at the crossroads of economics and organization theory. This book will be a very useful reference for researchers and practitioners, based on solid data and insightful case studies.”-François Pichault, Professor in Organizational Change and Human Resources, HEC Management School, University of Liege

TO CITE THIS ARTICLE:

Benjamin Huybrechts 2012 Fair Trade Organizations and Social Enterprise. Social Innovation through Hybrid Organization Models.

Language: English
Type: Book
Academic Publication: yes
Other Info:

Routledge Studies in Management, Organizations and Society