Effectuation: An Alternative Approach for Developing Sustainability Architecture in Small Business
Abstract
Many business firms are incorporating sustainability initiatives into their business plans. Sustainability integration typically utilizes a resource intensive comprehensive planning process. Implementation of sustainability initiatives into a business is not likely to be equally accessible amongst firms. Larger, more established firms may have greater resources to bear the costs while smaller firms may face significant impediments that preclude taking a similar approach (Schick et al., 2002). Thus, an alternative approach to sustainability integration is suggested to accommodate the specific issues common to smaller businesses. This study develops an alternative approach for small businesses based on the concept of effectual reasoning as described in the collective works of Sarasvathy (2001, 2008). We provide a rationale for using effectuation, demonstrate how the process applies to sustainability integration within the context of small firms, and suggest roles for business consultants in the implementation of the process.References
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