Good Performing Enterprise (Co-operative) with Social Venturing and Co-operative Entrepreneurship Business Model (SVCE-bm) in Zambia

Abstract

Social Venturing Economics (SVE) school of thought is new and still evolving. The proponents of SVE advocate social venturing and co-operative entrepreneurship business model (SVCE-bm) as the most appropriate tool for socioeconomic development in developing nations with inadequate institutional framework to support the New Generation Co-operatives business model (NGC-bm). The SVCE-bm is a theoretical business model under development and is simply defined as multi-actor business architecture for value creation, delivery and capture. This paper attempts to investigate the existence of good firms in Zambia using SVCE-bm.

The theoretical concepts underpinning SVCE-bm is new institutional economics and its branches - transaction cost economics, agency theory, and property rights.

A case study design to investigate the existence of good SVCE-bm in Zambian firms using in-depth interviews was used. The desk research study method was used to compliment the case study also.

The study has established that there is none completely similar to SVCE-bm but there exists SV-bm that are almost similar. The major departure is on exit strategy and ownership. In SV-bm enterprise, smallholder producers, co-operativesor MSMEs are contracted to supply agricultural commodities and there is no plan for them to assume ownership and running of value adding firms. The SV-bm enterprise promotes dependency syndrome such that if the enterprise were to close, the contracted stakeholder's economics and social prospects would come to zero.

The SVCE-bm requires supportive environment and has potential for sustainable social economic development for developing economies especially in supporting smallholder producers, co-operatives, MSMEs to own value adding enterprise.

The SVCE-bm has potential for replication in local government and ministry of agriculture in the development of co-operatives.