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Doing good by innovating well : een kwalitatieve zoektocht naar de Groene Tulp

Lazeron, N. (2012) Doing good by innovating well : een kwalitatieve zoektocht naar de Groene Tulp.

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Abstract:Background: This year Accenture is organizing the sixth edition of the Accenture Innovation Awards. This competition is organized to celebrate and stimulate innovation within the Dutch market place. During the event Accenture will reward the most innovative concepts with the highly coveted and prestigious Blue Tulip Award. This year Accenture also created the Green Tulip Award. This award will go to the concept that is most sustainable and socially responsible. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to identify the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and innovation. The research was aimed at finding criteria Accenture can use during the adjudication of the Green Tulip. For that reason, the concepts of CSR and innovation where examined separately based on the available theory. The study of MacGregor and Fontrodona (2008) has subsequently played an important role in the drafting of the research questions related to the integral relationship between CSR and innovation. The research questions together contributed to answering the central research question: ‘What does the interplay between CSR and innovation look like within start-up organizations?’ Method: By using the interview method the integral relationship between CSR and innovation was examined. Fifteen organizations who previously participated in the Accenture Innovation Awards took part in the semi-structured interviews. These organizations were selected based on a high focus for CSR and a high focus for innovation, so it was possible for the organizations to answer questions related to the integration capabilities of CSR and innovation. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is an interaction between CSR and innovation within start-up organizations. The interaction between CSR and innovation only looks dissimilar from the vicious circle that MacGregor and Fontrodona (2008) described. With this study it is shown that the starting point of true integration between CSR and innovation always begins at the point of CSR, and that the relationship from this point leads to innovation. Only after the commercialization of the innovation there can be spoken of the effective integration between the two concepts, since earlier there is no innovation. After this, interweaving of CSR and innovation exists. The interaction then leads both to new CSR as to new innovation, which makes the circle not necessarily vicious. This makes the relationship between CSR and innovation more complex than just the description of a vicious circle. Moreover, in contrast to the study of MacGregor and Fontrodona (2008), it is possible for start-up organizations to integrate CSR and innovation directly with each other within a considerable period of time. This is because these young organizations can combine the processes of CSR and innovation directly. For older organizations there is a necessary transition needed from old to new processes, in order to integrate CSR and innovation. In this way, the integration takes much longer than appears in start-up organizations. Actual integration between CSR and innovation is therefore already in front at start-up organizations.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Clients:
Accenture Nederland, Amsterdam, Nederland
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies MSc (60713)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/62307
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