Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the emergent research on social business models by revealing challenges encountered by the design and implementation of such business models.Design/methodology/approach - Case study of the development of FACA, an affordable medicine used to treat sickle cell disease, from traditional medicine to market in Burkina Faso.Findings - Social business models present important challenges in terms of value capture for all stakeholders. The social profit equation and the profit equation suggested by Yunus et al. are difficult to apply in practice, and therefore, social business model design should consider the social and profit equations jointly.Originality/value - Developing countries are seeking different approaches to innovation and healthcare. Social business models appear as one of the potential solutions to bring value to society, organizations, and individuals. The identification of challenges raised by social business models can help policymakers and executives in the design and implementation of these social business models.

This paper examines the proposition that bootlegger entrepreneurs can be identified by their creativity. This is done with the help of a standard psychological test. Bootleg researchers can be identified by applying the test because they are very creative people. With this test a firm might be able to discourage or encourage employment of potential candidates for its R&D department. Thus, a firm can indirectly control the number of bootleg innovations produced in the firm or simply avoid wasting time consuming management resources, as bootleg entrepreneurs can be difficult to manage at times. The result of this research adds new evidence to current literature.

ChemBioChemVolume 9, Issue 17 p. 2889-2890 Book Review Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization. By Donald W. Braben. Peter Augsdorfer, Peter Augsdorfer Grenoble Ecole de Management (France)Search for more papers by this author Peter Augsdorfer, Peter Augsdorfer Grenoble Ecole de Management (France)Search for more papers by this author First published: 14 November 2008 https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.200800670Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume9, Issue17November 24, 2008Pages 2889-2890 RelatedInformation

OVERVIEW: The lesson from this research into covert research—also known as “bootlegging”—is clear: do not even try to organize the early stages of innovation through formal processes. Interviews at 70 European companies reveal that organizing for creativity is impossible to tackle without contravening one or another organizational protocol. Consequently, it is recommended that managers abandon the arguments over control versus freedom to leave creativity and early innovation where it belongs: in the chaotic, messy and wild terrain of the corporate underground. Management should accept that innovative output emerges from the hidden life of corporations and, moreover, that it is more often than not in line with overall corporate strategy. The research shows that both organizational bureaucracy and the underground world co-exist and interact positively; hence, the long-running debate about how to integrate creativity into the formal organization becomes moot.

In honour of the late Keith Pavitt, we introduce this Special Issue of International Journal of Innovation Management. We discuss the impact of Pavitt's work in technology and innovation on the management field. He showed empirically a number of core principles of technological change and knowledge, and how these affected managerial and organisational tasks. His influence is indicated by his publication channels, citations to his work and the other authorswithwhom hewas cited. Pavitt had signalled several themes for future research in themanagement of technology and innovation. This introduction explains howthe articles of this special issue make contributions to all these ongoing research agendas.

This paper confirms the importance of path dependency in the accumulation of firm-specific technological competencies. It shows that firms are guided by the selective logic of path dependency in their innovation processes, even if management has no part in decisions to invest in a new business idea. The research focuses on the output of bootlegging, defined as research in which motivated corporate entrepreneurs pursue innovative activity, which they themselves define and secretly organise. Bootlegging emerges as an incremental continuous trial-and-error learning process in R&D and its uncertainty is no better or worse than that of ‘normal’ R&D. The fear of some managers that violation of strategic direction setting and total anarchy will ensue from bootlegging is unfounded.

This paper confirms the importance of path dependency in the accumulation of firm-specific technological competencies. It shows that firms are guided by the selective logic of path dependency in their innovation process, even if it is not management taking the decision to invest in a new business idea. The research focused on the output of bootlegging, which is defined as research in which motivated corporate entrepreneurs pursue innovative activity, which they themselves define and secretly organise. Bootlegging emerges as an incremental continuous trail-and-error learning process in R&D. Total anarchic chaos and the violation of strategic direction settings as feared by some managers is not going to happen.

For a company seeking to implement a continuous improvement (CI) strategy, research has pointed to two pertinent policy suggestions. First, it is possible to take the essence of a CI philosophy (i.e. one where the emphasis is on creating an improvement‐based learning culture in the company) and apply it in any environment, however underdeveloped in terms of the tools of quality management it may be. But the key to success lies in the second factor for success. It is suggested that in order for a CI programme to be sustainable it has to be viewed as long term and company wide. The tools and infrastructure of quality management have to be supported by strategy, culture and process in a way that allows the organization to learn and, hence, improve itself.

Bootlegging is a special type of innovation involving covert research without the explicit approval of the responsible manager. It incorporates a dimension of secrecy as this research does not appear on project sheets drawn up by the management of firms. But it might also incorporate the dimension of conspiracy if the innovative activity is pursued by a research team, and perhaps with wider tacit support. Bootlegging exists as a phenomenon in a large number of companies. Interview findings suggest that the attitudes of management towards bootlegging are determined by prevailing perceptions of uncertainty and knowledge about the nature of decision processes.