Certified B Corps (B Corps) are firms characterized by a hybrid purpose and a sustainable business model that combines profit with social impact. Prior quantitative studies on B Corps have mainly analyzed the impact of certification on firm performance, while only a few have tried to analyze the antecedents of certification or high sustainability performance. Regression models have been used in most cases, often with inconsistent results and some research limitations. The aim of this study is to test the presence of different possible combinations of firm-level antecedents leading to a high sustainability performance in B Corps. It applies a configurational approach and a qualitative comparative analysis methodology to search for different combinations of organizational factors (size, age, profitability, certification experience, women on board and the "Born B" factor) that lead to a high sustainability outcome, measured by a B Impact Assessment (BIA). Results indicate the existence of four configurations leading to a high BIA, representing as many kinds of impactful B Corps: Born B, small young ventures, small and medium enterprises, and large firms. These results contribute to the literature by showing that a high sustainability performance in B Corps can be reached through different paths (equifinality) entailing both high and low values of each factor (asymmetry) and depends on how factors are combined (conjunction) rather than on their single effect.

Impactful B Corps: A configurational approach of organizational factors leading to high sustainability performance

Silvia Cantele;Chiara Leardini;Luca Piubello Orsini
2023-01-01

Abstract

Certified B Corps (B Corps) are firms characterized by a hybrid purpose and a sustainable business model that combines profit with social impact. Prior quantitative studies on B Corps have mainly analyzed the impact of certification on firm performance, while only a few have tried to analyze the antecedents of certification or high sustainability performance. Regression models have been used in most cases, often with inconsistent results and some research limitations. The aim of this study is to test the presence of different possible combinations of firm-level antecedents leading to a high sustainability performance in B Corps. It applies a configurational approach and a qualitative comparative analysis methodology to search for different combinations of organizational factors (size, age, profitability, certification experience, women on board and the "Born B" factor) that lead to a high sustainability outcome, measured by a B Impact Assessment (BIA). Results indicate the existence of four configurations leading to a high BIA, representing as many kinds of impactful B Corps: Born B, small young ventures, small and medium enterprises, and large firms. These results contribute to the literature by showing that a high sustainability performance in B Corps can be reached through different paths (equifinality) entailing both high and low values of each factor (asymmetry) and depends on how factors are combined (conjunction) rather than on their single effect.
2023
B impact assessment
benefit corporation
born B
certified B Corp
configurational approach
qualitative comparative analysis
sustainability performance
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Cantele et al. 2022_Impactful B Corps.pdf

solo utenti autorizzati

Tipologia: Versione dell'editore
Licenza: Accesso ristretto
Dimensione 1.67 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.67 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1081666
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 3
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 3
social impact