15 Mar 2018
One of today’s key development is social-business Co-creation. Companies are responsible for their business activities - both internally as well as towards the environment and society, in the short and in the long term. Although growth and profit decide whether to be or not to be, social entrepreneurship and profitability are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, one cannot do without the other. The fact that "social" is now coupled with entrepreneurship and called "social entrepreneurship" indicates that a sense of responsibility extending beyond purely entrepreneurial rationality is emerging.
Businesses not only see the opportunity to contribute to solving major societal problems such as poverty, unemployment, social exclusion and environmental pollution, but also see this as their duty. As a cooperative with 1.9 million members, Raiffeisen has been a social enterprise since its inception and is committed to a healthy working and living environment in Switzerland.
The four values of closeness, entrepreneurship, credibility and sustainability are lived daily. Raiffeisen consists of 255 independent Raiffeisen banks, which know the challenges of SMEs and exchange ideas with entrepreneurs on an equal footing. By establishing regional Raiffeisen Business Centres (Raiffeisen Unternehmerzentren RUZ), Raiffeisen has also created a platform for local entrepreneurs to promote active cooperation and mutual support.
We consider this to be a fundamental prerequisite for living social entrepreneurship. The present barometer is the first of its kind and sheds light on what is happening in the Swiss corporate world and how it relates to Co-creation. The idea behind this English term is that companies team up with knowledge experts to tackle economic, social and ecological challenges that cannot be solved individually. The conclusion: co-creation is still little known in Switzerland, but the results of those who have embarked on this new form of cooperation is consistently positive.
Barometer on social & business Co-creation Switzerland
Houmard, L., Pilauer, A., Simonet, G., Fruchaud, O., Odermatt, F., Schmidt, S. (2018). Barometer on social & business Co-creation in Switzerland. Fribourg: School of Management Fribourg. ISBN 978-2-940384-46-4
Social & Business Co-Creation: From Why to How?
Highlights from the 2017 survey
Contact us
Laurent Houmard
Full Professor UAS/Institute Head
+41 26 429 63 67