Title: Corporate social innovation in practice: people with disabilities project in Brazil

Authors: Marcelo Dionisio

Addresses: COPPEAD Business School, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pascoal Lemme, 355 – Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 21941-918, Brazil

Abstract: This study explores how companies engage in corporate social innovation (CSI) creating social value and competitive advantage. This paper contributes to the literature that claims for the need to understand how social innovations are integrated with businesses' strategies and the impact they generate in both business and society, and to the social inclusion field by using the case of Mundial, a Brazilian supermarket chain that successfully implemented an initiative for people with disabilities (PwD). The case was analysed based on the CSI frameworks proposed by Herrera (2015) and results demonstrate the different nature of CSI, letting us argue that this is the latest and definitive alternative for businesses to connect with society and help solve social problems while reaching economic results.

Keywords: corporate social innovation; CSI; social innovation; social inclusion; people with disabilities; PwD.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2024.138019

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2024 Vol.36 No.4, pp.452 - 468

Accepted: 24 Jun 2020
Published online: 17 Apr 2024 *

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