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Archives of Business Research – Vol. 11, No. 8
Publication Date: August 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/abr.118.15234.
Bravim, J. M., Segatto, A. P., Justen, G. S., & Carvalho, A. C. V. (2023). Strategic Action for the Development of Social Impact
Businesses: Evidence from Brazilian Amazon. Archives of Business Research, 11(8). 01-20.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Strategic Action for the Development of Social Impact Businesses:
Evidence from Brazilian Amazon
Jhordano Malacarne Bravim
(ORCID: 0000-0003-4083-7799)
Management, Business School,
Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil
Andréa Paula Segatto
(ORCID: 0000-0002-8903-9256)
Management, Business School,
Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil
Gelciomar Simão Justen
(ORCID: 0000-0001-5332-8446)
Faculty of Administration and Accounting Sciences,
Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil
Ana Carolina Vilela de Carvalho
(ORCID: 0000-0002-4899-1427)
Management, Business School,
Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil
ABSTRACT
This research sought to understand how governments of the nine states that make
up the Brazilian Amazon plan to act strategically to develop social impact
businesses. From the analysis of the Multi-Year Plans 2020-2023 and through
qualitative research with content analysis, we identified that all state governments
of the Brazilian Amazon consider in some way the relationship with social impact
businesses as a strategy for the development of various themes. 47 passages
identified are related to 14 thematic areas (economy; social development; work,
employment, and income; science, technology, and innovation; family agriculture;
integrated development; agribusiness; regional development; health; planning,
budget, and management; fishing; partnerships; industrial development; and,
culture, sports, and leisure) and 5 organizational formats (solidarity economy
enterprises; collective entrepreneurship; solidary economy; associations; and
cooperatives) that have collectivism and solidarity in common. A relational model
of the strategic action of the state governments of the Brazilian Amazon through
social impact businesses indicates the predictability of strategic initiatives for the
development of this kind of business.
Keywords: Brazilian Amazon, social impact business, content analysis, multi-year plans.
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Archives of Business Research (ABR) Vol. 11, Issue 8, August-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
Thinking about the Brazilian Amazon means understanding a biome with unique
characteristics, considering its biological and socioeconomic diversity. Its development is based
on the creation of productive systems with local characteristics, strengthened by the exchange
of knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of actors inserted in this context. The entire
dynamic that surrounds the Brazilian Amazon dates back to its economic cycles and is linked
to the exploitation of natural resources such as wood, gold, and latex [1,2].
When seeking the sustainable development of the Brazilian Amazon through innovations,
technological improvement of extractivism systems is expected. These can occur through new
products and services and increased productivity through resource management. In this
context, economic activities require investments in infrastructure, research, and training.
Besides this, they can be considered results of the relations between the actors that form the
organizations, of the insertion of local populations, and the development of activities according
to the characteristics and development potential of the region [1,2].
The organizations usually promote forms of conservation and sustainable management
through the participation of local communities and exploit non-timber forest products as a
source of income. These are traded in regional markets, serve to supply industry sectors with
raw materials and act as biological resources from native forests. They are medicinal and edible
plants, fruits, nuts, resins, latex, essential oils, fibers, fodder, fungi, fauna, and wood for making
handicrafts that can be transformed into medicine, food, shelter, and personal hygiene products
[3].
Such organizations fit the optics of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise. In the view of
Rosolen, Pelegrini Tiscoski, and Comini [4] social entrepreneurship is governed by the creation
of social value and the generation of social transformation through innovations in products,
services, or methods. Social enterprises, on the other hand, have social and environmental
objectives, but also profit. This market orientation is used as a strategy for the sustainability of
social activities without necessarily depending on donations or other types of support.
There is also the hybrid organizational format that seeks to achieve the generation of socio- environmental value as well as financial sustainability, goals that were seen as incompatible
[5,6]. In this sense, to name the organizations that maintain this hybrid logic, terms are used
such as social entrepreneurship and social enterprise, but also inclusive business, social
business, business with social impact, and social impact business, originating from North
American, European, Asian, and Latin American strands on the subject [5,6,7]. Thus, for this
research, the terminology social impact business (SBI) will be adopted.
This type of enterprise should approach disadvantaged communities as a way to support its
implementation through the practice of ‘pricing appropriate to the reality of the population,
close relationships with the community, proximity of the structure, and gaining the trust of the
community leadership’ [8]. It is also important to understand the roles of the actors involved to
facilitate this relationship. In this sense, the development of social impact businesses in the
Brazilian Amazon must be thought of as a strategy that goes beyond the relationship between
social impact businesses and the community, but also between social impact businesses and