Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management

Abstract

The objective of the case is to illustrate how the private initiative of an entrepreneur in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Tibet can become a model of cultural, social, sustainable entrepreneurship, which creates value for the organization and its environment, and how such a model can be replicated and reproduced in different environments. Cultural, social and sustainable entrepreneurship is the object of numerous publications, and the focus of an increasing global interest from academic settings and society. A secondary research effort shows that the current literature does not report examples or cases of this comprehensive entrepreneurship applied in the Tibetan region, under extreme climatic challenges. The findings of the case are based on literature search, personal interviews in Lhasa, Tibet and direct observation by the authors. The study-visit in Lhasa was followed by an in-depth questionnaire with the objective of identifying to what extent the model could be reproduced in different cultural environments and countries. The case identifies empirical approaches and universal building blocks for social and sustainable entrepreneurship. It provides a road map for creating a sustainable business ecosystem useful for entrepreneurs. This case gives a broad view of a successful and innovative approach to social entrepreneurship; it shows that an entrepreneur new to the hospitality market segment, by applying fresh approaches and thinking to a mature, established market, can create added value for the organization and the community. The case contributes to the literature on the application of innovative entrepreneurship from an industry outsider and under extreme climatic conditions.