Sustainable beekeeping, community driven-development, and tri-sector solutions with impact

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-01-2020-0019
• Published date: 20 August 2020
• Pages: 359-372
• Date: 20 August 2020
• Subject Matter: Strategy,Corporate governance
• Author: Lisa Gring-Pemble,Germán Perilla

Sustainable beekeeping, community

driven-development, and tri-sector

solutions with impact

Lisa Gring-Pemble and Germ

an Perilla

Abstract

Purpose –As the Academyfor Business in Society considers the theme ‘‘Business in Society:Measuring

Impact and Creating Change,’’ one fundamental question emerges and that is how to collaborate with

universities to create positiveimpact and sustainable business models. The purposeof this paper is to

addressthat question and offer one apt illustration for how to collaborateeffectively across sectors.

Design/methodology/approach –This paper offersa case study of the Honey Bee Initiative (HBI) from

GeorgeMason University’s School of Business.

Findings –In this case study, the authors discuss the Initiative’s tri-sector domestic and global

partnerships, community-driven development approach and innovative solutions as an exemplar of

businessas a forcefor good.

Originality/value –This paper providesunique insight into how universities can partner with non-profits,

business and policy leaders to effect positive change. As such, the HBI program contributes to the

growing body of research on the benefits of tri-sector partnership models as a means of addressing

global goals and provides a valuablecase study to understand better the necessity of multi-stakeholder

partnerships. Moreover,the HBI’s tri-sector partnership model offers importantinsights into what makes

these partnerships successful and serves as a replicable model that can be instituted in other regions

aroundthe globe.

Keywords Sustainable development, Beekeeping, Sustainable business, Community-driven development,

George Mason University, Honey Bee Initiative, Tri-sector solutions

Paper type Case study

As the Academy for Business in Society considers the theme “Business in Society:

Measuring Impact and Creating Change,” one fundamental question emerges and

that is how to collaborate with universities to create positive impact and sustainable

business models. A case study from George Mason University’s School of Business

provides an apt illustration. The School of Business believes that a better world is

everyone’s business and recognizes the imperative to educate future business leaders for a

better world. One initiative that illustrates how we create positive impact and sustainable

business models across sectors is ourHoney Bee Initiative (HBI), which is a key component

of the recently launchedBusiness for a Better World Center.

About George Mason University and the business for a better world center

George Mason University, an anchor institution for the national capital region with three

campuses in Northern Virginia, is the largest public research university by number of

students in the Commonwealth of Virginia.In the past half-century, Mason has grown from a

small satellite campus of the University of Virginia into one of the most influential institutions

of higher education located in the dynamic Washington, D.C. region. Mason’s 38,000

Lisa Gring-Pemble and

Germ

an Perilla are based

at the School of Business,

George Mason University,

Fairfax, VA, USA.

Received 13 February 2020

Revised 1 May 2020

11 July 2020

Accepted 22 July 2020

HBI is supported by the School

of Business at George Mason

University, private donors, and

grant funding. Current projects

in the United States and

Colombia are made possible

through the generous support

of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya

Argentaria (BBVA) and a

George Mason University

Institute for a Sustainable Earth

grant.

DOI 10.1108/CG-01-2020-0019 VOL. 21 NO. 2 2021, pp. 359-372, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1472-0701 jCORPORATE GOVERNANCE jPAGE 359