In the article, “Harnessing Innovation for Change: Sustainability and Poverty in Developing Countries,” Khavul & Bruton (2013) examine strategies that managers can use to incorporate poverty eradication efforts into the social sustainability nexus across international settings. According to the authors, poverty is a major challenge in the development of innovations that promote sustainability. The main stakeholders that managers should consider while developing the interventions include local customers, suppliers, and other individuals in the spiritual ecosystem. The paper is organized in different sections, including the introduction, factors that influence the sustainability nexus, and a conclusion. The introduction part offers an overview of sustainability in international business and how poverty in developing nations affects developmental projects’ outcomes. The authors ascertain that investments in research and innovative developmental programs are crucial for promoting sustainability in any region.
The authors acknowledge the existence of conflicting views concerning how leaders can navigate poverty and attain sustainability. For instance, they present Peter Singer’s views concerning the need to make financial sacrifices to enhance development in poor economies (Khavul & Bruton, 2013). On the other hand, some skeptical scholars indicate that financial sacrifices might be a major risk because natural factors like environmental degradation could limit the outcomes of sustainability efforts. However, the study indicates that both groups agree on the need to direct a certain volume of resources to research and development operations. The article tends to agree on the possibility of risks in development programs. Thus, they recommend the consideration of local customers, networks, and business ecosystems as critical factors from the planning phase. According to the discussion, the risk of losing vital resources is significant when managers fail to consider the factors.
The study indicates that managers can turn challenges into opportunities for growth if they confront poverty-related problems. For example, they can develop environmental sustainability programs in regions that face poverty problems (Khavul & Bruton, 2013). Consequently, people will develop trust towards the organizations in their communities and enjoy improved living standards. At the same time, businesses can enjoy positive publicity and sustainability in developing regions. The study presents evidence of regions in which numerous people have moved out of poverty during the past three decades. For instance, they ascertain that millions of people in India and China have navigated poverty barriers after embracing sustainability programs. In such areas, leaders acknowledge major obstacles to development, including threshold effects, dysfunctional institutions ad neighborhood effects. Dysfunctional institutions nit only spread poverty but limit people from acquiring information on how to initiate development. Threshold effects occur when businesses stagnate, such that workers maintain the same levels of living standards.
The study offers a discussion concerning how the natural environment affects development. According to the authors, poverty is a major contributor to the depletion of natural resources. The point out that poverty and the environment experience a vicious circle that limits sustainable development. They suggest the move towards harnessing innovation for change (Khavul & Bruton, 2013). Leaders can introduce technologies that allow for the use of minimal resources to produce better qualities of output in organizational settings. For instance, innovative telephone infrastructure, among other channels of communication, can empower people to embrace innovative investments in sustainable projects. Other forms of innovation include e-banking and mobile money, which allow people in remote areas to engage in business transactions. However, the leaders need to have customers’ needs in mind to facilitate optimal success in such programs. They should also promote reliable networks among different specialists such that the systems can operate efficiently.
The authors conclude that innovation is a vital tool for neutralizing the impacts of poverty in sustainability programs. Leaders should acknowledge the need to improve people’s quality of life without compromising the welfare of future generations. They invite future researchers to hold discussions across multidisciplinary settings to formulate comprehensive strategies for promoting innovative development strategies. They can also take advantage of globalization to formulate approaches for mitigating potential challenges in the future. Consequently, different regions will continue to enjoy sustainability regardless of their economic history.
References
Khavul, S., & Bruton, G. D. (2013). Harnessing innovation for change: Sustainability and poverty in developing countries. Journal of Management Studies, 50(2), 285-306.
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