Assignment Problem:
Primo Café's forward-thinking founder and CEO, Elisa, is looking for ways to increase the company's social impact. She has asked you to look into opportunities. You think Primo could develop a program around repairing coffee makers using a local small business called The Mom & Pop Repair Shoppe (M&P). M&P is located in a mid-sized city, providing access to a potential customer base for Primo products. It also has the ability to accept online repair requests. You bring the idea of working with M&P to Marco - but he's very skeptical of the whole "make an impact" thing. He points out that small businesses tend to submit smaller, more frequent orders. Such orders tend to require specialized packaging and delivery - and sometimes require special requests to suppliers when parts are not in stock. Moreover, Marco thinks that if a Primo product breaks or wears out, then Primo can sell the customer another new product. You quickly realize that - unless you get specific - any initiative is going to get bogged down by people arguing over "social impact" versus "good business." Convincing Marco - and satisfying Elisa - is going to require building a strong case for shared value.
Think of an opportunity to create shared value in this situation.
Describe the specific social need (needs) you hope to impact.
Describe the business opportunity (opportunities) that can be achieved through addressing this need.
Describe the assets/resources that would be required to implement your plan.
Who in your ecosystem would be likely partners in your efforts to create this shared value?
What might be a barrier to your efforts to create this shared value?
Marco walks into your office one afternoon and says, "I appreciate that you want to work with The Mom & Pop Repair Shoppe - but Primo Café is not a charity! We should be focused on making profits." How would you reply to Marco in way that addresses both the concern for profits and the need for sustainable business practices?