Abstract
Accenture Development Partnerships is a “not-for-loss” business unit established inside Accenture in 2003 to serve NGO and development sector clients. Seven years later, its founder Gib Bulloch faces a challenge when a new leadership team is put in place at Accenture and the key sponsor of the venture retires. The future of the venture is uncertain – it could be phased out, integrated with another unit or left as a standalone unit The decision is complicated because on one hand the business model is very different from the main business of the firm, supporting separation of the unit; on the other, it is not yet able to cover its fixed operating costs, suggesting its integration or closure. Furthermore, the line between Accenture’s commercial projects and the development projects of Accenture Development Partnerships is blurring as commercial clients begin requesting Accenture’s assistance with the implementation of their own corporate social responsibility initiatives.
The case illustrates the successful establishment of a social enterprise within a major corporation. It provides an example of the effective development of a sponsorship network for securing buy-in for a new venture and illustrates the challenges of deciding how far a new venture should be separated from or integrated with the main business of the firm. As such it is well suited to a course on either Social Entrepreneurship or Corporate Entrepreneurship. It could also be used as the basis for discussion of the role of business in society in a General Management course. A two-part teaching case, teaching note and video are available.
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